SCENARIO

You have a toddler who just turned two years old, a new baby on the way and a husband. You will not be doing a home birth, but you plan on laboring at home for as long as possible before going to the hospital for another natural birth. You have no one to watch your two year old during labor and delivery, no family nearby and no friends. Your two year old is very smart and caring. You don’t want her to be worried, afraid or confused about the moans and loud noises you make during labor. You don’t plan on having your two year old in the delivery room when you give birth but you realize that anything can happen. If she is there for the birth, you don’t want her to be too shocked about mama’s screaming.

Should you show her videos of women giving birth to prepare her and help her to better understand what is happening and that the pain and loud moaning, grunting and/or screaming is a normal part of birthing a baby? I’m mostly talking about positive birthing videos, like home births (some showing baby coming out some only showing the labor/contraction pains)