The Best Baby Documentaries To Watch

The Best Baby Documentaries To Watch

Whether you’re pregnant or someone close to you is, many people like to prepare for a big life change by doing research and watching documentaries. 

Some first-time parents read baby books and find movies, podcasts, and TV shows to watch that provide helpful tips and information and build excitement about the upcoming new arrival in their lives.

There is so much media and content available about babies, childbirth, and pregnancy, so how is it possible to find the best documentary to prepare you for life with a new baby? 

In this post, we’re highlighting some of the best, most thought-provoking baby documentaries that will prepare you and your family for pregnancy, childbirth, and life with a newborn. 

best baby documentaries

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40 Weeks

You may know something about babies, but how much do you know about the 40 weeks of pregnancy? In 40 Weeks, producers follow a diverse group of women as they navigate each week of pregnancy and all the highs, lows, triumphs, and tribulations. 

Each woman has a very different pregnancy and different experiences along the way. From prenatal care, family life, marital struggles, mental health conditions, and physical issues, 40 Weeks provides a personal, inside look into the beauty and challenges of pregnancy. 

Whether you’re a first-time parent or this is your fifth child, 40 Weeks can offer valuable insight into the difficulties, fears, and emotions women face during those crucial 9 months. 

Babies

In the 2-season docuseries called Babies, scientists research the different ways that infants experience life and explore the world during their first year. Topics include the caretaker and baby bond, the ways food and breastmilk enrich an infant’s life, the positive impacts of sleep on development, the influence of their developing senses, and much more. 

Watching Babies will give parents and caretakers an inside look into their baby’s mind, developmental process and emotions, along with a unique insight into how they see the world and develop relationships. It’s a fascinating front-row seat and will help families understand how to better care for an infant from their first day of life. 

Babies at 50

As science advances and fertility treatments become more widely accessible to families around the world, many women are able to successfully get pregnant and have children well into their 40s and 50s. 

Babies at 50 introduces a few women who had successful pregnancies in their 40s through IVF and donor eggs. This one-hour documentary discusses the societal and ethical concerns of having children later in life. It gives a special look into motherhood for an older but just as capable demographic, despite the doubts and misgivings of society. 

The Beginning of Life

Also on Netflix, The Beginning of Life interviews scientists, advocates, and parents from around the world to create a thorough picture of the ways different cultures raise children and the importance of the close relationship between baby and caretaker. 

Estela Renner, who worked on producing the film, explained how a child’s environment can positively impact their entire life. The scientists also focused on “the relationships between children and nature, children and play, children and the stories that are told to them.”

The Beginning of Life is unique in that it explores child rearing from all around the world and how family dynamics and cultures impact the way a child experiences life from birth.

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In the Womb

Leave it to National Geographic to create one of the most pivotal, engaging docuseries about pregnancy the world has ever seen. In the Womb takes viewers on the roller-coaster ride of conception through the nine-month development of a human fetus. You will see fascinating details in each trimester, thanks to incredible technological advancements in the last decade.

In the Womb gives viewers an inside look at human embryos, along with the embryos of a dog, dolphin, and elephant. You’ll also see how multiple embryos develop in twins and triplets, along with more exotic animals like sharks, penguins, and farm animals.

The Milky Way

Every mother has her own breastfeeding journey. In a society that over-sexualizes women, many experience shame and embarrassment about nursing in public or feel pushed to offer their children formula instead of breastfeeding. 

The Milky Way takes viewers on a journey to discover the pressure women feel to feed their children a certain way based on the ideals and judgment of society. Interviews include a lactation consultant, breastfeeding and bottle-feeding mothers, and pediatricians to create a full-spectrum documentary about the importance of letting women choose what’s best for their babies without any outside input or judgment. 

The Milky Way aims to empower women to make the best choice for their baby and themselves while not giving the judgment of others any voice in their decisions.

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Raising Children: A Guide to Parenting from Birth to Five 

You may get through pregnancy, delivery, and the infant stage and then think, “Now what?!” Raising kids is not for the faint at heart; it can be challenging, overwhelming, and sometimes feel like you’re fighting a losing battle.

That’s why producers created Raising Children: A Guide to Parenting from Birth to Five. Hoped to inspire and motivate parents through four movies, entitled “Newborn,” “Baby,” “Child,” and “What About Me?”. 

You’ll find the stories shared by Australian parents to be funny, heartwarming, and so darn relatable! Prepare to laugh, cry, nod along in agreement, and walk away with a few new tips and strategies in mind as you navigate raising children from any age. 

When the Bough Breaks

There’s no doubt that watching documentaries and reading stories about birth and raising infants can help new parents prepare for parenthood. After childbirth, things aren’t always rainbows and butterflies, and many women struggle emotionally and psychologically with postpartum depression (PPD) and postpartum psychosis.

In When the Bough Breaks, Lindsay Gerszt welcomes cameras into her life to follow her six-year journey with postpartum depression. This film strives to shine a light on the dark days that come for 1 in 5 women after giving birth, which can lead to infanticide and suicide. Because PPD is not commonly discussed during pregnancy, many women are unaware of the symptoms and don’t recognize what they are experiencing after they give birth.  

Have fun reading through these Pregnancy Memes!

Wrap Up – The Best Baby Documentaries

best baby documentaries

The story of conception, pregnancy, childbirth, and raising children is a topic that has been explored for decades and, thanks to technology, continues to teach us more and more about the fascinating miracle of life. 

Whether you’re sick on the couch in your first trimester, ready to pop at 40 weeks, or experiencing pregnancy insomnia, we highly recommend exploring these documentaries. You’ll learn something new and will hopefully feel more prepared for the exciting journey you’re about to embark on.

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