As I was watching the Today show this morning (Australian version), my ears perked up immediately when I heard that they were doing a segment on freebirthing..no doctors, no drugs, is it safe? as if it were a conspiracy and with the requisite mysterious music playing in the background. I have to say there was nothing in this segement that was particularly 'new' or enlightening. However, I was very interested in how they were going to 'do' this segment and I assumed correctly that of course, freebirthing was too dangerous and too risky and women who do it were basically 'too optimistic' when it comes to the horrors of labour.
Of course, they went straight to Laura Shanley who is widely respected as one of the pioneers of the freebirthing movement in the US (in fact, Laura commented on my last post about freebirthing). Her positive experiences were contrasted with an incredibly idiotic doctor who of course had to say that birth was dangerous blah blah blah and women are stupid for choosing to avoid technologised birth. Not only was his argument vague but rather than saying 'interventionist' in reference to medicalised birth kept saying 'interventionalist'. Makes me slightly worried that he was allowed to leave medical school. In the studio, Dr. Rick Gordon, the medical editor for the show, was interviewedand he is not an obstetrician or an 'expert' in pregnancy or birth and he said 'death' so many times in the segment I just started to get even more angry.
You can watch the segment on the Today show link below and read the accompanying article. I think it would be great if women who have had homebirths or freebirths would write in about their positive experiences to the network and overwhelm them with responses because this was a completely one-sided story.
Email: today@nine.com.au
Source: http://today.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=417872
Showing posts with label today show. Show all posts
Showing posts with label today show. Show all posts
reader feedback
Considering the absolutely staggeringly positive response to the blog I have had in the last few days, I thought I would share some of the interesting emails/comments I have received from women from all across Australia who watched the Today show segment. I am completely overwhelmed and honoured that so many of you have taken the time to share your story with me. I have never felt like this is only my research'; this is well and truly our research and it is a privilege to know that so many of you feel like this project is interesting and will be of great benefit to pregnant women around the world. Thanks! Here is a sample of some of your thoughts:
This email entitled 'Body function v. Body image' is from Nicola:
Look: I am confused. There is this dichotomy currently that leaves me feeling dizzy. It seems that having a family is GOOD. Having the body and face that are a result of having said family is BAD. Having babies is GOOD. Having a body that looks like it has had babies is BAD. Being mature enough to have a career and a family is GOOD. Being mature enough to look like you are living a career and a family is BAD. Being mistaken for your daughters' older sister is GOOD. Being mistaken for your daughters' nanna is BAD.Having the body of an infertile pre-pubescent girl is GOOD. Having the body of a fertile, mature woman is BAD. Is it just me, or are we placing unreal expectations upon ourselves. How much are we supposed to expect from ourselves; shouldn't we be assessing the damage of putting the standard TOO high for real people to live up to? Personally, I don't feel compelled to single-handedly support the cosmetics, fashion, and exercise industries. I feel that glamour belongs with the entertainment industry; in fact I believe that glamour is fantasy.
Interesting points, indeed. As I have been talking to women throughout pregnancy and post-birth one of the most poignant aspects of the transition from pregnancy to post-birth is invariably the changed relationship women have with their bodies. Whereas your body was once 'your own' pre-pregnancy, at the moment of conception you are sharing your body with something/someone else (depending on when you believe 'life' begins). Many women have expressed to me that they feel like their body becomes functional particularly post-birth when breasts become tools for feeding a child and not necessarily the sexualised objects of culture that they were before.
How do/did you feel about your body during pregnancy/post-birth? How does your relationship with your body change when have a baby?
This email entitled 'Body function v. Body image' is from Nicola:
Look: I am confused. There is this dichotomy currently that leaves me feeling dizzy. It seems that having a family is GOOD. Having the body and face that are a result of having said family is BAD. Having babies is GOOD. Having a body that looks like it has had babies is BAD. Being mature enough to have a career and a family is GOOD. Being mature enough to look like you are living a career and a family is BAD. Being mistaken for your daughters' older sister is GOOD. Being mistaken for your daughters' nanna is BAD.Having the body of an infertile pre-pubescent girl is GOOD. Having the body of a fertile, mature woman is BAD. Is it just me, or are we placing unreal expectations upon ourselves. How much are we supposed to expect from ourselves; shouldn't we be assessing the damage of putting the standard TOO high for real people to live up to? Personally, I don't feel compelled to single-handedly support the cosmetics, fashion, and exercise industries. I feel that glamour belongs with the entertainment industry; in fact I believe that glamour is fantasy.
Interesting points, indeed. As I have been talking to women throughout pregnancy and post-birth one of the most poignant aspects of the transition from pregnancy to post-birth is invariably the changed relationship women have with their bodies. Whereas your body was once 'your own' pre-pregnancy, at the moment of conception you are sharing your body with something/someone else (depending on when you believe 'life' begins). Many women have expressed to me that they feel like their body becomes functional particularly post-birth when breasts become tools for feeding a child and not necessarily the sexualised objects of culture that they were before.
How do/did you feel about your body during pregnancy/post-birth? How does your relationship with your body change when have a baby?
welcome!
Well, the Today show was a hit and I hope some of you had a chance to see my spot. The show put up a really great article about the research:
I'll hopefully have some video to post soon. For any new readers, I invite you to send me photos of yourself pregnant and post-baby in order to celebrate what 'real' mothers look like. I'll post them on the blog so we can share and compare (and not be judgmental!). If you would like to share your own experiences of having a 'bump' with other mums-to-be and mums-already, email your story to me on babybumpproject[at]yahoo.com.au and I will post your message for others mums to read and learn.
Feel free to include any handy hints for coping with the pressure (body or otherwise). Make sure to include images of your bump or your body during pregnancy or postbaby so we can all share in how everyday mums look and feel. If you have a Flickr account, join our group The Baby Bump Project and post yourself in the Bump Gallery (otherwise send me your images and I can post them for you).
Feel free to include any handy hints for coping with the pressure (body or otherwise). Make sure to include images of your bump or your body during pregnancy or postbaby so we can all share in how everyday mums look and feel. If you have a Flickr account, join our group The Baby Bump Project and post yourself in the Bump Gallery (otherwise send me your images and I can post them for you).
Today show rescheduled
So for any of you that were wondering where I was this morning, my segment has been bumped up to Wednesday of this week at 8:10am on Channel 9. Apparently, the breakup of Prince William and Kate Middleton took precedence ;-)
look who's on TODAY!
Pretend this a conversation between the two of us:
Me: Hey! Guess what?
You: What?
Me: You'll never believe what I'm doing this Monday?
You: Tell me!
Me: I'm going to be on the Today show talking about The Baby Bump Project.
You: No way!
Me: Way!
You: What time?
Me: Around 8:10
You: What channel?
Me: Channel 9!
That was blatant self-promotion for my next Australian media appearance. For those of you who want to actually hear my voice, make sure to tune in on Monday for a segment about fatness and body image in pregnancy! I'll be sure to post it on YouTube for anyone that misses it!
Me: Hey! Guess what?
You: What?
Me: You'll never believe what I'm doing this Monday?
You: Tell me!
Me: I'm going to be on the Today show talking about The Baby Bump Project.
You: No way!
Me: Way!
You: What time?
Me: Around 8:10
You: What channel?
Me: Channel 9!
That was blatant self-promotion for my next Australian media appearance. For those of you who want to actually hear my voice, make sure to tune in on Monday for a segment about fatness and body image in pregnancy! I'll be sure to post it on YouTube for anyone that misses it!
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