The Pros and Cons of “Going Live” During Your Birth

The Pros and Cons of “Going Live” During Your Birth

Real-time video is the hottest way to stay up to date on everything that’s going on in the world right now. We’re seeing family across the country, viewing concerts and celebrity happenings, and even watching major news events unfold before our very eyes. But now a new trend is on the rise that invites friends or even the public into an intimate, life-changing personal event: the births of our children. Should you “go live” during childbirth? Here are some pros and cons of live streaming your birth.

The Pros

If you’re a social butterfly type, the thought of having a whole crew to cheer you on and comment on your progress might seem pretty appealing. There are even groups (such as BirthTUBE) on Facebook devoted to live video feeds of births, and the parents who participate might find themselves enjoying support and encouragement from thousands of mini-doulas behind the screen.

Having a video for posterity might also be very valuable to you someday. When the memories of what giving birth was like start to fade away a little, you can relive the experience by watching the video and seeing the cheers, emojis, prayers, and jokes pop up in the comments.

The Cons

One pretty obvious mark against going live during birth is that if you’re more of a private type of person, you might not want your intimate birthing experience to be broadcast outside of the delivery room. Going live also may not be appealing if you have strong beliefs about modesty and wish to ensure that only women attend your labor.

If you’re a bit sensitive, opening up your birth to the world could backfire. If your video is public, you may receive hundreds or even thousands of comments – and everyone has an opinion. Prepare to have everyone and their mother offer up advice, opinions, and even judgment for every decision you make, every position you try, or every procedure your care provider offers.

I Might Want to Go Live – What Should I Consider?

If you’re considering hitting the “live” button when you go into labor, here are a few things to consider to make it a great experience for you.

• Decide who your audience will be – will you use a family-only secret Facebook group? Live stream to your general friends list? Or even open the privacy settings up to the public?
• Consider using a Facebook group like BirthTUBE which has a strict supportive-comments-only policy.
• Have a designated person to hold your smartphone and monitor it – your partner and doula will need to turn their attention toward you during labor. Your video helper can even keep track of comments and delete any less-than-helpful ones before you read them.
• Make sure that your hospital allows video recording. Some hospitals only allow photography due to liability concerns. As a courtesy, also ask your birth team if they are okay with being filmed.

Live streaming your birth can be a lot of fun for everyone involved, but there are definitely a few notable down sides (especially for certain personality types!). If you do decide to take the plunge, these tips will help the process go smoothly and give you a pleasant experience to look back on.