To everyone who is pregnant: you have to see "the Business of Being Born" (documentary)

[Anonymous]

I don't want to stir up an old hype, but I just saw it and was very impressed!

It is an extremely insightful, intelligent and balanced documentary about natural deliveries / midwife practices and how the US has drifted far, far away from that with its completely unnecessary (and potentially dangerous) medicalized, litigation-crazy and insurance company- influenced maternal care. Even if you are a skeptic and like the "assurance" of a hospital ward and all the drugs necessary at hand - this film is very balanced and got great reviews from very mainstream media.

I completely reckognized myself in this documentary - having lived in Western Europe for a long time where midwifes and natural births are the norm - countries which have lower maternal and infant mortality rates than the US - but had my first baby here in DC in the US conventional way; "oh yes, the baby is big, we have to induce you" which guess what - ended up in a C-section...

Mothers-to-be; beware and at least take an informed decision.

For more information, please go to:
http://www.thebusinessofbeingborn.com

[Anonymous]

Ugh. Thanks for the unprovoked preaching. I'll definitely take my childbirth advice from Ricki Lake rather than from my own doctor. We're all adults here and capable of making informed decisions about health-care and particularly our pregnancy and parenting. For all those who choose natural births and/or midwives and/or "babycatching" at home in an inflatable tub - good on you. It's not for me, or for millions of other women who are thrilled to benefit from the most advanced medical care in the world in having our babies. But I don't feel any need to change your preferences, why do so many in the natural birth crowd feel the need to indulge in propaganda?

[Anonymous]

I recently saw the movie and think it's good to watch to get a balanced view of what happens in a hospital vs what can happen at home. But...I am still planning to give birth in a hospital. To me, it's simply not worth the risks in case complications arise. However, I did think the movie was good in that it makes viewers more aware of the risks of induction, pitocin, epidural, etc., which I was not aware of.

I agree with the PP to the extent that Rikki Lake certainly is no medical expert. At the same time, I also have felt that my pregnancy thus far has been very intervention crazy, resulting in a lot of unnecessary tests, concerns, etc. E.g., it seems like OBs in this area are more prone to CYA due to med mal issues (perhaps because there are so many darn lawyers in this town). They seem to want to give you an additional test or screening for every little thing. E.g., I received a 131 on the GD test and was told I "failed" and had to take a three hour screen. When I inquired further, I was told that 130 was the cutoff. I have since found out that 130 is an arbitrary and very conservative cutoff, and many other doctors use a 140 cut off (meaning I would have passed with flying colors). I was also pushed to get an amnio due to a quad screen test result...which ended up being wrong because my due date was calculated incorrectly in the equation, so another unnecessary risk. And now i have tested positive for Group B Strep so they are pushing the antibiotics. It's like...ENOUGH ALREADY! Can't a woman just ENJOY being pregnant? I've been made to believe that I am going to deliver a Downs baby with Gestational Diabetes who will have a Group B Strep infection! Childbirth anxiety, anyone?

Perhaps doctors like the money that insurance provides? I also think they would rather test test test, cause unnecessary worry to the mom, but CYA. This could also be another reason that C-Sections have become so common...more insurance money, easier on the doctor, etc. Not too long ago doctors were trained in delivering breech babies vaginally, but now...it's practically unheard of. Same thing with using forceps to help a baby descend for a vaginal birth...now it's an automatic C Section. Methinks this is problematic. I have absolutely NO CONFIDENCE that my doctors will not push a C Section...in fact, I am pretty much expecting them to, based on the other issues I've had during the pregnancy. My husband is well-prepped to be my advocate, but should it have to come to this?

The key is to be informed on both sides of the equation and then make the decision that works best for you. No judgment here. I've pretty much figured out that natural childbirth ain't for me! But neither is induction and pitocin, so we will just wait and see what happens.

But, I did think the movie was very eye opening...you just have to take it as one side of the coin.

