The Business of Being Born | 
| Director: Abby Epstein
Actors: Ricki Lake, Dr. Michel Odent, Abby Epstein, Cara Muhlhahn, Dr. Marsden Wagner
Studio: New Line Home Video
List Price: $27.98
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Rating:  52 reviews
Sales Rank: 4802
Format: Color, Dolby, Dubbed, Dvd-video, Widescreen, Ntsc
Languages: English (Original Language), Spanish (Dubbed)
Rating: Unrated
Region: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
Number Of Items: 1
Running Time: 84 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.3 x 0.6
MPN: TRNDN38370D
UPC: 794043120787
EAN: 0794043120787
ASIN: B0013LL2XY
Theatrical Release Date: 2007
Release Date: May 6, 2008
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Shipping: International shipping available
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Product Description
Studio: New Line Home Video Release Date: 05/06/2008 Rating: Nr
Amazon.com
Is it conceivable that in the United States, profit is increasingly driving the business of birthing--sometimes at the expense of the best possible outcome for mothers and babies? Should birth be viewed and treated as a natural process or a potential medical emergency? This documentary, produced by Ricki Lake and directed by Abby Epstein, opines that money and fear are changing the way Americans give birth, and not necessarily for the better. Beginning with shocking statistics that the United States has the second-worst newborn death rate in the developed world and one of the highest maternal mortality rates in industrialized countries, the film presents interviews with medical professionals including Dr. Jacques Moritz, OB/GYN from St. Luke's Roosevelt Hospital; Dr. Michel Odent, OB/GYN researcher; and Masden Wagner, MD, former Director for Women's and Children's Health at the World Health Organization. Each expert paints a dismal picture of American birthing and emphasizes the frequent overuse of medical procedures in what are otherwise potentially normal deliveries. Stressing the prevalent use of midwives in birthing in other developed nations (70% of births are attended by midwives in Europe and Japan, versus 8% in the U.S.), the documentary then follows Cara Muhlhahn, a certified nurse midwife in New York City, as she attends a variety of home births. The footage is candid and sometimes very graphic, showing various home-delivery methods, including water birth. Interviews with Cara and her clients emphasize their shared philosophy on birthing as a normal life process that, when attended by a caring and well-trained midwife, can be both empowering and exhilarating. Though a midwife is often characterized as a supportive, but medically untrained birth attendee, the film dispels that stereotype, stressing a good midwife's solid training and knowledge of when it's appropriate to seek outside medical intervention. Key in every birth is a commitment to doing what's best for mother and baby, regardless of pre-planned agendas. The filmmaker's lament is that hospitals and doctors often too quickly advocate medical intervention in the interest of saving time and avoiding potential litigation. While unquestionably advocating midwifery over hospital birthing, this documentary presents solid expert opinions, concrete facts and statistics, and anecdotal experiences of both mothers and midwives that are crucial in making an informed decision about the use of midwifery in birthing as well as enlightening as to the current state of birthing in the United States. --Tami Horiuchi
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| Customer Reviews: Read 47 more reviews...
 much needed movie! March 22, 2008
Elizabeth Rose Augustine (Whidbey Island, WA)
23 out of 26 found this review helpful
5 stars for being a timely piece: women NEED to learn the truths about childbirth and put it in context with the rest of the world and hundreds of years of history. It was disturbing in some of the movie's early interviews that women said they wouldn't even consider using a midwife. We are trained to expect birth to be traumatic and medicalized.
The only cons in this movie are more artistically centered and definitely LESS important than the need to see a movie like this in the first place. E.g., the ending was anti-climatic with the director of the movie resorting to a hospital birth because the baby was breech.
I also agree with the reviewer who said more discusssion needed to happen about options when baby is in the less than ideal position... breech CAN be dealt w/ at home, for example.
I do NOT agree with the person who quoted the newspaper about the "Michael Moore" style editing. How insulting! This movie SHOWS doctors who fully admit their limitations and expectations. What's more, they show doctors of the opposite persuasion who question if home birth is safe since they don't do fetal monitoring etc.
I've had 3 hospital births and will never do it again. The first 2 were with a midwife and it was fine... she was great w/ me. But I still had to deal with hospital policies with the baby taken away for testing and having to get woken up in the middle of the night to be given painkillers. I didn't know better. I, like too many women, figured that delivering a baby was something that just happened to you in a hospital like getting your tonsils taken out or something.
My third child was born with a traditional doctor in a hospital and it was a horrible experience. They ignored my wishes, they insisted on a hep-lock, they refused to take my pitocin IV out after the birth and whenever I asked for it out, the nurse would "go to check" with the head nurse and never come back. Or they'd soothe me "sure, right after this bag." I had nurses who pretty much just strapped me to the monitoring and ignored me until I started moaning badly and then it was time to push. I felt violated and without dignity the whole time.
It pains me that women expect this. I have many friends who've birthed at home and it was the best experience in the world for them. This movie needs to get in the hands of all expectant mothers just for the simple fact that they should CONSIDER other options and perhaps clear up their misconceptions about midwives being little more than some hippy babushka who comes in with herbs and potions. Kudos to Ricki Lake for stepping us in the right direction.
A great introduction to birth choices March 6, 2008
Saratchka
20 out of 22 found this review helpful
This documentary does a wonderful job of introducing the ideas that motivate those who are working for change in the birth system in this country. The filmmakers have really portrayed the reasons that many "mainstream" families are opting for birth outside the hospital setting in a way that makes them easy to process. And they have done this without vilifying those who have hospital births and medical interventions.
