Business of Being Born Movie

SND2010

Has anyone else seen this? I watched it last night and I'm still digesting how I feel about it. What are your thoughts?

My first birth was in a hospital, with pitocin (which I would never do now but I knew that before the movie), laying on my back, and an epidural at hour 13 but no c-section. Pretty much everything the movie speaks out against.

The water births shown sure do seem more peaceful. I'm still fearful of the home birth idea though.

goodlife2009

I will not be giving birth at home. I haven't seen this movie yet but it is on our Netflix que. I think it is entirely too risky. I know everyone has their own opinion and it is great that we have so many choices. It will be hospital birth for me!

jordycakes

I have and it was eye opening. I enjoyed it and am not determined to have a natural birth. The home birth thing really freaks me out too though. I dont think i could ever do that.

Pamela05

I won't ever have a homebirth.  I do think the move was extremely one sided and the truth is somewhere in the middle.

Personally I don't like the idea of pitocin or cytotec (which my ob once tried to give me in preparation for a HSG), but I don't think that hospitals are inherently evil.  I don't doubt though that decisions are made due to liability concerns and time/space constraints.  I like the movie because it gave me some idea of what I might face so I can be prepared to fight for what I want.

littlemaybaby

I thought the movie was eye opening.  It definitely gives you a perspective of childbirth that your OB won't give you.

I used the movie to jumpstart some of my own research and to have more conversations with my OB in my first pregnancy.

What I found is that in lip service, my OB was excellent at telling me she was supportive of natural aspects of child birth and in practice, she was not.

I will be using a MW this time - although I will still be giving birth in a hospital.  The home birth route just isn't for me.

hjk5000

I loved the movie and all the info, but I'm still not totally comfortable with homebirth. It gave me the extra push to go with a midwife instead of an OB.  My practice delivers in a birthing center right alongside a hospital.  They have OBs that also practice there, anesthesiologists and an OR.  For me it's the best of both worlds because plan b in case something goes wrong is feet away.

princesscm99

Is this movie done as a documentary, or as a persuasive film?

I'm all for being presented information, but I'm not interested in home birth propaganda.

erinlovesdavid

princesscm99:

Is this movie done as a documentary, or as a persuasive film?

I'm all for being presented information, but I'm not interested in home birth propaganda.

IMO, it's propaganda...thinly veiled as a documentary.

littlemaybaby

princesscm99:

Is this movie done as a documentary, or as a persuasive film?

I'm all for being presented information, but I'm not interested in home birth propaganda.

It's a documentary in the same sense as "Super Size Me" was a documentary.  It shows the extreme side of hospital births. 

There are a lot of facts in the movie.  And there is a homebirth in the movie that has to be transported to the hospital for c-section for the safety of the mother and  the baby - so it's definitely NOT anti hospital birth. 

I think if you watch it knowing what to expect - that it was produced to show the plus side of natural births and the negative side of births with a lot of medical interventions it can be very informative. 

 

NBNurse

I have never seen this, but might put it on my netflix queue. As for home births, I myself would never do that. Stuff can go wrong with "low risk" deliveries too, and full term babies can have unexpected issues at birth. I work in a NICU so that alone prevents me from even considering this.

NBNurse

hjk5000:

I loved the movie and all the info, but I'm still not totally comfortable with homebirth. It gave me the extra push to go with a midwife instead of an OB.  My practice delivers in a birthing center right alongside a hospital.  They have OBs that also practice there, anesthesiologists and an OR.  For me it's the best of both worlds because plan b in case something goes wrong is feet away.

I like the sound of a plan B!

Dukos

erinlovesdavid:

princesscm99:

Is this movie done as a documentary, or as a persuasive film?

I'm all for being presented information, but I'm not interested in home birth propaganda.

IMO, it's propaganda...thinly veiled as a documentary.

This.

And yes, it is very anti-hospital.  I think it gives very good information about midwives and natural birth, and I'm glad I watched it for that reason; but it's probably the most one-sided documentary I've ever seen.  Just take what they say about hospitals and doctors with a grain of salt.  Maybe I am just lucky to live where I do, but the hospitals around here are very open to natural birth and waterbirths.  This movie makes out like all doctors are evil and hospitals just want to give you drugs and cut you open. 

Yes, there are a LOT of c-sections that happen.  But the truth is, some of them are emergencies and either the mother or baby (or both) would die without them; and most of the others happen because there is a sizeable risk that a death or injury could occur and the doctor does not want to risk being sued, so they get the baby out as quickly and safely as possible.

They just don't cover both sides fairly. 

nurseJK

I liked that it made us think about things. It is definately one-sided. It didn't go into the lovely part of water births where mom's poop in the pool where they give birth and someone has to scoop it out with a fish net. That is what is covering your child when they take their first breath.... YUCK! No thanks on that one...

blondek8

princesscm99:

Is this movie done as a documentary, or as a persuasive film?

I'm all for being presented information, but I'm not interested in home birth propaganda.