The opening paragraph of Virginia Heffernan's NY Times review:
Full-frontal images of a vagina are available on cable Sunday night, but they come at a price. You have to watch a bloody, hairy baby burst through that vagina, and before that you have to watch the little creature in utero, growing in all its Operation Rescue propaganda detail, in the National Geographic Channel's latest unveiling of the hideous miracle of life.Using CG-enhanced 4-D ultrasound imagery and cameras going where you've probably only rarely seen them go before--and even then, it was your buddy's idea to go, honey, really--National Geographic's In The Womb is must-see TV for the pregnant set.
It airs next on Friday, March 11 at 8PM EST
Tracking the Messy Miracle, With Computerized Help [nyt, via tmftml]
In The Womb program site, with airtimes, clips and images [nationalgeographic.com]
what a cynical, political opening to an otherwise nice review. to bad our comcast doesnt carry that channel.
I've no idea what "Operation Rescue propaganda detail" means, but "unveiling of the hideous miracle of life"?
It seems to me that a person who finds the sight of a birth hideous is rather out of touch with his or her own humanity. One can only imagine how unhygienic and revolting such a person finds sex: all that squelching and the mingling of those bodily fluids.
I think the Times has an policy of official squeamishness regarding the birth process. Last summer, there was the story by the guy who didn't want to be anywhere near the delivery room, thank you very much:
Beta Male: wimping out in the delivery room
Or it could just be that the writer turned 30 and isn't married, and thus, never will be, and will never have children of her own, and her poor mother will die grandchildless, thank you very much. Whatever, someone's clearly got issues.
I have to admit I didn't think the birth of our son was so hiddeous. I mean yeah I was quite nervous and a bit scared about it all but that probably also comes from the fact that I am married to a midwife and she filled my head with all kinds of horror stories from the delivery room :yuk:
I was quite happy when we didn't become a horror story.
I've been present in the delivery room for all five of my kids births and one of my granddaughters. I would not trade that experience for anything. It is as close to being a miracle as anything I ever expect to see.