The Business of Being Born explores the contemporary experience of childbirth in the United States. Produced by Ricki Lake, it compares various childbirth methods, including midwives, natural births, epidurals, and Cesarean sections.
The film criticizes the American health care system with its emphasis on drugs and costly interventions and its view of childbirth as a medical emergency rather than a natural occurrence.
It also documents actual home births and water births. They follow a midwife, Cara, in New York as she takes care of and attends several births. They the audience is given several shocking statistics about our current birthing techniques and challenges today’s doctors.
For example, the United States has the second worst newborn death rate in the developed world. Many experts are interviewed and they cite a multitude of reasons for this dismal statistic such as the overuse of medical procedures in the interest of saving time.
UPDATE: The filmmaker has requested we remove the link to this Youtube documentary. We replaced it with the trailer.
This really is great! I had all my children with no interventions…two at home and one at a birthing room in a hospital…I do wish more people knew about these statistics and had the courage to reclaim birth. The only sad thing about this video is that the last 4 minutes have no sound…so you don’t get to hear the conclusions…
As a birth doula in training, I highly recommend this movie to all of my clients, as well as all expecting mothers & women wanting babies in the future…a must-see!
We all need to stop scaring women into thinking that natural birth is too much for our body to handle. We were designed to give birth, we should be empowering our women, and reminding them that they’re strong and capable! Take childbirth back, as women, and keep doctors were they belong: helping women that actually NEED the help.
It’s too bad the last part isn’t audible but it’s my understanding it’s because of copywritten music. Too bad it can’t be done without the music. Such an important topic. Has anyone contacted Ricki Lake? Great documentary from a mom of 8, and unfortuantely no homebirths~~
While I can’t get on board with the “designer” birth, I had 2 c-sections and don’t feel in anyway “cheated”. I have 2 beautiful healthy children and that is all that matters to me!!!!!!
I also don’t like the old man saying that women who have c-sections don’t love their babies like women who have natural births!! What about the women who have babies in toliets and leave them in trash cans!!! HELLO!????
I think the point was that part of the birthing process is missing when babies are surgically removed from us. I had two c/s as well, and love my babies, but the bonding process was very difficult. Most of us end up loving our children anyway, but we can’t deny that scientifically-speaking, when the birth process is interrupted and natural hormones and processes are disturbed, there may be something missing. Not liking that doesn’t mean it’s not true.
There are lots of women that are fine with having c-sections. I don’t really understand that but I respect their choice. I think it is a real shame however that for those of us in the USA that WANT to have a natural birth we have to fight for it. We are also often viewed as being nuts. It really isn’t fair. We just want to birth the way God intended.
At 16 I had my first son, was pushed into labor by my Dr and because my body wasn’t ready I was forced into an emergency CS. That is the past and there is nothing I can do about that. 4 CS later I sit here WISHING I never had a CS in the first place but I also understand that even though CS isn’t the way God intended, it has saved lives. I never felt guilty, separated from my children, unloved or any of the above negative feelings about my birth until someone told me I should. Why can’t I decide how to feel about my birth, why can’t I decide to be comfortable with the security of a hospital, and yes women are designed to give birth YES YES they are but there are women who’s body can not handle it and need assistance. Thank you for telling me I am a failure…
Taking a look at other countries birth policies and procedures its not ALL that bad, all things considered of course. I would not justify what they do in any means, but what a fascinating look into a very little known industry
Thank you for posting this doc.