The Business of Being Born

Erikahenderson1 · January 2014

FTM here, just finished the documentary. I was positive I'd have this baby in a hospital, need the drugs, and wasn't going to look into any other options because I knew I would need the epidural and you need to go the hospital when you have a baby, right?
I'm so happy I decided to watch this, the at home births looked so much more peaceful. It gave me the courage to think I can do this naturally. Although, I'm a bit of a hypochondriac so I'm looking into birthing centers, turns out they have one in the hospital I planned on delivering at.
Anyone ever deliver in a birthing center?

Rrrrrachel · January 2014

I used a free standing birth center, which is a little different than one within a hospital, for my first birth and it was terrific! You are capable of so much more than you think, and labor is really not as bad as you may think from movies and tv, especially if you can avoid induction. A lot of it is psychological, pain comes from fear and tension!

Erikahenderson1 · January 2014

The ladies in the hospital beds looked a lot more uncomfortable than the ones able to walk around, I know walking isn't an option with an epidural.

TallaB · January 2014

Welllllll, I guess i'll jump on board. I'm gonna go watch this movie right now!

Laroo0220 · January 2014

Yeah this documentary is a great look inside what really goes on in many hospitals. I had my son in a hospital and it went great but I'm having this baby in a dif hospital and I'm very nervous about them pushing interventions I don't want. We've hired a doula to help me and my husband and I have talked in great detail about our birthing plan so he can help make sure it happens. A birthing center is a great option from what I hear and if we had one nearby we would def go that way.

deidremaria · January 2014

I watched it a few weeks ago and it was very educational and made me very much open to natural birth. Since we don't have birthing centers here and home births don't happen either I have no choice but to go to the hospital but luckily a CNM will deliver baby and I plan to labor at home for as long as possible. Then head to the hospital. I'm so glad you watched.

Rrrrrachel · January 2014

Laboring at home as long as possible is key! Even if you do end up with an epidural much better to get one at 6-7 cm than 2-3!

michaelad3 · January 2014

Non related to the actual documentary topic, but I watched this movie the other night and sobbed every time a baby was born. I'm a wreck!

VeganCat · January 2014

I love that movie. I watched it a couple years ago and it completely opened my eyes to the whole world of labor. We don't have birthing centers in Atlanta but I have a midwife and I'm planing a water birth at the hospital

deidremaria · January 2014

Rrrrrachel said:
Laboring at home as long as possible is key! Even if you do end up with an epidural much better to get one at 6-7 cm than 2-3!

At what point is it too late to get one? An epidural that is

babybarnes87 · January 2014

I watched it yesterday. I am all about natural home births if that's what you want. Personally, I'm delivering at a hospital with a CNM and a back-up OB if needed. I'm not sure whether I will want interventions or not.

I thought the documentary was VERY one sided. It was out to make hospital births look terrifying and doctors & nurses look like drug pushers. I think it over-generalized the hospital birth experience. Not that I don't think some hospitals could be like that, I just thought it was a little over-dramatic.

But those babies born at home came out so calm and relaxed. What an amazing thing to watch! Glad I checked it out.

Erikahenderson1 · January 2014

Rrrrrachel said:
Laboring at home as long as possible is key! Even if you do end up with an epidural much better to get one at 6-7 cm than 2-3!

Trying to do that too. How do you know when it's time to go?

ricekez · January 2014

I watched that movie when I was pregnant with DS. I had him in a hospital-based birth center drug-free. I labored at home as long as I could. The birth center gave me the medical safety of the hospital setting in case something did go wrong without the push for unnecessary interventions. Honestly, labor and birth isn't all that bad. If you want to go drug-free, that's your choice and you can do it.

Alycia Hause · January 2014

I love this documentary. There are a few others they made following the great response they received to the original. They are all on netflix

MamaFantastic · January 2014

ricekez said:
I had him in a hospital-based birth center drug-free. I labored at home as long as I could. The birth center gave me the medical safety of the hospital setting in case something did go wrong without the push for unnecessary interventions. Honestly, labor and birth isn't all that bad. If you want to go drug-free, that's your choice and you can do it.

This was me too. I didn't realize how natural-friendly my hospital birth center was until after my delivery. I'm so fortunate to not have pushy OBs or midwives to contend with! Attempting a water birth this time... and a shorter labor and pushing process this time!

sweetmelissa0707 · January 2014

deidremaria said:

Rrrrrachel said:
Laboring at home as long as possible is key! Even if you do end up with an epidural much better to get one at 6-7 cm than 2-3!
At what point is it too late to get one? An epidural that is

I'm sure it differs from place to place, but I was able to get one at 9.5 cm. this was at New England Medical Center (Tufts) so they are are a huge and well known teaching hospital. I think if you can hold still while they insert it, that's the main concern.

mrscrcalli · January 2014

DH and I are watching this tomorrow!

pineconey · January 2014

Doing a home birth here- find some books to read to further educate yourself on the specific topics that make you not want the hospital/epi "standard" birth of today.

Good luck on your journey!!

