Saturday, April 26, 2008

The Business of Being born

There is a new documentary that will be available in May called "The Business of Being Born". The executive producer is Ricci Lake. You can rent it now through Netflix (I did a trial membership then cancelled it).

Anyone who is considering natural childbirth, is studying the effects of commonly-used interventions in American, is mourning a birth-gone-wrong and needs answers, wants to know more about the difference between OBs and midwives or is just a birth junkie like me would love it.

It is full of eye-opening info. For example. In other developed countries like Japan and Sweden (etc, etc, etc) midwives deliver 70+% of all babies born. In the US (and we stand alone in this!) midwives deliver less than 10%. Consequently, we have the WORST infant and mother mortality rate in the the 7 developed countries with similar birth rates. This is disturbing.

OBs are highly-trained surgeons. They are trained to diagnose and treat problems. But 98% of pregnancies are completely normal and natural events if left alone - so why do some hospitals have csection rates near 50%?! Something doesnt add up. Our interventions are causing the problems, OBs then come and "save the day" and now most American women believe their bodies are defective and they need a Dr to help them deliver.

Ill stop there ;) OBs and csections are great blessings when medically necessary - the problems is that they are rarely, rarely necessary.

So. If you are intersted - check out "The Business of Being Born" :)

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Great movie! We were finally able to get it from blockbuster online this week. I love the actual births shown in this video, of women squating and pushing their babies out. That, to me, is how the majority of babies should be born, it's just natural. I wish they could show something like that in high school health classes because you know that hospital birth classes sure as %#@W#% won't show it!