Childbirth in three acts: Popular images of pregnancy and childbirth and mothers' responses to them

Objectives: Examine portrayals of childbirth in television shows devoted to the birth process and at the same time analyze mothers' commentaries on websites devoted to pregnancy and childbirth.

Methods: Data will be gathered from three sources. Listening to Mothers II surveyed 200 mothers by telephone and 1,373 online. All 1,573 participants had given birth to a single baby in a hospital in 2005. A total of 903 of the original mothers participated in a postpartum survey, either by phone or online which asked about television program viewing and their responses to the programs. A content analysis of the most popular television shows will be done, and a review of discussion board postings on websites devoted to childbirth will be the basis for an analysis of mothers' comments on the birthing process.

Results: Fully two-thirds (68%) of the mothers surveyed in Listening to Mothers II stated that they had watched one or more of the many television shows devoted to portraying childbirth and far more mothers were exposed to childbirth through television shows than through childbirth education classes. “A Baby Story” on The Learning Channel was the most popular show among mothers surveyed and aired 111 original episodes over two years. Of all mothers surveyed, 76% used the Internet at some point during pregnancy for information about pregnancy and birth. With registered members ranging from several to more than 20,000, website discussion boards cover a wide variety of childbirth and pregnancy topics. Mothers have developed their own lexicon through the use of chat rooms, for example, TTC means “trying to conceive.”

Conclusion: Mass media is an increasingly prominent source of information for pregnant women and mothers.

Introduction

“Childbirth in Three Acts” will examine portrayals of childbirth in television shows devoted to the birth process and at the same time analyze mothers' commentaries on websites devoted to childbirth. In doing so, we examine the nature of the shows, the characteristics of women who watch them, and the ways in which media influence ideas about pregnancy and childbirth.

Methods

The Listening to Mothers II survey interviewed 200 mothers by telephone, and 1,373 completed an online version of the survey. All 1,573 survey participants had given birth to a single baby (mothers with multiple births were excluded) in a hospital in 2005. The interviews, averaging approximately 30 minute in length, were conducted in January – February 2006. Special efforts were taken to ensure a representative national sample through over sampling of mothers who were ethnic minorities in the telephone portion of the survey. To develop a national profile of childbearing women, the data were adjusted with demographic and propensity score weightings using methodology developed and validated by Harris Interactive. The resulting survey population is representative of U.S. mothers 18-45 who gave birth to a single infant in a hospital in 2005. The respondents are generally comparable to published national data for U.S. birthing mothers on critical factors such as age, race/ethnicity, parity, birth attendant and method of birth.

Forty-one episodes of the most popular birth show viewed by surveyed mothers will be analyzed to examine the ways in which pregnancy and childbirth are portrayed. Results from Listening to Mothers II and content analysis of pregnancy-related discussion boards will be used to investigate the influence these shows have on women who are pregnant or trying to conceive.

An initial search of pregnancy-related discussion boards revealed more than 400,000. A sample of twenty was selected for evaluation. These websites vary greatly in sponsorship (corporate, media, and individual), content (general, religious, and “all-natural”), and number of registered members (12 - 92,000).

Results

Fully two-thirds of the mothers surveyed in Listening to Mothers II stated that they had watched one or more of the many television shows devoted to portraying childbirth during their pregnancy. The survey found that far more mothers were exposed to childbirth through television shows (68%) than through childbirth education classes (25%), making media an increasingly important influence on pregnant women. “A Baby Story” on The Learning Channel was the most popular show among women surveyed, having been seen at least once by 93% of women who watched birth shows. The network aired 111 original episodes over two years. Listening to Mothers also assessed mothers' feelings about the shows. When asked what impact the shows had on them as pregnant women, the most common response of mothers who watched the shows was “helped me to feel excited about birth” (62%) followed by “helped me understand what it would be like to give birth” (51%). Conversely, 32% of first-time mothers reported they felt more worried about their birth after watching the shows.

Frequency of Programs Watched by Pregnant Women (%)

Never Once Sometimes Regularly

Babies: Special Delivery (Discovery Health) 23 10 35 32

A Baby Story (Learning Channel) 7 7 39 47

Baby Baby (Discovery Health) 59 12 17 12

Runway Moms (Discovery Health) 82 3 11 3

Birth Day (Discovery Health) 24 6 35 35

House of Babies (Discovery Health) 77 6 13 4

Bringing Home Baby (Learning Channel) 36 15 28 20

Maternity Ward (Discovery Health) 37 8 32 23

To further examine mothers' attitudes towards pregnancy and childbirth, a review of discussion board postings on websites dedicated to childbirth will be analyzed. Listening to Mothers II found that 76% of women used the Internet at some point during pregnancy to obtain information about pregnancy and birth, while 16% of first-time mothers considered the Internet to be the most important source of information about being pregnant and giving birth. There are hundreds of websites devoted to pregnancy and childbirth, and several of them, such as www.pregnancy.org, www.mothering.com, and www.parenthood.com host popular discussion boards. Online forums and discussion boards offer mothers a community of like-minded women for support during pregnancy, and most are divided by topics such as conceiving and infertility issues, delivery options, birth clubs, and breastfeeding. Women are able to ask questions in an environment that is consistently supportive and understanding of their concerns. Birth options is a popular topic, especially among first-time mothers and women with pregnancy complications, who are often looking for support and advice from mothers who had similar pregnancy and birth experiences.

Conclusion

With fully two-thirds of pregnant women viewing television shows about birth and three-quarters visiting websites dedicated to pregnancy and birth, mass media is a prominent source of information for pregnant women. Content analysis of popular television shows and websites dedicated to pregnancy and childbirth will allow examination of how mothers respond to popular images of birth and how media influences ideas about pregnancy and childbirth.