Add your views on tonight's episode of "One Born Every Minute" (10 Jan, Ch 4, 9pm ) and you could win a £50 Amazon voucher

[AnnMumsnet]

Channel 4 have asked Mumsnet to find out what you think about their new series of One Born Every Minute (starting today, Monday 10th January at 9pm). We've recruited a special panel of volunteer viewers to add their comments to this thread. The panel are a mix of Mumsnetters, all of whom are parents, some pregnant, some not, some have seen the programme before, others haven't.

They would also love any other Mumsnetters - ie folks NOT in the panel - to add their comments here. Anyone who contributes to this thread will be entered into a prize draw where one winner, drawn at random, will win a £50 Amazon voucher.

We'll also be having a thread after the second programme, next Monday.

So, please post your thoughts and comments on the programme below. We'd welcome 'live' feedback during the broadcast as well as a comment at the end. If you can't post during the broadcast please add your thoughts by the end of Tues Jan 11th.

If you are a panel member please identify yourself as one when you first post.

Many thanks and enjoy!
MNHQ

One thing I have always felt about this programme is that I'd like some indication of whereabouts we are in the woman's labour. Either timewise, although that doesn't mean much, or at least pre-labour, established, transition, etc. Mostly so I can form a better judgment on their pain response but also it would help make sense of the excerpts. So often we see someone apparently nowhere near full dilation and then suddenly they're having the baby. It would give some context, I feel.

I would also like to see the stats - length of labour, weight of baby, type of delivery - that kind of thing. Perhaps I'm just a geek.

Did Stephanie REALLY have to be so vocal, so out of control. The audience of other mothers being forced to listen...and YES i have had two children before anyone asks, both natural births and both without pain relief (Because i don't like needles!)

and poor Ralph am i wrong in thinking that Janets mother should have stepped aside and said 'Your turn now, get in that delivery suite and be with your son and girlfriend' my heart went out to him

When they were doing the 'sofa' interviews I kind of wanted to see the babies as they are now. Would have been a nice postscript I think.

I think it was a very true representation of what being in labour is like. The fact that you are left alone a lot of the time, the waiting around, the change on those women's faces from lucid and present to 'away with the fairies' and 'WTF??!!!'

These things you don't really learn in NCT classes.

When you are watching on TV you think 'why is no one doing anything? Why is everyone just waiting around for something to happen?'
Whereas when you are going through labour it kind of makes sense - there is a process to go through and stages to overcome.

However I had a bad feeling about the young girl who was being induced and felt it was almost inevitable that she would have to have dramatic medical intervention. Yet they tried for so long to induce, so obviously they thought it better for her to have a VB. Perhaps some explanation of why it was so important to try?

Also can't believe that MW waffling on about the induction fluid or 'jungle juice' being originally used to induce abortions. All very informative, but when faced with a potentially difficult birth, the outcome of which isn't clear, perhaps not the most helpful thing to point out. Luckily Janet and her family seemed distinctly underwhelmed by the info.

Steph was so funny, but when I went in to be induced with DS1 a woman screaming like that in the room next to me completely took me out of my zone and I lost control of my own labour because she scared me so much, and I do remember telling the midwife that her noise was scaring me - I think labour wards should be sound proofed .

I like Ralph, I can see my own DS growing up to be a bit like him as he's a bit of an oddball but instead of Roman history DS will be spouting Pokeman facts and wanting to call his first born Pikachu.

This is a lovely series, I'm in floods of tears every time I see a new baby born. I loved the new babies have their own smell just like new cars. Looking forward to seeing a waterbirth next week as that was my dream birth (never happened sadly).

Why are the women always birthing on their backs? I noted the next episode seems to show some alternatives but I think the midwives come off as unprofessional for not doing more to help the women move so their labour is easier. I also think the way the midwives just come in and say we'll just do x eg break waters, give stronger induction or whatever without showing any discussion or negotiation or even basic consideration of what the woman wants is wrong as it is encourages women to submit to the hospital machine as though they were slabs of meat without choices.
Raplh and Janet were lovely but I do think they were manipulated into an induction her body was not ready for. Instead of the midwives talking about how one intervention can lead to others they talked about how help is needed and they dash to the rescue.

