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

I disagree with most posters, thought Janet's midwives were SO patronising. "Oooh, is that a puzzle you're doing?" "Tiberius - he was a bit of a baddy wasn't he?" "When did you last do a wee wee?" ffs.

I would have wanted to punch them. I wouldn't have punched them, but would have been annoyed.

I think you get treated how you act though, Janet and Ralph were clearly in need of the maternal, type treatment they recieved. They wouldn't have been able to converse on a level with the midwives.

I was a screamer for my first labour! and was told to be quiet and there is nothing worse. I was scared and felt a lack of support. It IS the scariest thing you ever go through. I think the program shows an arrya of different women from across society and is good viewing in general. Labour is so personal a thing and no one sould be judged on their labour, even if it is televised.

plainjane, I actually thought Janet was very calm and collected, she was obviously apprehensive, but I thought she was very mature and able to recognise how she was feeling. I loved Ralph and his quirky way! I hope they'll be happy.

I felt the mws were far too patronising, and being like that had the effect of them 'telling' Janet what was going to happen, rather than Janet having ownership of her labour and birth (that sounds pretentious but ykwim). There was no discussion, or explaining, it was just 'your waters will be broken', 'we will put you on the drip' etc etc.

And as for the mw who said "Oh dear, YOU won't be having any more babies any time soon" - she might as well have stuck a poster expressing her disapproval on the wall. What a thing to say to someone IN LABOUR.....

Yes, Lily, that annoyed me too. It really irritated me that she was saying it in a pseudo-sympathetic way as well, 'ooo, I wonder why she's so distressed...' It was fairly clear that she was the one finding the screaming uncomfortable and laying the blame on the labouring woman
I read Childbirth Without Fear before my labour, I wasn't scared, I knew what to expect (2 years midwifery training), but when it came to it, it REALLY HURT and I screamed because it helped me deal with it. It actually makes me quite upset to think that there would have been midwives there who would have judged me and thought I was making a fuss. :(

I would be interested to know how much conversation actually went on between the midwives and the labouring women about changing position/pain relief/augmentation of labour, etc. My experience of being filmed and watching the video back on TV is that an awful lot of what happens is cut simply because of the nature of how long labour lasts for and how long the programme is on for. I'm not convinced that these conversations didn't happen but do wonder if they aren't shown because they are perceived to not make 'good TV'. Personally, I don't watch OBEM for it to be educational as I've given birth enough times now to know what I want and to ask if I don't know what's happening. I just enjoy watching babies being born and love seeing the relationship between the parents and how the birth story unfolds. I also enjoy hearing the midwive's point of view and love the idea of following a midwife for a day.

sophable-
"If birth wasn't so incredibly miraculous this programme would make very depressing viewing indeed.

Tonight we have had all the labouring women flat on their backs no one suggesting that moving might help.

A midwife telling a mother in full contraction that screaming won't help (WTF. widely known that making any kind of noise reduces pain).

A midwife stating that 'she doesn't know what the next midwife will want to do about you'. Infantilising and disempowering the mother entirely.

To think that if the hospital were happy to show this, what must go on OFF camera makes me shudder.

A total indictment of UK maternity services.

But like I said, birth (under any circumstances) is such an amazing miraculous thing, that by exploiting this the filmakers have a hit on their hands.

I think it is absolutely shameful that the programme does nothing to give even a hint of a suggestion that there might be alternatives to giving birth like this (and I'm not even talking about homebirths!)."

-I agree completly

No wonder so many women are scared of labour when images like this are held up as what labour 'is'.

There was so mach negligence and medical malpractice shown I'm that the hospital and midwives were happy for it to be broadcast. Are they really that arrogant?

Teladi has been pulled out the hat as the winner of the £50 Amazon voucher. Well done!

And thanks to everyone for adding their comments.

I came away with full of gratitude towards the hospital which saved from all this trauma by giving me an epidural together with the oxytocin. (My labour did not progress, for a reason - as it turned out.)