It’s now possible for expectant parents to prepare for live childbirth prior to heading into the hospital thanks to a newly uploaded YouTube VR experience called “Birthual Reality.” The content, which was uploaded by Swedish insurance company Gjensidige Försäkring Sverige, seems to avoid what would likely be controversial views of the experience. As noted in the video’s comments, it’s also a bit on the short side for a typical birth and there don’t appear to have been any complications. However, it could still serve as a great primer for couples who are about to be brand new parents. At just over eight and a half minutes long, the 360-degree footage begins with preparation for approximately the first half before moving through to labor itself. The camera is positioned behind the mother and the hospital bed throughout, offering the viewer a near-first-hand experience without being graphic or disturbing.
The general goal behind the concept seems to center around offering a look at a relatively straightforward live birth. However, it’s worth pointing out that process often takes substantially longer than the few minutes shown in the video. In fact, the generally accepted average is around six to twelve hours for first-time mothers, depending on location and hospital among other factors. No complications appear to have cropped up during labor and the mother appears to be healthy if very exhausted when the whole ordeal is over. Those can be relatively big discrepancies when compared to the real world but that also doesn’t seem to be the point of the upload at all. What the video does do a good job of is showing typical expectations with regard to hospital staff and the more general atmosphere of the event.
At very least, it could be used as a technology-related tool for preparing new parents for what to expect from the overall experience and it gets about as close as can be without going overboard. More importantly, and in fairness to Gjensidige Försäkring Sweden, it’s almost certainly not likely to be the strangest or most controversial use of cutting-edge tech. However, it must be said, the genuine purpose of the video and sponsorship from an insurance company certainly helps with that.