I know natural peaceful childbirth like you see with births like these www.youtube.com/user/HypnobirthingVideos#g/f doesn't make good drama but I think you do pregnant women a disservice by focusing on the medical traumas.
Having said that I do watch it despite wanting to shout get up and MOVE at the TV.

i must say ive had 3 kids and never screamed like that totally ott

Completely agree with sophable. And going by my own experience, this is absolutely typical.

Hello.

I am on the panel.

As I'm not sure what aspects of the programme you want feedback on, here are some random thoughts.

It was nice to hear the opinions of the two older midwives about how they treat women, and what has changed over the years.

It surprised me that no practical advice for managing pain was given to the labouring women. I am not a midwife and have no medical training whatsoever, but I do know that moving around, being OFF my back, breathing etc would have helped. No support like this was offered to these women.

There seemed a lack of reassurance offered to them, and when it came it was very outdated eg. "you have to stay still". There was no explanation of what was happening to their bodies.

The midwives, while being quite nice and calm, seemed to be contributing to the fear and pain by not telling them what was happening, not telling them how to get the baby moving naturally, not telling them that one intervention would likely lead to another. It was as though they were rushing to "help", but this help was needed because they hadn't explored ways around it.

So, this disconnect between the midwives being nice, while also screwing over the women quite badly, made me uneasy.

And before anybody shouts, I know that some women need interventions, I just can't believe as many need them as are shown on this programme.

Am I still allowed to comment next week

"Why are the women always birthing on their backs?" Completely agree. It was only because of MN that I suddenly realised, while sitting in the birth pool, that a baby cannot get round a bend, so I got on my hands & knees and hey presto! DD2 was born

So much TV depicts women sitting or lying down when in labour.

I do wish women would not make such comments about Steph's screaming. She did what she did to get her through labour. I thought she came across as terrified tbh. Perhaps she suffers from a fear of pain or fear of childbirth. Shame on those of you who judged her.

This is the first time I have watched OBEM properly and I really enjoyed it.

I thought Steph was over the top but hey she is in labour really would have scared me had I been pregnant seeing that tbh.

The young couple I didnt really warm to tbh they seemed odd with each other which I didnt like and Janet didnt really seem too excited to be having a baby, I was awake for 3 days when I was in labour but I was so much more estatic than that I was going to see my first baby fgs.

I really enjoyed seeing the midwifes talk about the women in labour and how much they enjoy there jobs.

The program was great at giving an insight into a real labour ward but I did think that showing Steph scream so much could have been a little bit too much for pregnant women and if I had watched it before I had given birth to my son I would have been even more petrified but it was lovely when she had her baby.

Not on the panel but...

I was surprised how long Janet was in bed for, if she wasnt actually in labour surely she should have been encouraged to get up and about and get things going? She coped so well when she did actually get going and I'm agreeing with TheLogLady about Ralph and possible as? He was fantastic though when he was talking about the baby at the end abou how he hoped he didn't feel he had to conform and had to be his own person :( I cried buckets at that.

What can I say about Steph, other than that I had to turn the sound off and subtitles on otherwise the screaming would have woken the dd's. I saw her with entinox was she offered any different pain relief of positions to help with the pain?

I was really surprised how both women stayed in bed in one position for the majority of the time.

I really enjoy watching programmes like this but DH flatly refuses and took himself off upstairs with a ice cream and a disgusted look on his face - I had an em cs with DS and I think DH still traumatised by any birth stuff!

I like having an insight into what the midwives think and it was nice to see them in the tea room and chatting about their ladies and what they were going through

Have to say though, there doesn't seem to be much emphasis on moving about - I watched the last OBEM and was shocked at how many women were laid on their backs - I'm positive this contributes to baby turning the wrong way, back to back labour and then ultimately intervention

Was amazed at how they managed to get the epidural into screamer! Don't blame her for screaming as everyone labours differently and you need to do what suits you best but getting a needle accurately into her...eeek!! Hats off to the dr that did it

I wish I could have been at dd's birth :(
My pal wAS put under GAfor emcs so they wouldn't let me go in.
Poor baby dd had no one with her when she was born

I love this programme and having had 2 c-sections I am always intrigued by watching a woman labour and birth a baby vaginally.

