TV Host Ilanit Levi Recounts Traumatic First Birth Experience

Israeli television presenter Ilanit Levi shared a deeply personal and challenging experience from her first childbirth when she was 21. During a conversation on the program "Galit and Ilanit" on Keshet 12 with Professor Yariv Yogev, Levi recounted how the birth of her eldest son, Liam, deviated significantly from her expectations. She arrived at the delivery room convinced the birth would proceed as planned, without the need for a Cesarean section. However, after 42 hours and an additional three days, the medical team informed her that a C-section was necessary. This news sent the then 21-year-old Levi into a panic. "When they told me C-section, I, as a 21-year-old girl, ran to the bathroom, which is what a girl knows to do, to run away, and locked myself in the bathroom," she recalled. Levi stated she secluded herself, declaring, "I'm not taking him out." Her late father intervened, approaching her and attempting to calm her down, explaining that the birth was unavoidable. "My daughter, it's not working, it has to come out," she remembered him saying. Ultimately, she emerged from the bathroom, and the process moved towards the Cesarean delivery. Professor Yogev commented on how women often have specific birth plans and expectations, emphasizing the importance of having a plan while also being prepared for the realities of the delivery room. He also noted that working on the show "Baby Boom" has influenced his and other obstetrics teams' approaches in delivery rooms, making them more sensitive to patients due to the ability to review interactions on camera.