A birth film for men....

[Tobily]

ETA - just on the aspiration of bub's airways, I can understand their need to do it after a csection but I was under the assumption that being birthed vaginally helped to push the mucous off the airways of the baby? Hence why they come out breathing and crying? Or have I got it wrong.

No Anna not wrong, vaginal birth does help squeeze mucous from the babies lungs. But with that particular baby their "reason" for assaulting it like that was because it had passed meconium (ie. done a poo) in utero. They were doing it routinely - because their protocol says that mec babies have to be suctioned - even though it was glaringly obvious to all and sundry that the baby could breathe just fine...since it was screaming its head off

[myson]

"give the baby to mama now" how many times did the father have to say this! and he was treated like cr@p IMO. bullied but condescended to at the same time???

Should they have been more assertive? would that have worked? is this the kind a thing a doula would step in and help with, if the parents are getting railroaded?

I am gobsmacked!

[Freya]

I thought meconium poisoning happens awhile AFTER birth. Whether they are suctioned or not. I cant understand how suctioning a baby in its throat would get fluid out of its lungs? I would assume once its aspirated into the lungs in utero its done. That said I havent seen a case of meconium poisoning since that documentary 'Losing Laila' a few years back. And even that was caused by Dr incompetence.

[~Raven~]

Caleb passed mec during his birth and he had to have temp checks for 48 hours to ensure he didn't develop an infection but he wasn't suctioned like that at all!

Tali I agree we are very lucky to live here not be subject to that type of policy assaulting our newborns!

[Cassius2]

thanks Kelly for posting the link.

I was just crying out for someone to cuddle that little bubba and tell him it was alright! WTF??!! i would have been furious!!

My DD was straight onto my chest and she remained there for 1.5 frikkin hours!!! we cuddled, fed, cuddled, gazed etc. she was crying when she came out and the moment she heard our voices she stopped and tried to look up at me. i'll never forget it.

man, my girl didnt have a bath for 2 days!! LOL!. i didnt want to, and the m/w backed me up and said it wasn't necessary! fancy bathing someone else's bub without them around or without their consent??!!!

hope you guys have a screening of this one when it comes out!!

[Schmickers]

Sections of that film made me really angry, and also made me glad that I have never attended a hospital birth. It just disgusts me the way mothers and babies are treated. There is no reason why the baby cannot be suctioned on the woman's belly, if it needs suctioning at all. As well as that, for the uninitiated, the bit where the baby is screaming, the father asks "baby go to mama now" and the nurse is overheard saying "we just need to complete our assessment, okay?" - the assessment she is performing (with her finger in the baby's mouth) is a check for an intact palate. There is no reason why that check cannot be done at any stage during the admission. Cleft palate isn't life threatening, and it certainly isn't a reason to hold a screaming, unwrapped baby on a resuscitaire when the baby's mother and father both want it returned to the mother.

Shame.

[Olive]

thankd for posting kelly! a real eye opener.

made me realise just how disempowered men do feel during labour and birth, sad really, their just as much a part of it as the mum!

cant wait the see the doco, will it be one you can screen at the centre?

[KimB]

I watched the trailer and was outraged. That Dr needed a smack in the mouth. Hitting the woman's hands when she tried to stop him from taking the baby away OMG, my df would have punched the mongrel.

I had to stick up for myself with my 2nd against a dr who wanted to induce me but I stuck to my guns and had him naturally. This dr was absolutely pushing for an induction and if it had been my 1st I might have gone along with it but luckily before I saw the "bad" one I had a great registrar who told me I could go 5 days with a minor leak of amniotic fluids. Yeah for all the good ones.

My df will probably be just as assertive with this delivery as he was with the last one.