I guess this is a general question, but it’s about TV, so I dunno. Feel free to move if necessary.
A few years ago, I happened to catch a documentary following several women as they gave birth in different parts of the world. There was a woman each from Japan, Russia, South Africa, and Afghanistan (pre Taliban, but still really f-ed up). It was the most facinating show I’ve ever seen, but I don’t know what it was called or even what channel it was on. Can anyone help? I really want to get a copy.
Best quote about giving birth (from the South African lady): “it goes in like a banana and comes out like a pineapple.”
Do you remember anything else about the documentary? At least when you watched it/ when it was made?
When I did the power search on Imdb.com with documentary as the genre and birth as the keyword, it came up with 56 titles, so that narrows it down, but not a lot.
Thanks for the link, Sam, but no luck. I tried every combination of “child,” “birth,” “delivery,” and kept things in the English Documentary section from the last 20 years. No good.
The only other things I can remember was that I saw the documentary in the last 3 years, and that the piece itself couldn’t be older than 1980. 1990 is much more likely, but I’m not familiar enough with Afghani politics to be sure.
Sounds like one of those baby things that The Learning Channel used to show a long time ago. Like “A Baby’s World” I definately remember the bit about Russia and swaddling. I’m not sure if it’s that particular one though.
Could be. the IMDB didn’t have an indepth summary. The only things that stands out in my mind about the Russian delivery was that the doctor had an old fashioned stethescope made out of wood and that the delivery was done in the “American Method” where the baby is placed immediately on the mother’s chest for bonding, before any clean up or umbilical cutting. Didn’t seem so bad. Does that match with your memory?
Nope, in mine it was supposed to be a traditional Russian birth. Immediately after the birth the baby was taken and wrapped tightly in blankets. I believe it was stored with other babies and only brought to the mother to feed until sent home with the family. They mentioned something about how swaddling comforted the babies.
But The Learning Channel (not the much degraded TLC but the original) had lots of stuff like this back then. I don’t see and listing of their old shows though.