tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15442926.post-14422921613362447442008-06-21T20:45:00.004-04:002008-06-24T16:09:46.789-04:002008/Not Rated(Probably PG-13)/Documentary<br /><br />I was slightly apprehensive to view this film as the Queen of Hearts and I are expecting our little Wild Card in September. But, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0995061/">The Business Of Being Born</a> was recommended and I thought it ought to be viewed far from the actual delivery as possible... just in case.<br /><br />I was pleasantly surprised by the genuine, non-emotional, statistically backed argument put forth by Ricki Lake and the other producers of this piece. It wasn't full of scare tactics like some other documentary film makers (Michael Moore), and it wasn't an emotionally wrenching tug-at-your-heart-strings attempt to get people to change how they give birth. This was a straight forward, well balanced recommendation for home births.<br /><br />I'm an excellent audience member for this film. Several times the film brought up the realization that, for centuries, women have been giving birth at home but we've only been giving birth hospitals for a few decades. I'm someone who won't take an aspirin because pain medication is so new, so that evidence resonates with me.<br /><br />However, the flip side of that is that the mortality rate of mothers and children was incredibly high in the middle ages (whereas so few people die of a headache...). I believe that moving birthing into hospitals wasn't simply a "business" move as the film depicts, but was an attempt to lower maternal and infant mortality rates. The trouble with that is two fold: Healthy pregnancies don't need all of the precautions that an at risk pregnancy does. Secondarily, as we become a more litigious society, doctors are moving faster in implementing the interventions, which is causing unnecessary complications for perfectly normal pregnancies.<br /><br />Personally, I'm not even considering a home birth. My ideal would be what we had for our little Full House. Mid-wives at a birthing center close to a hospital. This way one has the chance for a natural close-to-home birth, but also has the convenience of the hospital nearby if necessary. <br /><br />One of the most compelling storylines of the film was that of the producer. She was going to have a home birth but had complications and had to go to the hospital. If nothing else, the footage of the cab ride from her apartment to the hospital was enough to dissuade me from having a home birth.<br /><br />All in all, I felt it was a very compelling argument for midwives verses hospitals. Not only that, but it was a very disturbing and enlightening expose on what we did to women who had hospital births earlier in the century. Some portions were a tad long and unnecessary but they had a great mix of crunchy to average midwives and had a few doctors who shared their opposition or support of the practice of home births. If you are pregnant, thinking about having kids, or have kids and want more, I would recommend checking out this documentary to assist you in the very important decision of how and where to have your child.<br /><br />3.5 out of 5.Marchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15278012407263103991noreply@blogger.com