Rachel Green’s Birth: Everything Wrong with Birth Culture?
Rachel Green’s childbirth journey in Friends, particularly in “The One Where Rachel Has a Baby,” offers a comedic take on what should be one of the most transformative moments in a person’s life. While the laughs are plentiful, the portrayal of Rachel’s delivery subtly reinforces outdated power dynamics and cultural misconceptions about childbirth. Beneath the jokes lies a missed opportunity to celebrate Rachel’s autonomy and intuition during this rite of passage. Instead, we see her mostly doing what she’s told—like a star pupil in a childbirth class where only the doctor has the answers.
The Doctor Knows Best?
From the moment Rachel enters the delivery room, the power dynamics are clear: the doctor is in charge and Rachel is there to follow instructions. Rachel, who is usually full of quippy one-liners and headstrong decisions, suddenly becomes a passive participant in her own birth. She dutifully complies with medical directives, embodying the cultural trope of the “good patient.” It’s as if she’s temporarily misplaced her independence, leaving her to defer to the professionals without question. While this dynamic can seem harmless on the surface (after all, she’s just trying to get through labour), it reinforces a wider patriarchal narrative that the real power in childbirth lies with the doctor, not the woman.
There is no doubt that this birth position suits the doctor more than the woman.
Stirrup Trouble: The Bed-Bound Birth
Rachel spends her labour in the classic hospital position: flat on her back, legs in stirrups, and at the mercy of gravity-defying laws of physics. It’s a setup that prioritises the comfort of the doctor over Rachel’s ability to, well, get her baby out efficiently. To be fair, this is often what people expect childbirth to look like—it’s how it’s portrayed in just about every TV show and movie. But this position doesn’t reflect the reality for many women who benefit from walking, squatting, or finding other active positions that work with their bodies during labour. Watching Rachel grimace on her back is relatable, yes, but also a little misleading. The scene could have been both funnier and more empowering if Rachel had been cracking jokes while bouncing on a birthing ball or dramatically announcing she wanted to squat like a cavewoman to speed things up.
For millions of people, media representations of childbirth are their only reference point before they actually experience birth themselves. So surely, mainstream media have a huge responsibility to ensure they are representing all versions of birth and not just the obvious stereotype?
Trust Your Gut (and Maybe the Baby's Timing)
The comedic undermining of Rachel’s intuition doesn’t stop when the baby arrives. In a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment, a midwife swoops in to tell her when to breastfeed, leaving Rachel no time to follow her own instincts. Rachel’s usual confidence is replaced with quiet compliance as she nods along like a student being handed her homework assignment. It’s a subtle jab at the idea that new mums aren’t capable of figuring things out on their own.
Maybe watch it back and cringe at this moment…
What It Teaches Us About Birth
The episode is, of course, a sitcom, and it was never meant to be a guide to childbirth. But its framing of Rachel as a passive participant reinforces cultural perceptions of birth as a medical procedure rather than an empowering, natural process. The idea that birth should happen flat on your back, timed by the clock, and with all decisions deferred to the experts creates a narrative where the birthing person’s autonomy is secondary. While there’s no shame in hospital births or following medical advice, there’s a lot of room for humour—and empowerment—in showing someone like Rachel taking charge, cracking jokes, and leaning into her instincts during her birth experience.
A Kinder, Funnier Vision
What if Rachel had been given a bit more agency? Picture her bossing Joey around to fetch ice chips, announcing she wanted to try standing up “because the stirrups are killing my vibe,” or playfully challenging the doctor on his timeline with, “I’ve waited 12 hours; I think Emma’s waiting for better lighting.” It would have stayed true to Rachel’s character while subtly offering a different perspective on childbirth—one where the birthing person is the star of the show, not just a supporting act.
Rachel’s childbirth storyline in Friends delivers laughs and heartfelt moments, but it also misses an opportunity to reframe childbirth as an empowering event. While we chuckle at the antics of a hospital room filled with chaos, we might also wish that Rachel had been portrayed as taking the reins, trusting her instincts, and calling the shots. Because if there’s one thing we know about Rachel Green, it’s that she’s never been afraid to challenge the status quo—and birth should have been no different.
