Business of Being Born

babyadams8611 · June 2015

I just finished watching the documentary "The Business of Being Born". It made me think a bit. Have any of you ladies seen it? What's your take/thoughts on it?

jenn2132 · June 2015

Great documentary, very eye opening and to me makes a lot of sense.

MirandaC1984 · June 2015

I enjoyed it. Still going for the epidural though.

momma=z · June 2015

Watched it years ago and recommended it to my sister in law who went on to have her first baby at a birthing center and the second at home. I'm not going that route but I would like a doula for the delivery. Don't want to be pressured into anything.

Krysta6 · June 2015

I enjoyed it! I was nervous because I don't like anything too judgmental or bossy and I found it to be insightful without pushing an agenda. I also appreciated that it showed sometimes interventions are necessary!

christyplaza · June 2015

I've watched the spin off "more business..," on Netflix. I am going to check out the movie. I'm having a hospital birth. Not brave enough for a homebirth. But it's my third and the epidural always gives me horrible migraines for days after birth. I'm really going to try the natural route.

babyadams8611 · June 2015

momma=z said:
Watched it years ago and recommended it to my sister in law who went on to have her first baby at a birthing center and the second at home. I'm not going that route but I would like a doula for the delivery. Don't want to be pressured into anything.

Same here! I didn't realize how much pressure they put on you in the hospitals. Kinda freaked me out a bit.

babyadams8611 · June 2015

christyplaza said:
I've watched the spin off "more business..," on Netflix. I am going to check out the movie. I'm having a hospital birth. Not brave enough for a homebirth. But it's my third and the epidural always gives me horrible migraines for days after birth. I'm really going to try the natural route.

I saw those also. It has me wanting to try the natural experience (maybe water-birth). I want to remember every bit, don't want to be or have my baby loopy etc.

leah665 · June 2015

I just watched this recently and really enjoyed it.

I decided to have my babies with a midwife long before I became pregnant. My mom had all of us at home.

I work in a hospital, and I think they're for sick people. Pregnant women aren't sick and don't get me wrong I think L&D nurses are fabulous, and I know in certain situations hospitals are totally necessary for births.

I also think that we as women need to trust our bodies more. I think if you are a low risk, healthy pregnancy that being in the hospital can often be counterproductive.

komorebi · June 2015

I love this movie. My 9yo watches it all the time. I have a feeling she will be a birth worker in some capacity one day. It didn't change me in any way because it aligned with how i felt already but I'm glad it's out there.

h3speris · June 2015

My midwife is actually interviewed in that movie. She's amazing. She delivers in the birthing center at the hospital, so it's super safe and convenient. One floor above the regular labor and delivery unit. No IVs and drugs. Also the OB that "oversees" her cases (Dr Moritz) was in the movie too, and he sees all the patients at 36 weeks for a quick check up and green light for the birthing center. I like the personal aspect of having a midwife. She will be with me for the entirety of my labor, not just the last five min to catch the baby. Honestly, I would be scared to do it at home. I think the future lies in hospital birthing centers overseen by midwives.

BRIANNAT711 · June 2015

momma=z said:
Watched it years ago and recommended it to my sister in law who went on to have her first baby at a birthing center and the second at home. I'm not going that route but I would like a doula for the delivery. Don't want to be pressured into anything.

Just be careful either way because a friend of mine gave birth at a birthing center with a doula and the doula pressured her into a natural birth that she genuinely decided against during L&D. She describes her birth experience as "traumatizing at best". Make sure your doula understands that you might genuinely change your mind and that's ok. She should support you but no one should pressure you either way. It's your body and your baby! Best of luck!

Rikki_5 · June 2015

I liked it and thought it made some great points. However, I did find it to be a bit one-sided. Since I'm older and have GBS I just can't have a home birth. Well, maybe I could but I wouldn't feel comfortable. I like the idea of birthing centers within a hospital but there are none nearby me. I'm going to try for natural hospital birth.

curfam4 · June 2015

I watched it when I was pregnant with DD#1 and really enjoyed it! I found it very informative, and plan on watching it again soon.

FirstTimeMamaAricka · June 2015

I loved this! I planned on doing as natural as a birth as i possibly could long before seeing it as i feel it is something i need to experience. pain and all. aside from the fact that i am allergic to pain medication i wanted to do it the same way my mom did. no meds or interventions for both my brother and I. It gave me more confidence with the "birth plan" i chose to have. Sadly before seeing it everyone felt the need to crush my hopes by telling me i couldn't do it because it hurt too much and birth plans rarely ever work out at all. Even my MIL who used to work for OB ward in the hospital (now an ER nurse) said i couldn't do it and even argued with me and shook her head at me when i said i was doing it without meds etc as long as baby was coping well with labor and pushing. Its sad that women feel the need to make other women feel bad about how they want to deliver their babies. Birth is beautiful no matter how you do it. I will be going to a hospital as this is my first and i have enough fears to fill a book lol but i chose my midwife based on her determination to keep me and baby both safe yet allow me to birth the way i want to.

