# What are birthing videos "used" for? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 27, 2004, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-birthing-videos-used-for/266353 "2004-09-27T20:48:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Sat\_on\_Cookie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/71c47a/32.png) [@Sat\_on\_Cookie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sat_on_Cookie)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2004, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-birthing-videos-used-for/266353/1 "2004-09-27T20:48:54Z")
First, I have to admit that my own modesty has me completely flabbergasted that folks film the procedure to begin with, but tons and tons and tons do, so I know I’m probably in the minority. So, here’s my completely sincere question…why? Do partners watch it together from time to time? Is there an intent to give it to the child being born? ---
**Author:** ![cher3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@cher3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cher3)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2004, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-birthing-videos-used-for/266353/2 "2004-09-27T20:54:26Z")
Probably the same thing that wedding albums are used for, which is looking at maybe once and then putting away in a drawer somewhere. Actually, I knew one couple who had us sit through their birth video and one couple who kept their wedding album out all the time. They are both divorced now. No videos here. No cameras at all until mommy has had a nap and a shower and a clean gown. ---
**Author:** ![Giraffe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giraffe/32/129_2.png) [@Giraffe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giraffe)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2004, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-birthing-videos-used-for/266353/3 "2004-09-27T20:59:49Z")
You could always put it on the Internet… ---
**Author:** ![Ol\_Gaffer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Ol\_Gaffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ol_Gaffer)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2004, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-birthing-videos-used-for/266353/4 "2004-09-27T21:08:07Z")
> [@Giraffe](#): > > You could always put it on the Internet… No kidding. I bet a quick Google search would turn up a whole slew of fetish sites where you can watch little Johnny/Mary gettin’ squeezed out while BOOM-CHICKA-BOW-WOW plays in the background and the OB/GYN bears a strange resemblance to Ron Jeremy. ---
**Author:** ![Giraffe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giraffe/32/129_2.png) [@Giraffe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giraffe)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2004, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-birthing-videos-used-for/266353/5 "2004-09-27T21:11:57Z")
> [@Ol'Gaffer](#): > > No kidding. I bet a quick Google search would turn up a whole slew of fetish sites where you can watch little Johnny/Mary gettin’ squeezed out while BOOM-CHICKA-BOW-WOW plays in the background and the OB/GYN bears a strange resemblance to Ron Jeremy. Me, I’d label it something like “hot teen threesome” and stick it on Kazaa. Just think of all the emotional scars I could cause! ---
**Author:** ![yellowval](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/919ad9/32.png) [@yellowval](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yellowval)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2004, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-birthing-videos-used-for/266353/6 "2004-09-27T21:19:26Z")
In my husband’s family, they’re for embarrassing and/or making your brother and sister-in-law nauseated at family gatherings. Really, it’s not unusual to hear, “Ooh, let’s watch little Johnny’s birth video!” Followed by us high-tailing it to the basement, and them calling after us, “But, it’s done very tastefully.” Not to us, it’s not! ---
**Author:** ![hard\_at\_work](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ecccb3/32.png) [@hard\_at\_work](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hard_at_work)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2004, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-birthing-videos-used-for/266353/7 "2004-09-27T21:21:03Z")
Only one of my births made it to video - the other two came too darn fast - no time for “smile for the camera”. I used my video for a while as birth control - I was 17 when I had my prince. Now I use it as birth control for my 16 year old foster daughter. Believe me, it works wonders. ---
**Author:** ![Sat\_on\_Cookie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/71c47a/32.png) [@Sat\_on\_Cookie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sat_on_Cookie)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2004, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-birthing-videos-used-for/266353/8 "2004-09-27T21:21:59Z")
Here’s my follow-up question. Do the people showing the video have a sense that some viewers are uncomfortable? Do they care? Does it cross their minds? ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2004, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-birthing-videos-used-for/266353/9 "2004-09-27T21:22:20Z")
> [@Giraffe](#): > > Me, I’d label it something like “hot teen threesome” and stick it on Kazaa. Just think of all the emotional scars I could cause! \ Ha! Brilliant! If I ever get pregnant, anyone who brings a camera into my delivery room will end up having to have said camera surgerically removed from their person. ---
**Author:** ![Queen\_Tonya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/4491bb/32.png) [@Queen\_Tonya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Queen_Tonya)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2004, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-birthing-videos-used-for/266353/10 "2004-09-27T21:22:49Z")
I wonder that whenever I see the parents who always have a camera to their face at anything that remotely qualifies as an ‘event.’ Are you really ever going to watch little Cindy’s fifth grade DARE graduation ceremony again? ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2004, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-birthing-videos-used-for/266353/11 "2004-09-27T21:25:44Z")
> [@hard at work](#): > > Now I use it as birth control for my 16 year old foster daughter. Believe me, it works wonders. There’s my vote. I didn’t like watching it in person, why the hell would I want to witness “The Miracle of Birth” over and over again? Bleah! ---
