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I went, against my better judgement, to see Knocked Up with a friend last night. I knew it would be funny, but I didn't know how I'd feel about the bith scene, having heard someone (without children) say "I've seen Knocked Up and I'm never having a vaginal birth."
The first thing I liked about it was that she interviewed OBs. Nevermind that every one of them did a pelvic and she was interviewing them all in a gown, at least she interviewed them! She finally settled on a doctor who promised to be there for the birth.
When she went into labor, he was, of course, out of town. So they called all the other docs they'd interviewed and the worst one showed up for her (okay, whatever...). I was really sad about how realistic her interactions with this doctor were. There was a dramatic scene where the machine goes "ping" and everyone (male OB nurse included!) rushes in and the doctor forces himself into her to "save the baby" by repositioning baby to get her off the cord. Then he says he thinks that baby's got cord around the neck and they need to get things going. So he says to the nurse "pop the bag, start some pit and get her some meds." She objects, saying that's not her birth plan and he yells at her saying "are you the doctor or am I? We have a new birth plan, it's called "Get this baby here safely." It might have been funny, but I've read and seen birth stories where the OB says exactly that. So the father of the baby takes the doctor into the hall and tells the OB to be nicer. So the OB comes back in and says "I'm sorry, what I meant to say is 'we need to get the baby out and it would help if we could give you some medicine and break your water.'" But mom is dejected: shoulders slumped, eyes downcast, generally defeated look about her and she says, in a monotone, without looking at him "Just do what you need to do." Again, something I've seen so many times. I wanted to cry, because its so very real and happens ALL THE TIME and since this is such an outrageous comedy (I had laughed until I cried many times during the rest of the movie), I don't think it was taken seriously by anybody.
She ends up with a natural vaginal birth, but argues with the doctor at 10cm that she really does have time for an epidural, saying "no, really, I can hold it in while you give me the drugs!"
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The after baby's born stuff is pretty unrealistic, too: baby is about 15 pounds and 6 months old at birth, goes straight to mom, there's not even a warmer in the room, and a nurse never touches baby or anything. Whatever...
I was also annoyed with the audience's reaction to the fact that they showed baby crowning. Everyone in the room, it seems like, said "Eww" or "gross" or (the lady behind me) "oh, no they didn't." And all of this despite multiple shots of exposed breasts previously in the movie, that no one batted and eye at. Oh, and in the crowning clips, I thought it was kinda creepy and unrealistic that there was NO pubic hair. I'm pretty sure it was a clip of a real birth (or a VERY realistic model!), but I just couldn't get over the fact that there was no hair. Very unreal to me
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All in all, entertaining, but not earth shattering for the birth community. Also not so unrealistic or dramatic that people should be turned off of birth forever (like the lady I mentioned earlier). It's a pretty good and MILD representation of hospital birth, actually.
The first thing I liked about it was that she interviewed OBs. Nevermind that every one of them did a pelvic and she was interviewing them all in a gown, at least she interviewed them! She finally settled on a doctor who promised to be there for the birth.
When she went into labor, he was, of course, out of town. So they called all the other docs they'd interviewed and the worst one showed up for her (okay, whatever...). I was really sad about how realistic her interactions with this doctor were. There was a dramatic scene where the machine goes "ping" and everyone (male OB nurse included!) rushes in and the doctor forces himself into her to "save the baby" by repositioning baby to get her off the cord. Then he says he thinks that baby's got cord around the neck and they need to get things going. So he says to the nurse "pop the bag, start some pit and get her some meds." She objects, saying that's not her birth plan and he yells at her saying "are you the doctor or am I? We have a new birth plan, it's called "Get this baby here safely." It might have been funny, but I've read and seen birth stories where the OB says exactly that. So the father of the baby takes the doctor into the hall and tells the OB to be nicer. So the OB comes back in and says "I'm sorry, what I meant to say is 'we need to get the baby out and it would help if we could give you some medicine and break your water.'" But mom is dejected: shoulders slumped, eyes downcast, generally defeated look about her and she says, in a monotone, without looking at him "Just do what you need to do." Again, something I've seen so many times. I wanted to cry, because its so very real and happens ALL THE TIME and since this is such an outrageous comedy (I had laughed until I cried many times during the rest of the movie), I don't think it was taken seriously by anybody.
She ends up with a natural vaginal birth, but argues with the doctor at 10cm that she really does have time for an epidural, saying "no, really, I can hold it in while you give me the drugs!"
I was also annoyed with the audience's reaction to the fact that they showed baby crowning. Everyone in the room, it seems like, said "Eww" or "gross" or (the lady behind me) "oh, no they didn't." And all of this despite multiple shots of exposed breasts previously in the movie, that no one batted and eye at. Oh, and in the crowning clips, I thought it was kinda creepy and unrealistic that there was NO pubic hair. I'm pretty sure it was a clip of a real birth (or a VERY realistic model!), but I just couldn't get over the fact that there was no hair. Very unreal to me
All in all, entertaining, but not earth shattering for the birth community. Also not so unrealistic or dramatic that people should be turned off of birth forever (like the lady I mentioned earlier). It's a pretty good and MILD representation of hospital birth, actually.
. I was like "PUT THAT ONE BACK!" [under my breath, of course] but I actually clapped when the DP told the OB off!! I'm sure people thought I was so obnoxious.
