Lights, Camera, Baby! 7 Iconic Birth Scenes

Many A-list actresses have strapped on a baby belly and dabbed on sweat to film a birth scene, but as any real-life mom knows, birth doesn't really follow a script. Penélope Cruz has experienced birth both on and off screen, and according to her, art rarely imitates life. In an interview with W, the actress, who has filmed four birth scenes, admits that if she had the chance, she would play the part differently.

"Before, I would scream very loud during the birth. Now that I’ve actually had children, I would show more pain and scream less," Cruz told the magazine. "It sounds backwards and may be less dramatic, but more pain, smaller screaming is the reality."

She has a point. In many big-screen birth scenes, women are screaming for epidurals, but they don't always look like they need it. Yet, we still empathize with these scene steelers. From Katherine Heigl's bare-all delivery, to the arrival of Ross and Rachel's girl, take a look at some of the most memorable onscreen births.

Do any of them mirror your labor experience?

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Baby Mama

Labor is nothing to laugh about, unless it involves the dynamic duo of Tina Fey and Amy Poehler.

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Nine Months

While Hugh Grant is the star of this 1990s hit, Joan Cusack steals the scene with her epidural-induced rant.

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Knocked Up

Viewers are still recovering from seeing Katherine Heigl's vagina on the big screen. Luckily, we found a less-graphic version.

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Keeping Up With the Kardashians

She may not have an M.D., but that didn't stop Kourtney Kardashian from pulling Penelope into the world.

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The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn

We'll never know what it's like to raise a vampire, but we can certainly understand the pain it takes to deliver one.

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The Backup Plan

Water birth may work for some women, but not Jennifer Lopez's character.

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Friends

Millions watched as TV's favorite couple gave birth to a beautiful baby girl named Emma.