Nellennium · January 2014

Thanks for the recommendation, watching it now

CosmoAnne1 · January 2014

I liked it also. My 1st birth was very very long and once I received the epidural all the pain was gone, but I couldn't even lift my legs so I had trouble pushing because I couldn't hold my legs up and it slowed the birthing process down so much. With my 2nd I was given the epidural but it didn't work so I went all natural (very very painful, I just wasn't prepared for that amount of pain so I didn't handle it we'll) but the birth from the first contraction was only 3.5-4.5 hours ( don't remember exactly) and I only pushed 3 times and my little Emma was born. With my 3rd I will be in the hospital with my O.B. And a midwife. My OB is the only OB in the practice with 5 midwives. They are very supportive of what ever route you would like to go medicated or not. The hospital does have a birthing tub but you can't actually have birth in the tub. I'm going to try and go med free. If it comes down to it and I need an epidural I will get it, but I'm really going to try without it. I've done it once before and I know what to expect this time! What ever decision you make good luck you will do great and in the end you are rewarded with a sweet little bundle of joy that makes the whole process worth it.

Hmesh0421 · January 2014

I'm a FTM but delivering at the local birth center where I live! It just seems so much more peaceful for me and more comfortable cause you can walk around and you don't have IV connected.

RebeccaY1 · January 2014

I had already decided to have a natural birth before watching this. I'm terrified of needles so having one put in my back was the most horrific thing for me. I will be in a hospital because that's what my insurance covers, but I'm going to be laboring at home as long as possible. We live within 10 minutes of the hospital so I don't see the need to run to the hospital as soon as possible.

luvU2theMoon · January 2014

I have been set on natural birth but i have never heard of this documetary! i will have to watch it. is it a netflix or you tube video?

Rrrrrachel · January 2014

Erikahenderson1 said:

Rrrrrachel said:
Laboring at home as long as possible is key! Even if you do end up with an epidural much better to get one at 6-7 cm than 2-3!
Trying to do that too. How do you know when it's time to go?

That's something they'll go over in a birthing class. I can't remember the rule because it's been awhile but it's when contractions are so long and so far apart. We were on the phone with the mw two or three times before we left talking things over. Really you want to wait until things are kind of intense (it's getting hard to talk on the phone, etc) but ymmv.

pdilly2b · January 2014

Even though BOBB is definitely trying to tell a story, it really spoke to me regarding the epidural-pitocin-c/section cycle. I'd always assumed that birth would progress along some predetermined path with pain (no epi) or without (with epi) and that was whether to experience pain was just a choice. Never realized before how the epi actually alters the path of labor/delivery. But I've definitely seen that cycle played out in numerous friends and family members, especially ones who were induced, so I wanted to avoid it if at all possible.

For me, contractions while lying down killed. Every time I see something on TV and women are laying in bed (when they don't have to be - like if no epidural) and I just wonder what the hell is going on and if they are crazy. Standing up wasn't exactly a picnic, but comparatively much more manageable. Though I guess everyone experiences them differently.

Home birth isn't for me (not a good setup at my house and I honestly don't want to deal with messing around with insurance reimbursement or paying a lot out of pocket). There are no birth centers near me. So I was at a very baby friendly hospital with a midwife. Worked well the first time and hoping for the same this time.

My big driver for wanting to go med free (aside from generally wanting to avoid a c-section) was wanting to push in alternate positions, which I did, and it was awesome.

nikki912 · January 2014

I labored at home until the rushes felt like they were on top of eachother and I couldn't do anything but concentrate and focus during them. I still was only four centimeters when I got to te birth center. Having an experienced doula at the house with you is important at helping you know when to go as well as the guidelines your Midwife or OB give you.

pdilly2b · January 2014

Erikahenderson1 said:

Laboring at home as long as possible is key! Even if you do end up with an epidural much better to get one at 6-7 cm than 2-3!
Trying to do that too. How do you know when it's time to go?

The rule I was told was 3-1-1. Contractions 3 min apart, 1 min long, for 1 hour. I stuck pretty close to this before going to the hospital (maybe closer to 4-1-1), which for me was after about 22 hours of labor (7 hrs pretty intense but more like 5 min apart and 30 seconds long, then 13 hrs lighter, then 2 hours intense again). When I was checked in in triage, I was only at 4 cm.

I think I was having the common fear of having the baby in the car or something. It's laughable now how far away I was from that even when I thought the pain was really bad (it was still more than 12 hours after we got to the hospital that I finally got to 10 cm).

My midwife assures me that this time will be quicker. I'd love for a labor less than 12 hours, but I'm skeptical.

hlm184 · January 2014

Rrrrrachel said:

Laboring at home as long as possible is key! Even if you do end up with an epidural much better to get one at 6-7 cm than 2-3!
Trying to do that too. How do you know when it's time to go?
That's something they'll go over in a birthing class. I can't remember the rule because it's been awhile but it's when contractions are so long and so far apart. We were on the phone with the mw two or three times before we left talking things over. Really you want to wait until things are kind of intense (it's getting hard to talk on the phone, etc) but ymmv.