[Anonymous]

To the PP of 06:46 AM - It's fine to disagree, but do you feel you have all the information you need? I don't , if you read international literature. If you don't want to be lectured by Ricky Lake - which she doesn't; she lets very conventional and more conservative OB / GYNs talk as well without criticizing them and actually the film maker has an emergency C-section which makes the documentary very balanced - at least let the statistics speak for themselves.
The US has the most C-sections of the whole industrialized world (and even the more conservative OB / GYNs admit that this is heavy surgery esp. when it's the 2nd or 3rd time around), it's has the most expensive maternal health care in the world and it has the highest infant / maternal mortality rates in the industrialized world. Is that top-notch health care? And no - it's not that the US has most C-sections because of very large babies - the tallest people in the world live in The Netherlands and Scandinavia and they have relatively large and heavy babies. Their C-section %: between 13 and 15%!
Even if you want a hospital-delivery - which I am strongly in favor off - then at least you have to know the risks of the interventions such as Pitosin, inductions, epidurals and C-sections - which are considered to be extremely normal here. And they are not.
I am convinced that most American women do not have all the information they need.
Go and see it and then make up your mind. It's available via Netflix, so it doesn't cost anything if you have a subscription with them.

[Anonymous]

what are debating here vaginal vs. c-section or vaginal vs. natural childbirth?? There are big problems with each. Please people just do your research and decide on a method that is comfortable for you and STOP trying to convince others that your choice is the right choice!!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:what are debating here vaginal vs. c-section or vaginal vs. natural childbirth?? There are big problems with each. Please people just do your research and decide on a method that is comfortable for you and STOP trying to convince others that your choice is the right choice!!!

Exactly!

[Anonymous]

I saw it and actually thought it was very biased. I also got completely turned off when the film compared animals (I think it was apes or monkeys) who delivered via c-section to humans and the inability to bond to a baby. That's about the time I turned it off.

I agree with everyone who said find what works for you. My prenatal massage therapist had a natural birth at Birthworks in Alexandria - she told me how great it was, how she didn't even tear, etc - just conversationally, not at all in a way to sway or convince me to do the same. I *wish* I had the courage to do what she did, but I know that I just don't. I want a hospital, I want options for pain relief. But I admire that she was able to have what she wanted.

[Anonymous]

Wow--some really heated responses when it really seemed that the OP was just suggesting a movie that she found interesting. I don't recall her insulting anyone's preferences, criticizing anyone's decisions, etc. Calm down. If you don't want to watch it, don't respond.

[Anonymous]

I also got completely turned off when the film compared animals (I think it was apes or monkeys) who delivered via c-section to humans and the inability to bond to a baby. That's about the time I turned it off.

Just as a side note -- the person who was talking about this in the film was Michel Odent, I believe. He isn't some quack that they pulled of the streets of NYC - he's an extremely well-known and revered French obstetrician who has been promoting normal, safe, and empowering birth for women for literally decades. He has caught thousands of babies and certainly understands birth in all it's interesting variations. The things that he was talking about in the film are have been well-researched and are a central part of his life's work - not random weird thoughts that he was pulling out of thin air. Anyway, he has some credibility and has written a number of books that are truly fascinating. Not that you have to agree with him or even be interested for that matter.

[Anonymous]

Amen, 13:10 poster.
I think it's dangerous for women who have never given birth to decide, based on someone else's experience or opinion, that there is a "right" way to deliver a baby. Every single women, pregnancy, and delivery are unique. Do your research, talk to as many moms as possible, and then make the best call you can - and be prepared to throw it all out the window when you go into labor. There is nothing more unpredicatble than giving birth. I think back with amusement on how I was dead-set against painkillers and C-sections before I went into labor. I had a smooth pregnancy, was healthy, fit, read every birth book in the universe, and guess what - I had a delivery in which my baby came close to death because I should have gotten a C-section and didn't (He was a huge baby and got stuck). I had a fourth-degree tear and my recovery took MUCH longer than it would have with a C-section. My point here is that C-sections are not all evil - they can save lives and may actually save you some grief. I never would have thought so before I gave birth, based on all the anti-C section crap that's out there. Yes, US doctors probably give too many C-sections. But that doesn't mean they're all bad. Find a doctor/practice you trust, make sure you have an advocate at the hospital - husband, friend, sister, or doula - and then make the best decisions you can. But please don't form opinions based entirely on what someone else thinks is right. No one is going to have a pregnancy/birth experience exactly like yours.

