When I think of how (when that day comes) I would like to give birth to my first child, the first word that comes to mind is "hospital" and "drugs." The Business of Being Born, directed by Abby Epstein, goes directly against the notion of having a hospital birth, and instead documents several couples (including Ricki Lake) who opted for home births with the aid of a midwife. I first thought, "I would never do that -- it's too risky!" or "What if something goes wrong?" Women have been conditioned to believe that when it comes to giving birth that hospitals equals safety, cleanliness, etc... that is what I believed. Also, the hospital essentially removes the power from the woman, and hands it over to the doctor. The film offers another perspective into the birthing world inside the "comforts" and the "safety" of hospitals. Can the safety of hospitals explain why the United States has one of the highest infant mortality rates of Westernized nations, or why 70% of births in Europe and Japan have a midwife present as opposed to 8% of births in the U.S. If you want to know the answer to these questions, watch this film!
As I said the film documents the pregnancies of several different couples who are choosing to give birth in the privacy and comfort of their own homes, or choosing birthing centers. Each woman is supported by a caring and extremely well-trained midwife throughout the entire pregnancy, and that same midwife is present for the labor and birth at your home, or birthing center. You'll see that each couple has a formed relationship with the midwife. The midwife creates a relaxing and positive environment for mother, spouse and baby. But I must warn you that these births are natural! No drugs! One interesting fact that I learned was that many of the drugs used during labor in hospitals increase the risk of having to perform a cesarean section, which is considered a major surgery, and puts the mother and baby, in some cases, in major distress. And another thing -- I don't know why they set-up women to lie down to give birth because that just defeats the purpose of gravity! In some of the non-water home births, women are encouraged to stand, squat, or just do what their body is naturally telling them to do .
Anyway, I may have given up too much information about this film, but it really opened my eyes to wanting to use a midwife and maybe considering a home birth...with no drugs (I probably won't be saying that when I am screaming in pain). But this film definitely proved to have enlightening and empowering information that we as women should all know -- that the strength of women goes far beyond the hospital room.
Just wanted to share this information and film with you guys. It was very interesting!
Any thoughts (scary or not) on giving birth naturally, or home births?