Our Bradley instructor spent a lot of time with DH on this, giving him signs to look for rather than a specific set of times for contractions.

Rogue237 · January 2014

luvU2theMoon said:

I have been set on natural birth but i have never heard of this documetary! i will have to watch it. is it a netflix or you tube video?

@luvU2theMoon - Both the movie and the after movie series are streaming on Netflix!

pdilly2b · January 2014

nikki912 said:

I labored at home until the rushes felt like they were on top of eachother and I couldn't do anything but concentrate and focus during them. I still was only four centimeters when I got to te birth center. Having an experienced doula at the house with you is important at helping you know when to go as well as the guidelines your Midwife or OB give you.

Glad I'm not the only one to go in "early"

Honestly, I didn't mind getting to the hospital sooner than I thought I wanted based on advice to stay home (though being told "4 cm" when I hoped to hear "8 cm" was a bummer was a little scary from a "how bad is this going to get?" perspective). I didn't have a pushy care person (no fear about "on the clock" issues from my midwife) and they have jacuzzi tubs, which my house is sorely lacking.

Maybe I'm weird, but I actually liked being hooked up to the monitors (while sitting on the ball - I would have died had they made me lie down). I could see the contraction peak and start to decline before I could feel it easing up, so it was nice to know that each one would soon be over. I only was on for 10 min every hour and they used a dopper while I was in the tub, so it wasn't ever a bad thing that interfered with how I wanted to labor. Prob would have felt differently if they made me be hooked up when I wanted to be doing other things.

Jesster11 · January 2014

babybarnes87 said:

I thought the documentary was VERY one sided. It was out to make hospital births look terrifying and doctors & nurses look like drug pushers. I think it over-generalized the hospital birth experience. Not that I don't think some hospitals could be like that, I just thought it was a little over-dramatic.

But those babies born at home came out so calm and relaxed. What an amazing thing to watch! Glad I checked it out.

This is why I've been very hesitant to watch it. I'm going to have a hospital birth - probably with an epi - and I don't want to feel guilty about it.

That being said, I also plan on holding out as long as possible on an epi. DH works at the hospital, so if I'm getting nervous with early labor, I can always go hang out in his office for a while and be close enough for when things pick up.

I'm also already had spinal blocks and rhisotomies (burning of nerve endings) in my lower back from herniated discs from a car accident, so my ob said I should meet with the hospital anesthesiologist ahead of time. During that appointment, it will also be nice to know what options are available. I'm hoping for something low dose and late in labor, and hey, if I can go med free, more power to me.

HNRomance · January 2014

babybarnes87 said:

I watched it yesterday. I am all about natural home births if that's what you want. Personally, I'm delivering at a hospital with a CNM and a back-up OB if needed. I'm not sure whether I will want interventions or not.

I thought the documentary was VERY one sided. It was out to make hospital births look terrifying and doctors & nurses look like drug pushers. I think it over-generalized the hospital birth experience. Not that I don't think some hospitals could be like that, I just thought it was a little over-dramatic.

But those babies born at home came out so calm and relaxed. What an amazing thing to watch! Glad I checked it out.

I took it with a grain of salt for the same reason until i started asking my friends about their hospital births...ALL of them were told they had to have some sort of intervention. Even the friends that wanted to go natural were all pushed into laboring quicker and got sucked into the escalation of meds and intervention. I'm sure it depends on location and provider so I'm going somewhere different than all of them that is more natural-birth friendly.

Rrrrrachel · January 2014

I was only about 2cm when I got to the birth center but little girl was born four hours later!

Medic99 · January 2014

With any documentary it is a bit one sided. The information in this documentary is very eye opening. My first delivery was a hospital birth with an epi and it wasn't at all what they portrayed. My second delivery was an emergency c-section that saved me and my daughter's life. This round I am trying for a VBAC all natural. I know there are Drs out there that have agendas like they showed but not all are that way. Whatever birth you decide is up to you and your spouse. The best thing to do is research this on your own. I would not recommend getting an epi before 4 cm because it can slow down your labor. It didn't for me but not all of us react the same. I am grateful that my Dr did not use pit or push a c-section on me with my first. I was so uneducated on the topic that I would have probably fallen victim and believed that it was needed. I have heard that some hospitals do not like to give an epi after 7-8 cm so that is something to find out what your hospital's stance is. I really liked the documentary.

hordol · January 2014

DH and I watched this last night, and it actually taught me that laboring at home wasn't for me, haha. I just kept thinking about the mess it was making...

I am giving birth in a hospital, and ideally I wouldn't have any interventions unless they are truly necessary. Our hospital is fairly natural birth friendly, but my OB is his own practice that just happens to deliver there so I'm not 100% sure how he will be. He did ask me to come up with a birth plan and give it to him (if I wanted to) so I plan to of course let him know how I feel about interventions that aren't 100% necessary to save a life, and I'm going to have DH advocate for me in the delivery room.

ETA: I just found out my hospital has free volunteer doulas that we can register for. I wasn't considering a doula previously, but knowing that they are free and available I am highly considering one now.

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