"The Business of Being Born"

We just watched this movie last night. It's a documentary about childbirth in America and how it's really just big business. I was interested in the movie because originally I had wanted to do a home birth with a midwife. After talking to several people about it, I decided to go ahead and tour the 2 local hospitals, and decided that Parker Adventist Hospital would work out ok. It was a new hospital and didn't have that nasty "hospital smell". Their birth center was as beautiful as some hotels. So I basically forgot about the whole midwife idea and had a relatively ok experience in the hospital.

As many of you know, I did end up being induced with pitocin, but still did not get an epidural or other pain relief. I feel like this was maybe not the best decision on my part (to be induced) but my body was definitely showing signs of being ready and it seemed the right thing to do at the time. By the end they had turned the pit off anyways, so I was not using it the whole time which makes me feel better about it. The one thing that was horrible was the 2+ hours of pushing, of course with me laying on my back in the most unnatural birthing position possible (yet that is how they consistently do it in hospitals), ending with an episiotomy and little Laina finally emerging. At the time I was very thankful that my doctor did the episiotomy just so the whole thing would finally be over. Looking back on it now, I wonder if things would have turned out differently if I would have labored differently.

The movie brought up some very interesting points, especially the fact that America stands alone in the way we birth, the plethora of interventions during the labor and birthing process, the high number of Cesarean sections performed, and very surprisingly, one of the highest infant mortality rates! It's really a huge cycle where one intervention leads to the next, to the next, and on and on, until finally the mother is wheeled to the OR for a C-Section.

The nice thing about the movie, too, was that it is not anti-doctor. It does make it clear that there is a time and place for medical procedures, and that we are very fortunate to have specialists here who can step in if needed. It just makes the point that not EVERY woman needs those interventions. I am pretty sure I am going to handle the next baby differently (not that there is one in the near future), and I will be looking into midwives and a home birth much more seriously the next time around.

*I should add for anyone interested in watching the movie - there is a substantial amount of nudity and multiple actual births shown - be forewarned*