Who has seen The Business of Being Born?

Anyone seen this? Did it change your views about how women give birth in the US? Do you think that birthing in the US is over-managed, state-of-the-art, or something in-between? Do you support women's right to choose to birth as they belive is safest, whether it means at home, a birthing center, unassisted, or in a hospital?

My views about how women give birth was formed long before this movie but it does a fantastic job of representing the dis-service and disgrace that is happening to birthing moms in the US. Birth here is handled as a medical emergency, "managed" by technology and interventions galore. Yet, we remain among the few countries in the world that have such a high incidence of maternal and infant mortality. Why? Because we interfere with a woman's body and her ability to birth her baby... with medicines, chemicals, and interventions. In my state nearly 80% of all births are chemically induced which statistics prove doubles a woman's chance for a C-section. I could go on and on but will already get the thumbs down for my post. I could give the link to the studies done by CIMS, but I'd still get the thumbs down.
Birth is a natural event, not a medical event to be managed. I support a woman's right to choose where she gives birth, whether it's a hospital, birthing center or home.
Frankly, the statistics show that the danger of something going wrong at home is a lot lower than once a woman enters the hospital.

I haven't seen it but i think the US way to have a baby in a hospital without a medical reason why is dumb. In europe they have more midwives and home births and less cases of babies dying from SIDS. I SEE A CORRELATION!!

I haven't seen it but I really want to. YES I believe that birthing in the US is WAY over managed. I believe it's awesome that we have technology but it should only be used when there is actually a problem which is pretty rare compared to the rate that they use interventions.

I believe a woman should have the right to birth wherever she would like to. Pregnancy and childbirth is not an illness, though try telling an OB that. :)

india is the most increased birthing place in thsi world, and they are not advised properly on family planing, but the second place of all is US

I havent seen the video, but I strongly beleive that birth is over-managed in hopsitals, and that faith in our bodies and the birth process should be restored.

C-section rates are sky high in hospital births, but are less than 1% in truly natural births. Home birthing is proven to be just as safe, and safer in many ways, as birthing in a hospital. But the key is that a mother gives birth in the place that she feels most safe.

There should be more education about birthing options, as well as the untold consequences of the various medical interventions used in hospitals. What it all boils down to is MONEY. Hospitals dont care about providing a safe and peaceful manner to give birth. If they pump a mom full of drugs, then she is more likely to need medical interventions, and that just means more money for them. The ones who pay the price are the mothers and babies, often without knowing it. Instead, the praises of the "lifesaving" procedures is all they hear. What they ARENT told, is that with proper preparation for natural childbirth, those procedures would never have been needed in the first place.

I gave birth to my first daughter in a hospital, and it was truly traumatic. I've since done a lot of research, and come across information that I am shocked isnt common knowledge. I feel there are many things we have the right to know, but instead have to go digging for. Science also now knows that the birth experience lives in a persons sub-concious mind for life, and can have a great impact on them. Therefore, our babies deserve to be brought peacefully into this world whenever possible. But our society instead thrives on fear-mongering and money. Its sad, and I only hope that more women will take the initiative to educate themselves on this subject, and make their choices based on what is best for them and their baby in the long run, and not based on their fear of the temporary pain in labor.

Pregnancy and labor should not be treated as life-threatening processes unless that is TRULY the case.

There is a REASON that the US has one of the highest infant mortality rates among industrialized countries. I also beleive that birth trauma and drugged up babies and mamas have a lot to do with high rates of breastfeeding failure. And secondary infertility is RAMPANT in the US due to pitocin-induced births. Do they TELL moms that having all those hormones pumped into their bodies can hurt their future fertility? Of course not! Sad sad sad.

Is there a place online where I can watch this video, or is it something you have to purchase? I am really interested now :)

I have not seen it, but while I was pregnant I watched a lot of pregnancy and birth programme on Sky TV - other than one programme featuring a midwife lead birthing centre every birth shown in the US seemed over controlled, with nearly every woman having an epidural. Of the few that did not the majority wanted to but were too far progressed. I cannot recall a single American birth where the woman used Gas and Air (Entonox) or TENS unit. And it seemed almost every other birth was involved induction or c-section. I had the impression that American women are lead to believe that they cannot cope without an epidural, and that the medical profession are so scared of being sued that the interfere too quickly instead of leaving well alone.

I'm in the UK and of a group of nearly 20 women in my ante-natal class, 2 had non elective c-sections, 1 an emergency c-section, 2 had intervention - for foreceps/vontous and I had an induction. All the rest had natural deliveries.

Yes, I contributed to its showing in my city. I already had these ideas formulated simply by the reading I have done and the group I associate with. I believe that women have given themselves over to doctors because our society has coerced them into it. I have had a hospital birth, a birth center birth, a homebirth, and am planning another homebirth this spring. I do not consider myself selfish, uneducated, or careless. Rather, I have done a considerable amount of research which has lead me to the decision to homebirth. All of my pregnancies have been low-risk. I take good care of myself, and pay attention to my diet and stress-level even more during pregnancy. I surround myself with supportive people who, while they may not support my homebirth approach, support my ability to make up my own mind and execute my decisions with care and planning. I have entered a network of highly educated women that I can turn to for birthing advice and support when I need it, and offer the same to them if it is requested. It is women's responsibility to educate themselves and make their own decisions, not their doctors'. I hope the documentary has opened some eyes to the over-management of such a sacred event.

I already had those beliefs so the article wasn't really news to me. Yes, I have seen it.

I have not yet seen this (however I have heard of it, and have been following Riki Lake's interviews regarding this movie).

And I already believed that birthing culture in the United States is on the border of exploiting women and their babies, if not already crossed the line.

I do support women's rights to birth where and how they choose, as "we" want to do what is BEST for our babies, not what is more convenient for our OB/GYNs or what is more socially acceptable to our families.

I have not seen it but I do not support home births. These women know there is always a possibility of something going wrong and they still take the chance. It is wrong. If something went wrong it would take an ambulance alot longer to reach that baby than if the baby was at the hospital. And the mothers don't care. Someone came on here and said that they didn't want to be in a hospital or have a midwife because she didn't want people around that she didn't know. How utterly ridiculous. These women need to start putting their babies before themselves. Imagine the lives these poor little babies are going to have with these selfish women. Sad.