[Anonymous]

The best delivery method results in a healthy baby and a healthy mother. Period. Note: various methods may be utilized to achieve the best delivery (RE: healthy baby and healthy mother) depending upon the circumstances of the individual mother's health and that of her infant.

Women need not have an unmedicated at-home birth with a midwife in order to have an "empowered" delivery (whatever that means). Similarly, women need not have a vaginal birth in order to bond with their infant (that's just absurd).

For those of you considering birth plans, please remember the ultimate goal for the best delivery is a healthy baby and a healthy mother. Trust your doctor for guidance. If you don't trust your doctor, then you should ask yourself why you are seeing him/her in the first place. And remember: even if you have your Google MD and have seen X number of movies or read the latest literature, you are not a trained professional who has delivered hundreds of babies and experienced the horrors when things don't go well during labor. While women have been having babies unassisted for thousands of years, hundreds of thousands of women and babies have also died during such unassisted and assisted births. The primary goal should be a healthy baby and a healthy mother.

[Anonymous]

THis sounds like the OP in disguise

Anonymous wrote:Wow--some really heated responses when it really seemed that the OP was just suggesting a movie that she found interesting. I don't recall her insulting anyone's preferences, criticizing anyone's decisions, etc. Calm down. If you don't want to watch it, don't respond.

[Anonymous]

"For those of you considering birth plans, please remember the ultimate goal for the best delivery is a healthy baby and a healthy mother. Trust your doctor for guidance. If you don't trust your doctor, then you should ask yourself why you are seeing him/her in the first place. And remember: even if you have your Google MD and have seen X number of movies or read the latest literature, you are not a trained professional who has delivered hundreds of babies and experienced the horrors when things don't go well during labor. While women have been having babies unassisted for thousands of years, hundreds of thousands of women and babies have also died during such unassisted and assisted births. The primary goal should be a healthy baby and a healthy mother. "

Well I hate to break it to you but the medical profession is like any other profession. There are more human errors, personal opinion driven actions rather than evidence based approaches, procedures designed to protect against possible litigation, and short cuts to facilitate physcian and staff convenience (or simply ability to manage the patient load) then most people realize. As a patient you have a responsibility, to yourself, to become informed and advocate for your own care. You should never place blind faith in any doctor. Always listen, ask questions, and don't hestitate to ask for a second opinion or do follow up research if something doesn't feel right to you. This is your life, body, and child.

I know a mother who knew something was wrong and her ob/gyn blew her off. She developed high BP all of a sudden, diagnostic of PE in the office, and was told it was just anxiety. She ended up with a very bad outcome.

[Anonymous]

To the PP: the OP was talking about having her husband stand up to her doc in the delivery room and be her advocate if the doc recommended a c-section. Should they ask questions and ask for a second opinion? If you have a good doctor -- and it's your responsibility to find a good doctor -- then you should trust the doctor. By all means ask questions, but in an emergency situation the doc will give you an explanation as to why an emergency c is necessary.

[Anonymous]

I haven't seen the movie, but may check it out. I've had two vaginal births - both went really smoothly. I am pregnant with my third and fully expect to have another vaginal, controlled birth. I'm a big fan of epidurals, but more power to those who can labor without pain medication. Just not for me.

We gave birth to our second child in Europe and it is interesting the different approaches. The US definitely tends to be more interventionist. But that isn't always a bad thing. To be perfectly honest, I heard much more about bad birth experiences in Europe than I have over here. Just my own experience, but I did think that people went a little crazy over all the home births. For home births that are uncomplicated and go smoothly, these are great experiences. But if something goes wrong, it can REALLY go wrong.

Just my own 2 cents, but I also think that the midwives who home birth in Europe are probably much more experienced than in the U.S. Ricki Lake can afford the best, but that isn't the case for everybody...