Dr. Phil just lost all credibility for me....

[Tobily]

I'm sure he'll be overwhelmed with responses.....NOT.

Bet he doesn't mention the extraordinarily high rates of satisfaction women have with homebirth....or maybe he will when he has to announce he's not doing the show after all due to lack of interest.....

And yeah, could you wear your biases any more blatantly??? Blech.

[MantaRay]

Well they say every man has his price. I guess Dr Phil sold out a while ago. I am surprised that people can't see this as a problem - firstly, he is not an ob or mw so has no specialist knowledge in this area. I thought the point of his show was supposed to be to use HIS expertise to help people? Secondly, it is blatantly biased. It doesn't say "share your birth experience" or "hb experience", he is specifically looking to rubbish a valid method of bringing a child into the world. How is that helping pg women and their partners to choose an option based on unbiased information? It's not.

[Tanya]

What sad about it is that Homebirths or births with midwives are so rare in the US. Hospital births in the US involve so much intervention. They really need to take a good look at the probelms they have with the majority of women instead of looking at midwives and women who choose to have little or no intervention! I can only imagine what they pick out of the bunch!!

[paradise lost]

Just realised Dr Phil is a d ick?

Welcome aboard! Sorry it took you so long....

Bx

[queenbee]

i too dont see a big problem with it..

i know a few people that have regretted home births and its up to them if they want to share their story.

sorry but i really dont see a problem with it.

I agree, no big deal

[meow]

The traditional way to give birth is at home, since when did hospital birth become traditional?!??

Completely agree... I saw that I thought what an insanely bizarre thing to say.

I stopped watching Dr Phil a long time ago- I find him to be a very typically conservative, white, middle class, middle aged man and I don't like much of what he has to say.

[[M]umma[M]ia]

just thought i would add...

i dont care what dr phil has to say about home births. If i want one then ill be having one. Its my choice. Its really the same with breastfeeding etc. It doesnt matter what a talk show says, at the end of the day its ur life and ur decision. If people are going to take dr phils advice over their own intuition and midwifes/gp's advice then shame on them. thats their problem.

i understand that dr phils fans out there believing him about all the bad stuff he might say about homebirths but really.. comon they are grown ups im sure they can make the decision for themselves.

u will find that Ellen and Opera give me the ****s too but hey.. its my choice whether i listen to them or not.

IYKWIM..

xox

[[M]umma[M]ia]

ps.. yes i do find the term "traditional" out a llllllllloong time ago. A different word should have been used here.

[LuluHB]

I don't really see a problem with it either TBH. I agree that his show has a HUGE audience but at the risk of sounding like a snob, anybody who watches Dr Phil and thinks that they are seeing the real story, and makes a decision as to where they are going to birth their child as a result of what Dr Phil thinks is an idiot. It has been a very, very long time since Dr Phil said anything worth listening to, and since his guests were anything more than people desperate for the attention and/or appearance money.

[widdly]

Dr Phil is so full of it, whoever said that he is turning into Jerry Springer is totally right! When he first started i thought the show was great and actually was helping people, now it just seems to be pitting people against each other just to get the ratings.

[krysalyss]

Dr Phil LOST credibility?!?!? Hmmmmm. Did he ever have any? Didn't he start out on Today Tonight?.

[Trillian]

Idiots or not, it sows the seeds of doubt in women's minds - and even 'idiots' have a right to have the best birth for them. It isn't so much solely what HE has to say either - all the 'experts' are more worrying - who knows what they are going to bring to the table. And at the end of the day it is still perpetrating the myth that HB's are dangerous and shouldn't be done. Plus I think a lot of you underestimate the American audience and viewers that will bare the brunt of this. It's a different culture over there.

[Julie Doula]

Funding by the powerful anti-homebirth, midwife witch-hunting AMA, anyone???

I'm extremely disappointed in DP, not because he's against hb, but because of the obviously biased slant he is taking.

If he wrote, so you've had a hb, tell us how it was - good? bad? regrets? no regrets? Would you do again - or not? Would you recommend it - or not? Then I wouldn't have an issue with it. But he looking to dig dirt on homebirthing in a country that is looking to out-law homebirth. He is riding on the wave of BOBB. He just wants sensational stuff to rake a buck. Not impressed.

[christy]

I hate it because women like my mother who lives in the US take Dr Phil's word on everything. So when their daughters say "I am thinking of a homebirth" they have to face opposition the whole way through....

[Trillian]

I hate it because women like my mother who lives in the US take Dr Phil's word on everything. So when their daughters say "I am thinking of a homebirth" they have to face opposition the whole way through....

That's another huge thing isn't it Christy? It's not so much what you want yourself and if you take what he says with a grain of salt, so be it, but it's those that you are surrounded by who are often our biggest detractors, and if they are easily swayed or even scared into thinking that something is dangerous, then they will chip away at you and undermine your confidence until you have none left. This is probably more dangerous than anything else.

[Mumma2three]

A couple of things, I doubt Dr Phil comes up with the show topics. He has a big team, it would be rare he sits around deciding shows. However the positive of having your own show, it will be your opinion. You're not going to get on and say the opposite. But as far as coming up with the solutions, it would be a a team effort. It's like ready, steady cook. The chefs don't have 2 minutes to think about what to cook,they stop filming for half an hour and about 4 people come on and write a menu!!! Very little to do with the actual "tv personalities".
His show is for entertainment, yes just like Jerry springers is, and majority of people watching want to feel better about themselves, therefore watching a show like this will do just that.
I would also think there is a reason for this show. Maybe there have been some recent problems with some particular homebirths. One thing is, he will have someone on the other side of the argument.
People will always rip apart anything on tv, in a book, newspaper etc, that's human nature it seems, but I would also think he has helped some people too.
But when it comes down to it, anyone in the minority can be entertainment and for some reason the audience finds a comfort in this. Its' all for ratings, don't be fooled.

[Deltadawn]

I really dont have a problem with it either. It is quite possible that he already has a few people lined up with positive home birth experiences and he just wants to show both sides of the story. It is what good journalism is all about - balanced views.

[misty]

I think alot of people here are jumping to conclusions and making alot of assumptions. The show may or may not be for or against home births - but everyone is assuming things about it before it has even aired!

In my veiw making an assumption about something without having all of the facts (such as actually viewing the show) just undermines any opinion you might hold on the topic. How can you condem something without all the relevant information? It is no better to condemn Dr Phils show on home births, then it would be for anyone to condemn homebirths themselves without having researched and made an informed decision.

As such I reserve the right to judgement after I have seen the show, and not to leap to any conclusions because of some seemingly skewed questions.

Furthermore, whilst I may or maynot then agree with the general premises of the show and Dr Phil's opinions in relation to home birthing, It won't seriously affect my opinion of the guy (which is pretty neutral atm). I mean there are alot of people whom I both agree and disagree with vehemenantly (sp?) in Life - Some of those I disagree on topics most passionately are some of my closest friends and relatives (not to mention fellow BB members), but a person can have a disagreeable opinion and still be a decent person.

I would hope (annd expect) that those on the board would show myself the curtesy of expressing my veiws in full about an issue BEFORE condemning me, and I fail to see why that same curtesy should not be extended to others - no matter their forum for expressing their opinion. And I have as yet to read any study, article or veiw any television or radio show that isn't in someway fundamentally biased. Humans are a flawed species and hold personal biases unlike any other creature. Fact are often skewed or ignored to fit in a persons personal truth about the world - and being famous does not make one exempt from such flaws.

Okay off my soapbox.

Ok off my soapbox.