Best birth videos to prepare 3yo to be present?

[batsoup]

Hi mamas,
I'm planning my second homebirth in October, and my son just turned 3. We've been reading some great books - Welcome with Love, the Dr. Sears books, and just ordered Sheila Kitzinger's book. But as we get closer, I'd like to watch some videos with him, and start talking about the actualities of labor behavior. My hope is that he will be present for the birth.

Any recommendations for great videos that your little kids really responded to? He's a very sensitive child, and I want him to be fully prepared without being scared...

[FrolicingMama]

I have been using the DVD that came with the book "gentle birth options" to prepare my 2 1/2 year old. It shows a variety of births at home and in a birth center. One of them is pretty intense because the baby is posterior. I like that because I can talk to her about what is going on and then show her the part afterward where the mom is ok. I just fast forward through the talking parts and show her the births and we discuss them as we watch. She loves it and is always asking to "watch babies come out of their mommies' vaginas"

[crazychick]

My daughter was there for dd2's birth and to be honest we talked about it and I had birth day on all the time. I never forced her to watch it but when she wanted to she would look up and see what was going on. I also talked to her alot about it and she understood but is also very mature for her age. When I delivered at the hospital we had grandma in the room in case it was to much to handle but she was a trooper and was even coaching me to keep pushing.

[elle7715]

I looked on youtube. I watched them first and then if I thought they were detailed enough I watched them with my daughter. She's 4.5 though, so I was able to talk to her about how there will be blood after but it's OK, how the umbilical cord will be cut, how it's hard work to push a baby out so mommy might make loud noises, how some babies have their butt or legs come out first, and so on.
I'm sorry I don't have any specific links, I wish I had saved the best ones to favorites. There was one actually called "painful homebirth" or something like that where the woman is really yelling. I'm glad I screened that one because it would have worried DD. I'm pretty darn quiet in labor so I knew she didn't need to be prepared fr me to make that much noise! There's one about a UC and her little boy is running around asking questions. DD really liked that one. Again, I'm sorry I don't have links but the youtube videos were short enough to keep her interested.

[devon]

We did YouTube but also watched the births from BoBB. I would just show those parts to them and explain what was going on. They liked it, especially the one where the toddler is there with the bottle when the baby is born

OPP - Where did you get that CD? It sounds awesome - where did you order 'gentle birth options'?

[FrolicingMama]

Oops, sorry it's Gentle Birth Choices by Barbara Harper. I got it from Barnes and noble- http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Gen...4770678/?itm=1

[Belle]

Dd1 was 3 when her sister was born. She watched "Gentle Birth Choices" which came with the book of the same name. She also watched "Born in Water: A Sacred Journey" "The birth of Sabine" and a movie we got from the library by Suzanne Arms call "Five women, Five births".

We got another video from the library produced by Discovery Health Channel that she didn't like much. She kept asking "Why the mommies weren't getting into the water? I can't see the baby being born. Why are all those mommies lying down?, Where are they taking the baby? How come that baby didn't come out the mommy's vulva?" I think the hospital based videos left her confused.

[WhereHopeGrows]

Originally Posted by Belle

I think the hospital based videos left her confused.

I found this to be true as well. We checked out a video from the library (about a hospital birth) and it was nothing like our birth at home. I kept having to explain why they were doing things. So I'd just recommend you preview the video first.

Personally, I'm not good at watching other women give birth, so I don't plan to view any more videos. I just tend to "feel" the moment so personally so I find them overwhelming. I had a wonderful birth with my last baby, but even so, I just don't think I benefit from watching them.

I think birth is absolutely amazing! But the videos aren't for me. I just wanted to share that in case you find that you little one seems to feel similar.

[beckcalifjd]

The web site http://pregnancyvideos.googlepages.com has tons of birth videos and they're labeled very graphic, graphic, or modest.

They need to be pre-screened too for kids but the labels are nice so you know whether you're going to see something explicit or not.

[kawa kamuri]

my daughter will be nearly three when her sister is born and she watches what i watch - natural, homebirth videos. i talk with her about what's happening, how the mama is working hard so the baby can be born. she's always been curious and happy to see the new babies.

i don't worry about her seeing a baby come out of a vagina because, well, that's what happens.

[Contrariety]

Originally Posted by kawa kamuri

my daughter will be nearly three when her sister is born and she watches what i watch - natural, homebirth videos. i talk with her about what's happening, how the mama is working hard so the baby can be born. she's always been curious and happy to see the new babies.

i don't worry about her seeing a baby come out of a vagina because, well, that's what happens.

Yeah. I watch them all the time with my almost 3YO DS. He is an awesome cheerleader when the babies come out. "YAY!!!!"

I don't know if he will be in the room when this new babe comes, but I want him prepared just in case. He's a little confused still about just where it's coming from, and is pretty sure it has something to do with pooping, but... at least he's not freaked out by it.

[kawa kamuri]

Originally Posted by Contrariety

He's a little confused still about just where it's coming from, and is pretty sure it has something to do with pooping, but... at least he's not freaked out by it.

[batsoup]

I just borrowed Birth as We Know It from a doula friend, and watched the 25 (vs the 40) minute version - my son loved it, he got really excited (first birth video he's seen). It is sooooo gentle, I worked hard to make sure he heard the low mama-labor sounds in the background - i'm not so quiet!

[BanditaMamacita]

I'm new here, but I'm planning a homebirth in December. My daghter just turned 3 (yesterday!), and my son is 21 months. I don't plan to do too much preparation, because I just believe birth is a natural part of life and we don't need to obsess over it. But since I want them to understand that they don't need to be scared and that it's a beautiful experience, I recently let them watch The Business of Being Born. Not the whole thing, we just went through the birth parts. They both loved it! The birth scenes are natural and gentle, but there was still enough vocalizing that I thought it painted the pciture pretty well. The images make it clear where the baby is coming from, but aren't so graphic that they were scared. They both keep telling me they want the baby to come out of my vagina NOW and that it's okay if mommy cries or yells and they'll hold my hand