Tonight on ABC's 20/20:Click on the above links for detailed articles based on the 20/20 stories, as well as video highlights.
I'm sure the coverage of these issues won't be 100% positive, but I still think it's progress to see conversations about extended breastfeeding and home birth in the mainstream media. If you watch tonight's episode at 10 pm EST, let me know what you think by leaving a comment here!
UPDATE (1.3.09): I didn't get to watch the show last night, but I am reading reactions to it in the blogosphere this morning. Check out the rather scathing review of Crunchy Domestic Goddess, here. Thoughts?
Photo via WeHeartIt.
Thanks for the heads up; I'll be watching!
ReplyDeleteJust watched their first segment, on "orgasmic birth" and was surprisingly impressed at their even-handed presentation ... christiane northrop is always a grounding force. Go 20/20!
ReplyDeleteaah! i wish i could see it here. in any case, i'm impressed that these topics have made their way into main stream media and hopefully into mainstream consciousness.
ReplyDeleteThough 20/20 tends to ratchet up controversy (attract viewers?) by their tabloidy-style presentations, in the end, I think they did a decent job. Mostly, I'm glad to see the topics on a network "news" program. I doubt they changed or opened many minds, but at least, it's out there! Eager to see what other viewers thought!
ReplyDeleteWhile I was happy (and surprised) to see these topics presented in the mainstream media, I felt that they made women who choose to birth and mother outside of what is considered 'normal' in this country seem like they are off their rockers or somehow compromising their children's health. Overall I don't think it did much to help promote the viability of alternate options (drug-free and home birth, extended breastfeeding, etc) to women/mothers in this country, which is a shame. I happen to live in the ultra-liberal and forward-thinking San Francisco Bay area, and even here I get lots of amazed and bewildered looks when I tell people that I chose to give birth without any kind of medication. We have a long way to go!
ReplyDeleteMy issues:
ReplyDelete1)the lumping of it all together with the "crazies"
2) the homebirthing segment which didn't distinguish midwife assisted home birth from unassisted birth, two very different things
3) the lack of statistics on safety and how home birth today is very different than it was in the year 17-whatever
4) in the home birth segment when it shows the film producer being rushed to the hospital with her unexpected early, breach and quickly progressing labour - it doesn't talk about the fact that the breach wouldn't have been a suprise but they would hope the baby would turn before she actualy was due to go into labour-it made it sound like it was a suprise to them, that the issue was unpreparedness, not the unexpected early and fast labour.
5) there was no discussion really about why these women avoided hospital birth, except the one woman who "Decided" she would have an orgasmic birth
I dunno...I hope that the fact they discussed it at all means that it's becoming more mainstream, but lumping it all under "Extreme Parenting" with the woman who takes her fake newborn to the park so people will talk to her? Sad.