You've seen it, right? (If you haven't, this picture tells you a lot of what you need to know!) Of course Friends is a comedy, not a documentary, but this episode is not that different in its content and feel to most of what we see on the TV when it comes to birth.
And that's the trouble - because when we see this type of birth a lot, we think its pretty much how it is. That's what birth looks like, right?
Wrong! So much of this episode is totally unrealistic, and totally unhelpful for birth in real life! Let's look at some of the issues...
What's the first thing that comes to mind when you think of "hypnobirthing"?
Breathing?! (The cliched idea of a circle of pregnant couples all doing deep breathing together in some sort of weird dress rehearsal!)
A few affirmations? (That episode from Friends where Chandler is trying to give up smoking.... "You are a calm, confident woman...!"
Am I going to have you doing breathing techniques and repeating affirmations for 10 hours? Obviously not! That would be ridiculous and boring! So what is covered on my hypnobirthing & antenatal course?
