The ways that life is portrayed on television drama often differ from the reality, and we all can think of a few examples. For example, when people make a date on a TV show, they often agree a day and a time and not a place. Also, flip phones died out in the real world long before shows stopped portraying an irritated individual snapping their phone shut at the end of a terse call. Now, if you’re wondering why this is even relevant, it’s to point out how the way things are portrayed on TV often differs radically from the way they happen in life.
This is important because the way we see things on TV affects the way we picture them in real life, and this is true across a range of different life events, including childbirth. For dramatic effect, a TV show may speed certain elements up, slow others down, or insinuate that some aspect of the event is more common than it really is. For expectant first-time mothers, or those hoping to get pregnant, it is important to know how the reality differs from the way things are portrayed for the benefit of an audience - and this includes the following:
It may not be a good idea to have the father present at the birth
Different mothers will do things differently, but if you are part of a couple and both awaiting the birth of a child you’ll bring up together, the dad should ideally be present at the hospital or at least nearby, but it’s not necessary for him to be there during the moment of birth. In fact, there are reasons why it may be detrimental, and everyone from expert midwives to experienced birth injury attorneys will agree on this. Having the dad in the room increases the chance of complications and distracts the mom from following the advice of the experts in the room. A partner can’t offer much help in this situation, and can certainly hinder it.
When your waters break, you may not even know it
We’ve all seen it portrayed in one place or another - a pregnant woman is in a supermarket or talking to friends at work, and a rather graphic depiction of her waters breaking interrupts everything, to the shock of everyone in a fifty-foot radius. In truth, there’s a decent chance that only you will realize when your water breaks, and you may need to check to see if it has actually happened. Also, the breaking of waters is not the starting gun on childbirth or even labor. It can happen some hours before labor begins, or even after.
You can’t personally induce labor or childbirth
There’s no shortage of scenes from drama and sitcoms featuring an expectant mom, somewhat overdue, trying to bring on the big event. It may involve eating spicy food, walking around or swallowing castor oil - or any number of other approaches - but the headline here is that there’s no real reason to believe any of it works. Worse yet, if your labor comes on after doing any of these things, there is a possibility it will make the whole process more complicated. Doctors can induce labor, but they prefer not to because it is healthier for mother and child to deliver naturally - as irritating as it may be to hear it.
TV isn’t like real life, and we all know that. When it comes to being prepared for childbirth, it’s best to listen to the experts over and above scriptwriters.