The two older midwives seem lovely, it made me laugh when one was talking about jungle juice for the drip.

The woman screaming during labour reminded me of when myself and dh went on a tour of the labour ward before having ds and hearing a woman in one of the labour rooms with a similar vocal level, freaked me out at the time

I thought Ralph was an amazing person. The comments he made about his new baby son and his tears really moved me. What an amazing guy, also was sad to see he didn't get to see his son born, but I was discussing this with DH and I think at 18 you probably still really need your mum.

As for the screamer, I believe women should be able to labour and make the noises they need to make, but I can see that it was scary for those that can hear it and are in earlier stages. Not sure what the solution is in the cash strapped NHS, but its not a trainee midwife telling you to keep it down. That shocked me.

I like the sections where the two more experienced midwives talk about the job in general.

Was Janet special needs too? Learning disabled? spectrum? Her mum seemed very salt of the earth so they should be well supported.
Ralph was lovely

I'm not on the panel but have just caught up with last nights prog.

I agree with loglady about Ralph being possible asd. He was a lovely guy and certainly looks like he will be a wonderfull father.

I really felt for Janette she must have been so fed up in the end. It was a shame she didnt let Ralph go in with her to have the baby, he looked so lost bless him.

As for Steph she wound me up she was still screaming after the epidural then saying she couldnt feel it. So why scream then?

Can't wait for next weeks episode

QOD - same here - dd1 had no-one to welcome her into the world as I was asleep and dh wasn't allowed in the theatre.

He was just like Ralph - left all alone in an empty delivery room, wanting a hug!

Am quite at the attitudes towards 'the screamer'. She definitely needed some more support and to be in a different position, but I don't know how anyone can be so judgmental about someone in labour, it is the most intense thing you go through, surely you just get through it the best you can, if that involves screaming, so be it. Screaming certainly helped me, I think that people don't like 'screamers' because it makes them feel uncomfortable, which is totally unfair on the woman labouring to be asked to keep it down so that other people don't feel uncomfortable Although I do agree that screaming during the second stage is not helpful as that energy is then better directed into pushing.
Anyway, sorry, about that rant, I think we're supposed to be talking about the programme itself
I liked the Janet and Ralph story, although it was a little disjointed at the end... was Janet fully dilated when she said she wanted to push and the midwife said that she thought it was unlikely that she'd be fully dilated? I assumed it was a ventouse delivery due to the bruise on the baby's head, but this wasn't confirmed at all. I also think a follow up at the end of the programme (think the end of the series is too long, I'll have forgotten about them by then!) would be very helpful.

I recorded this and made the mistake of watching it before going to pick the kids up. Had to scoff some chocolate and do a quick round of dusting to get myself composed again. It always has me in pieces!

Two rather overwhelmed ladies, today. Poor Steph looked like she wanted to get upright or on all fours and even her partner kept stopping her. I can't understand why. She'd probably have been so much more comfortable if that's what her instincts were telling her to do.

I thought Janet and Ralph were lovely. I completely understand Janet wanting her mum. She's still a young girl, isn't she. Ralph holding his baby at the end is what set me off blubbing, though.

TheLogLady - He definitely struck me as being a little aspie.

I am a panel member (AnnMumsnet - sorry for delayed feedback, DCs poorly and had to record it).

So lovely to have OBEM back! I cried most of the way through too.

I've been surprised how inactive a lot of women are during labour and how the midwives don't (or aren't shown) suggest the women change positions.

I think the screamer should have been allowed to make whatever noise she found helpful, but perhaps there were other signs we weren't shown that she was overreacting.

All the participants seem very unaware of the camera(s). Obviously some of the cameras are fixed in position but some must be operated in person? Would love a 'making of' but that would involve more cameras filming the cameras so perhaps too complicated?

I agree with other posters that catch-ups at the end of each prog would be lovely - how babies are and mothers' post-birth thoughts.

Thanks Lastyears...I understand and sorry to have chased you, just didn't want you to miss out!