**Author:** ![Hedda\_Rosa](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hedda_rosa/32/1204_2.png) [@Hedda\_Rosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hedda_Rosa)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2004, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-birthing-videos-used-for/266353/12 "2004-09-27T22:12:01Z")
I videotaped the birth of my daughter and am so glad I did so. The only people besides myself and my husband who have seen it are my grandmother and my step-mother. They asked to see it. Others have seen the edited version, just after the baby came out, with all the icky stuff and money shots cut out. I did all the drugs I had coming to me at my kids birth and had exactly the birth I wanted but some of the details have gotten a bit fuzzy over time. Watching the birth video (and it was only about 6 months after she was born that I was ready to watch it) has brought it back into sharp relief for me and helped me remember bits I had forgotten. Hey, birth ain’t pretty. A miracle and a blessing sure. But delicately scented with flowers and powder and gently blushing parents? No. It is bloody, messy, loud, sweaty and damn hard work and yet still beautiful, awe-inspiring and possibly the greatest experience ever. So - am I glad I have a video record of it? I sure am. Twiddle ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2004, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-birthing-videos-used-for/266353/13 "2004-09-27T22:18:20Z")
> [@Twiddle](#): > > Hey, birth ain’t pretty… It is bloody, messy, loud, sweaty and damn hard work and yet still beautiful, awe-inspiring and possibly the greatest experience ever. So - am I glad I have a video record of it? I sure am. > > Twiddle You talking birth or conception here? ---
**Author:** ![whiterabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/cab0a1/32.png) [@whiterabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whiterabbit)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2004, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-birthing-videos-used-for/266353/14 "2004-09-27T22:23:02Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > If I ever get pregnant, anyone who brings a camera into my delivery room will end up having to have said camera surgerically removed from their person. This is pretty much my mom’s opinion, though it’s a little late, seeing as her youngest is 20. There were no cameras at either my or my brother’s birth; heck, my father wasn’t allowed in at all for mine! I’ve seen enough births on TV and stuff to know I have no desire whatsoever to see her doing that. I met my brother a few hours after he was born, which was fine, and I’ve heard descriptions of what happened. A video would be TMI. I wouldn’t want to see me being born either, but as far as I know home-type videotaping wasn’t available at that point. And that is just fine by me. ---
**Author:** ![Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac8455/32.png) [@Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bippy_the_Beardless)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2004, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-birthing-videos-used-for/266353/15 "2004-09-27T22:50:36Z")
I don’t know. I bet they are funny when played in reverse. ---
**Author:** ![danceswithcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9e8a1a/32.png) [@danceswithcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danceswithcats)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2004, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-birthing-videos-used-for/266353/16 "2004-09-27T22:56:31Z")
> [@Bippy the Beardless](#): > > I don’t know. I bet they are funny when played in reverse. LOOK OUT! IT’S THE VAGINAL HOOVER! :eek: ---
**Author:** ![dangermom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@dangermom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dangermom)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2004, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-birthing-videos-used-for/266353/17 "2004-09-28T00:59:47Z")
My friend gets her birth videos out every birthday and watches them. (She has 5 kids.) Nobody else watches them; she just likes to remember them herself. However, she’s always been fascinated with pregnancy and birth and is, in fact, an L&D nurse. So she can take a lot of birth-watching. I wouldn’t want a video camera in there with me, but it would have been pretty boring anyway; I had c-sections. And DangerDad wouldn’t even look past the curtain, much less tape the action. ---
**Author:** ![Binarydrone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3da27b/32.png) [@Binarydrone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Binarydrone)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2004, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-birthing-videos-used-for/266353/18 "2004-09-28T01:41:26Z")
> [@Bippy the Beardless](#): > > I don’t know. I bet they are funny when played in reverse. Look, I am not a “you owe me a new keyboard” kind of a guy. Anyone that you ask can tell you that. However, I literally laughed out loud, scared the cat off my lap and now have to peroxide the scratch marks on my leg over that post. v ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2004, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-birthing-videos-used-for/266353/19 "2004-09-28T01:59:28Z")
To make Prissy shut the hell up, already? ---
**Author:** ![bughunter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/aeb1de/32.png) [@bughunter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bughunter)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2004, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-birthing-videos-used-for/266353/20 "2004-09-28T02:18:55Z")
Well, **Mrs. Bug** is due _any day now_ and we were a little suprised to learn that our hospital no longer permits video photography in the delivery room. She was quite relieved, of course. I didn’t plan to tape the birth, but she was not so sure about my intentions. Sometimes I can be a little mischevious… \>:D Also, ouir prenatal education instructor recommended that videos and still cameras be black and white, since it makes all the blood stand out less… some of the more squeamish people look at the picture and see nothing but the blood, but if the photo is black and white, then they’re just grey smudges… “ya got some schmutz on your schnoz there, kiddo.” [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-birthing-videos-used-for/266353.md?page=2)