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US reality show where women give birth 'in the wild', miles from hospital: what do you think?
HelenMFM
admin
in General chat
Hello
We're wondering what you think about the controversial new US reality TV series called Born in the Wild.
Apparently, it features a group of pregnant women who have agreed to have a 'completely natural' birth and deliver their babies without medical supervision 'in the wild' – one in the woods, for example, and another in a makeshift log cabin in rural Alaska.
Do you think, as the women involved are saying, that it's a safe and natural thing to do? Or do you think, as some medical experts are saying, that it's irresponsible and dangerous to give birth so far from medical help?
Please do share your opinions with us here on this thread!
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Replies
That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard! why anyone would want to even possibly put their unborn child at risk is crazy, no matter how much money these contestants might be offered. I suspect there will be medics on hand, otherwise why on earth would they agree?
2 words. F***ing stupid! More fool them if they're willing to risk their babies lives just for a bit of publicity and a few quid.
They wouldn't put it on tv if it wasn't safe they wouldn't be aloud. They may make the filming seem like it's all in the wild and natural but they wouldn't film a baby dying or anything dramatic like that and I'm sure they wouldn't let that happen. There would definitely be back up medical help hiding behind camera
I think people need to take it with a pinch of salt because the likelihood is that there will be medics on hand with the filming.
But also remember that years ago women would give birth by themselves at home. Birthing is a very natural process, animals take themselves off into a 'safe' place and give birth without having midwives around - why is it such a shock that some humans may want to? The premise of home birthing is that a woman is in her most safe environment and manages the birth themselves. Indeed a lot of research has been completed into hospital policy and procedure having an adverse effect on birthing and actually causing problems to occur which may not have done so otherwise.
Its certainly not the case for everyone that having teams of doctors and a hospital nearby is 'what's best' or even 'safest'.
They may have medics on site but will they have every single piece of specialist medical equipment a desperately sick baby might need to save their lives should heaven forbid anything go wrong? How quickly can they get mum and baby to somewhere that does? You just can't predict what's going to happen during labour. Reality tv gone flamin bonkers if u ask me.
Had to check it wasn't April 1st! Only in the states!
I support Birth Options...
5/6 mother's in this show had midwifes attend their births. The one mother who did not was a midwife herself and her husband was an EMT. All were very well educated woman and men in the ways of labor and birth. With my experience, I was only 12 miles from the nearest hospital and 10 miles from home and we made sure there was monitoring equipment at the birth site. It was a beautiful location with the safety of medical equipment. I support womans choice to give birth as a doula whether that be in the hospital, at a birth center, at home or as an outdoor-home-birth in nature.