Having had both a birth in a typical US hospital and a homebirth I can say that I would recommend that any healthy woman having a normal pregnancy seriously consider birthing outside of a hospital. The care I received from my midwife was far superior to that from my obstetrical team and giving birth at home had positive effects not only for myself and the new baby, but for my husband and our first child as well. The whole family benefited from the experience. I only wish I'd seen this film before having my first baby!
 Review by a Couple With Some Home Birth Experience March 3, 2008
Kenneth L. Smith (Ellendale, North Dakota)
17 out of 17 found this review helpful
The film does a good job of explaining the "intervention cycle" that is so common in medicalized births--the mother is hooked up to intravenous tubes and all sorts of technology, and thus there is inevitable pressure to use (or misuse that technology). Anesthetics, which are supposed to ease the pain, lead to slowdown in the birth process, which leads to more intervention (pitocin etc.) and oftentimes to "crisis" into which the physician steps to save the day. The film gives a fair amount of attention to the power of the physician over against the mother in medicalized birth. The portrayal of the respectful and extremely helpful manner in which home birth midwives work comes across very well.
We give the film a four-star rating instead of five for several reasons. We think it does not do quite well enough at explaining the reasons why home birthers do certain things--for example, why they often choose water birth. Why husbands/partners might not wear a shirt when assisting the mother. Why the home setting is generally superior to the hospital setting in terms of exposure to dangerous microbes. There are good reasons for all these things, but they're not really explained in the film.
We think the film dwells excessively on the experiences of the director (Cara) and upon Ricki Lake. It's fine to have these folks profiled in the film we just think they take too much screen time that could have been better used educate people further about non-medicalized birth. This is one reason that the film starts to languish a bit in the second half. Some of the language used on the film (casual swearing) will be unnecessarily offensive to many home birthers and potential home birthers. The film did not mention the religious reasons some people choose home birth (we'd have loved to see interviews with Amish home birthers, for example). We did think the contributions of Michael Odent, Ina Gaskin, and the other midwives (and the back-up doctor) were portrayed very well.
We have had six home births (four with well-trained midwives). Our midwives definitely went the extra mile for us, and were genuinely interested not only in "getting the baby out" but in all aspects of prenatal, delivery, and early infant care. They were extremely generous in their time and expertise. In terms of theoretical and practical knowledge, our trained midwives were the equal if not superior to the typical birth-attending physician. This perspective comes across pretty well on the film.
All in all, this is a good film. It could be quite a bit better in terms of explaining non-medicalized birth to people who are unfamiliar with it. But it's a good start and we recommend it to anyone interested in the topic.
excellent, informative, February 27, 2008
Breastfeeding Mom (Kissimmee, Florida)
14 out of 15 found this review helpful
I just watched this online. It was incredible! I thought it was well written and directed. This film offers an insightful and informative view into the world of birthing and the limited choices women have. I would recommend to anyone, not just women of child bearing age, but anyone so that you can make an educated decision regarding the birth of your child. It helps to know that a woman can do a natural birth if she has the support of others. Too often, doctors and hospitals do not explain the effects of c sections on the mom and the baby. It is not a celebrity trend that you should use to decide how you birth, learn about it for yourself. You have to learn to read, to drive, watch this to learn about your options. It is fantastic to have doctors available in emergencies, that is what they are there for, but to medicate a natural process? Not in my opinion, but this movie helps clarify these points in an open way, not negatively.
 Worth watching, but one-sided March 8, 2008
G. Bock (Tennessee, United States)
12 out of 40 found this review helpful
This film starts a discussion that our society needs to have, for that I commend it to you. However, like many recent documentaries, it is one-sided (in favor of midwifery), makes some questionable claims, and "indulges in the kind of stunt footage for which Michael Moore routinely gets slapped" (Chicago Tribune review). For example, when the medical establishment is represented in the film, the individuals are usually self-critical - supporting the film's agenda - and they are rarely given the opportunity to rebut the many claims made against the medical practice. For instance, the so-called experts in the film talk about the power disparity and physician paternalism in the OB clinic; they claim that many obstetricians don't have the patients' best interests in mind and will do anything to drag them into the operating room to have a C-section (because this is most convenient for the doctors). This may be true in some cases, but it was not true in ours. Moreover, I find it hard to believe that in the modern climate of patient-centered practice that physicians on the whole are exercising this kind of influence and making these sorts of decisions. I think they are more interested in providing adequate patient care and creating a positive experience for each mom (which, by the way, has the upshot of increasing business and avoiding malpractice suits). In addition, the new buzz word among professionals and in popular literature these days is "the birth plan." Pregnant mothers are encouraged to have one, which means spelling out exactly how they want the labor and delivery to go. Furthermore, in our experience, the delivery nurses were great, and they fulfilled the role that a midwife or a doula might. Finally, many of the talking heads in the film pontificate that women who go into the hospital to give birth are "missing the experience" of what it means to truly be a woman and give birth the natural way. I find this judgmental attitude almost as offensive as those who argue that epidurals are wrong on the basis that the Bible says women ought to feel pain in childbirth since the Fall. My advice: consider both midwifery and the hospital and go with the option that works best for you. You could have a good or bad experience either way, so ask around for recommendations.
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