TV and movie birth scenes misinform real moms April 14, 2010

Breathe! Push! Hurry! Give me drugs! Oh no! I love
you! I hate you! Help! Are we bonding yet?

There are more pregnant women watching TV birth scenes
than attending childbirth classes. So when labor starts,
they may be surprised by the real thing.

A new documentary film, “Laboring Under An Illusion:
Mass Media Childbirth vs. The Real Thing,” contrasts actual
birth footage with the fictionalized commercial version. In
over 100 video clips, anthropologist Vicki Elson explores
media-generated myths about childbirth.

“I tried to make a documentary that lets people make up
their own minds,” says Elson. “I also tried to make it funny,
because the subject can be so intense. If you watch TV and
movie birth scenes, you can get wrapped up in the drama,
so I juxtaposed the clips so that the new context lets you
look at it from a little distance and see how you’ve been
manipulated.”

“I Love Lucy was the first of many madcap dashes to the
hospital,” says Elson. “But in real life, labor takes an
average of 12 hours, and going the hospital before labor is
well established has been shown to increase the risk of
cesarean section. Recently, Juno, Waitress, and Knocked
Up offered both compassion and misinformation about
dealing with the physical pain of labor. But it’s not just
fiction: even so-called ‘reality’ shows about birth are

enhanced with narration and music and camera angles
that can distort the story of the mother’s actual experience.”

As a childbirth educator for 25 years, Elson observes
how culture affects birth experiences. In this film, she
contrasts fiction with reality. “To understand what it’s
really like to have a baby, we have to debunk the silly
and scary images served up by the profit-driven media.
In reality, birth is hard work, sometimes simple,
sometimes complicated, but always miraculous and
unforgettable.”

“Laboring Under An Illusion” will be screened April 28, 2010 at 8:30 PM at One Life Chiropractic in Caldwell, ID. Event is free, but donations are welcome. For more information,
visit www.bestbirth.com and
www.birth-media.com.

Contact:

Laura Grout, AAHCC
208-794-5016
bradleymethod@bestbirth.com
Vicki Elson, MA, CCE
(413) 369 4900 www.birthmedia.com vickielson@yahoo.com