Post created by Hailey
What Makes the Show Inaccurate?
In the TV series Grey’s Anatomy, there are multiple episodes that highlight childbirth and more often than not the process is falsely depicted. Given the dramatic nature of the show, childbirth is made to seem like an overly painful and terrifying experience. This is shown through women laying on their back loudly screaming and many complications occurring during labor. Another false aspect is the time passed between the water breaking and the birth happening. It is often shown to be a short amount of time between the two events occurring. Not only is the timing inaccurate, but the process of labor in general is not portrayed correctly.
Why Could this be an Issue?
With childbirth being heavily incorporated in the media in reality shows, TV dramas, medical shows, etc. women rely on what they view to educate them on the subject. When TV shows portray childbirth in an overly dramatic and inaccurate way, it gives a false sense of what the process is actually like. It can make women scared to go through the birthing process.
What is Childbirth Actually like?
While everyone’s experience with childbirth is different, the pain is not as bad as TV shows depict. On average, the early stages of labor feel like menstrual cramps. Over the period of labor, the cramps get slowly increasingly more painful. The slow nature of the process can be contributed to the positive feedback system that is occurring. As the fetus pushes on the uterine canal, the wider the vaginal canal will stretch. This process needs to occur many times, with more and more stretching, before the baby is ready to be pushed out completely. Throughout labor, there are ways to decrease pain whether through medications or naturally. During childbirth, complications are not common. Only 1% of births each year result in complications, and many of the mothers already had underlying health conditions effected by giving birth.
What does this mean?
TV shows illustrate the process of childbirth in a dramatic way that makes women fearful. In reality the birthing process is not accurately portrayed and should not be considered a bad thing. Women can experience labor in a variety of ways, but none as harsh as TV shows represent. Instead, if women are wanting an education about childbirth, they should turn to accurate resources such as medical sites or blogs that explain someone’s personal experience.
Yes, it's definitely as painful as they show on Gray's Anatomy. And complications are a real thing. The pain of contractions is way worse than menstrual cramps. I've had 2 kids naturally. It's incredibly painful.