galatimac · June 2015

It scared me a little bit but I'm glad i saw it. Before watching, I thought I would be open to an epidural but it solidified my decision to go without meds as long as baby and I are healthy.

cgummie · June 2015

Are both movies on Netflix?

mirygmz07 · June 2015

@cgummie I think they use to have both but last time I checked I could only find "More Business of Being Born" on Netflix. The original movie I found on YouTube lol

mllelibbington · June 2015

I made it about a halfway through and I turned it off. I don't agree with the concept of a birth being an "experience" and that doctors and hospitals ruin everything. It felt very one-sided, like a Michael Moore movie. I live in one of the most liberal cities in the country and I get this morally superior spiel about "natural" this and that on the regular, I'm tired of it. I'm of the opinion that birth, while special, is a medical procedure that has been made much safer over the years by the existence of doctors and hospitals. Feel free to disagree but plummeting mortality rates of mothers and babies since the 1800s is pretty telling. I know individuals can and should have the freedom to choose something else, but that movie was being as pushy as they claimed the doctors were.

komorebi · June 2015

Birth is not a medical procedure. It's a physiological process that can be helped or hindered by medicine. And stats were released this past week on maternal morality rates going up in the US. many practices don't even align with what ACOG recommends.

candicequeen · June 2015

I found it interesting to watch and respect everyone's choices on how they choose to birth their children. Personally, for me, I prefer to take the recommendation of medical professionals over Ricki Lake and the people she recruited to make a movie that supports her opinions. Having said that, I may try to do this a more natural way than some but won't feel bad or like less of a mother if I partake in the marvels of modern medicine that allow it to be a bit less painful. I'm still a mom even if my baby is born in a hospital via c section or whatever. My first child we adopted and I was not present for any part of his birth. That does not make me less of a mom. Sometimes I feel a little put off by the importance everyone places on the "experience" of birth. I am friends with many mom's who have never experienced anyone giving birth. We all are mom's just the same. Best wishes to all of you mom's and mom's to be for happy healthy children however they come to you!!

komorebi · June 2015

I'm sorry, but how isbringing a life into this world not about experiencing something profound? And If you have ever done any reading on birth rape and ptsd you wouldn't be so quick to dismiss the "experience". In one breath women are all, we all are good no matter what, but then a mother who wants to have control and enjoy the process gets shot down. ..which is it? I'd never want a single mom to have meds withheld because it doesn't align with my view of birth, because that's inhumane. But our system regularly denies women the choice to just let it be. It drives me insane.

There is an awesome survey called "listening to mothers" they have done two of them and it's eye opening to read and see what women want vs what they get from the system. I think BOBB definitely has am agenda but it isn't to get birth out of the hospital as much as it is to get the word out that women aren't getting what they want, and not because the way things go typically is better for the baby or mother.

ellasnow · June 2015

I watched this several times and it gave me the courage to make my own decisions, stand up for my own birthing experience and empowered me to give birth naturally if i chose to do so. My first birth experience was amazing

i had a midwife at the hospital...stayed home until i was ready to go in and meet my cpa. I played music, dimmed lights, wore what i wanted, ate and drank when i wanted, chose not to have the iv in my arm unless they had to later, rolled around on my ball until my water broke, focused solely on myself and the process of birthing my baby and listening to how my body was birthing. I did see the pressure of the nursing staff on me with the epideral and other interventions being pushed...i looked directly at them and said i have no intention of doing my birth other than naturally unless something else comes up and we will talk about it first otherwise dont bother me with them. I did my research on all birthing methods..i was low risk and never once felt like i couldnt handle the birthing process. Pushing felt like the most productive moment of my life

i was in labor for a total of 16hrs and 15min of pushing. I believe woman need to do their research and and understand what approach is best for them but for me the more in control of my own body and baby was the best and most instinctive approach for me. I hope every woman has the experience they wanted and the business of being born empowered me to stand up for my own birthing process. I will be taking the same approach this time around too. Plus: i just want to add...it is an experience and i am proud of myself and no one can take that away from me. Just like graduarion, getting a job, getting married, birthing is an experience and every woman who has pushed out a child knows how much of an experience it is. Even when with c sections know they too went through their own experience. Birth is an experience! I am proud of myself and my own personal experience...sry to rant but im not going to sugar coat it or down play my own experience to make others feel better. Every woman will have their own experience and i hope they are proud of themselves in the end! No matter how they birthed.

perrysaurus · July 2015

Opened my eyes! Now I'm organized for a planned home water birth with 2 CNM's and my amazing boyfriend. Just got our birth tub & I just can't wait!

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