Birth - Live on TV?
The first televised natural birth is to be screened live next weekend from a British hospital.A group of expectant mothers have agreed *snipped* to be filmed giving birth naturally, without pain relief.
I have given birth twice. Both times with minimal or no pain relief. My son was born after 3 weeks slow labour and his spine was lying against my spine. He was born with the aid of a TENS machine and a bit of gas and air. My daughter was quick and easy. G&A made me feel sick so it was only the TENS. Within an hour I was up and walking about. Only to the loo across the corridor but still mobile if I wished to be. But it was an intensely private time.
But staff within the hospital, as well as the Royal College of Midwives, have raised objections, warning that having a TV crew there for a live ‘performance’ makes the birth inherently less safe and will raise the mother’s own stress levels, affecting the baby.This raises so many questions for me. It’s such an incredible invasion of such an intensely private female experience - I can’t believe they’d actually do it. I’m incensed. I’m fuming - again. I think the word I came up with the other day was apoplectic.
What will they do if there are complications, or a still birth? I sincerely hope that the women involved have a stress free and easy birth with no complications - but what if? My first had no major complications but I was lapsing in and out of consciousness through sheer exhaustion. I know women who have had babies rushed away needing oxygen or treatment. The miracle of birth is a natural event that women have had control over for all human existence. It’s a matriarchal thing that men (doctors and consultants) have complicated with medical intervention where none is needed in an effort to take that control away from us. And now they want to film it too???
I know it’s been done before. Robert Winston did it as part of the Human Body thing. He showed everything from conception to death. I watched it, mostly. It was fascinating. Birth was shown as part of the process. Child of Our Time did it too. The big difference for me is that those were filmed and edited. If the participants had wanted to back out it could have been cut. I remember some of the original couples did pull out, including one who’s baby was stillborn. It was announced with discretion and then we saw no more of them. This programme is scheduled to go out LIVE. The scope for disaster is HUGE.
The programme will be shown next Sunday evening on Channel 5 in a two-hour special *snipped*. It will be extended until midnight if the woman giving birth spends a long time in labour.How exactly are they going to make sure these women give birth on time? Induction? Unnecessary intervention probably leading to emergency c-section?
A senior member of staff at QMC, who asked not to be named, said: ‘Some of us have very big reservations about this. If they really want to show the wonder of birth, why don’t they film it pre-recorded, and then transmit it once they know everything has gone well and mother and baby are fine?Exactly! Why do it live? It’s voyeuristic and unnecessary. I won’t be watching.
well I came I saw I commented - and I liked. Much cooler than the previous template. And I prefer number anti-spam to letters.
Comment by simplywondered — October 3, 2006 @ 12:36 pm
Glad you made it over here.
Comment by ethicallyspeaking — October 3, 2006 @ 2:22 pm
Well I made a huge long comment in response to your post, typed in the numbers and the bloody thing disappeared!
I think it must be me…
Comment by witchy-woo — October 3, 2006 @ 4:32 pm
Bugger. I wonder what the problem is?
Comment by ethicallyspeaking — October 3, 2006 @ 4:36 pm
I only read about half of your post, but had to stop before I blew a fuse. Invasive, exploitative, voyeuristic and misogynistic.
The blog looks good. Let’s see if my comment is eaten up.
Comment by Bea — October 4, 2006 @ 7:58 am
Hi Bea!
Glad you found me, and glad you like the blog. Do feel free to pop in as often as you like.
Looks like there’s no problem with you commenting. Must take a look at why Witchy has problems.
S
Comment by ethicallyspeaking — October 4, 2006 @ 8:14 am
so it seems the new witch-proof fence works then, s
hahahahaaaaaaa!
Comment by simplywondered — October 4, 2006 @ 7:57 pm
But I don’t want a Witchy proof fence!
*Wail* Witchy! Come and find the hole in the fence…..
Comment by ethicallyspeaking — October 4, 2006 @ 8:08 pm
maybe she’s boycotting you cos you took down the avdert for witchy poo.
Comment by simplywondered — October 5, 2006 @ 8:51 pm