Have You Seen "The Business of Being Born?"

I saw it and I loved it.

There are more germs in a hosp. that in a home AND the germs in the home have already been around that mother since the moment she got preg.
Giving birth is something natural but hosp. and the caregivers have made it a sickness and something to be scared about.

I gave birth to my first in a hosp. I didn't know better so I thought I had a good birth. I got there 2 cm dilated and received the usual epidural and the routine episiotomy. I work in a hosp. now and would never set foot in one to birth unless it was a true life & death situation.

I gave birth to my 2nd at home and I couldn't have asked for a better experience. I had several of my friends acting as doulas and it was great. My 6 yr. old son at the time was able to witness when his brother entered the world and I think that makes him love him even more and understand more how he came here.

You can read my birth story here.

http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&am...

You can see the pics here.

http://picasaweb.google.com/Y..sosa/MatthewSBirth

Edited to add that a cord around the neck is not a life threating situation.
Like someone said, Midwives are trained to recognize when something is wrong versus doctors who are trained to look at machines.

I encourage you to read The Women's Guide to a better birth by Henci Goer and Ina May's Guide to Childbirth by Ina May Gaskin. Very educating and inspirational.

Edited again: I can't believe Janet, you think God laughs at your plans, how sad. God wants the best for us and he loves to fullfill our wishes. Sometimes he can't but he tries all the time.
Another thing, what makes you think us crazy women don't want a healthy baby at the end? That's why we do all of this. Epidurals carry risk to baby. Been induced is a risk to the baby. Been born by c/s is a risk to the baby. Been born in a hosp. w/ someone weird diseases, viruses and bacteria around is another risk.
Oh and if you didn't read it in my birth story, God was 100% present at my birth. I praised him, I prayed and he fullfilled my wishes.

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I haven't seen the movie but can tell you from my experience that I had all three of my children (ages 6, 2, 1) in a maternity center and birthed them in water. The whole process was very natural and the midwives are awesome and very supportive. You have the freedom to birth however you feel comfortable (laying down, squatting, in water, standing up or whatever), you are never strapped down to a bed and pain medication is not an option. They coach you through the contractions and help you to breathe and get through it. I wouldn't do it any other way! My husband and I are thinking of going for baby #4 and I'd like to try home birth this time around, I would definitely recommend this route to you. If you have any questions please feel free to email me, ____@____.com.

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Hi M.,
You have hit a nerve with me. Birthing in this county has been moving away from "natural" for a long time and getting worse. Being born is a business. I resorted to giving birth at home for my last 3 babies with a midwife and it was so stress free. Our bodies do know how to give birth without intervention. The true emergency rates during labor should only be 3-5 % which result in cesarean. It should not be 40%.
There are organizations promoting improvement in childbirth outcomes. Visit www.motherfriendly.org (CIMS Coalition for Improving Maternity Services). Best wishes. A.

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I want to see the flim. Is it out on DVD yet? I know they kept pushing the release date back.

I had both my sons in a hospital. But if/when we have a 3rd I already know I will be going to Miami Maternity Center (miamibirth.com).

With my 1st I was induced and was in the hosptial for 3 days before my son was born.

With my 2nd they tried to push an induction on me I told the dr. No. I also wanted to deliever @ one hospital and the Dr. bad mouth said hospital (he belonged to 2) I went 3 days over due. I noticed I did not feel my son after meals so they told me to go to the hospital the dr had been pushing on me for a S/G since I was "over due anyways". I went to the hospital that I wanted since day one turns out I was leaking or my water broke and I did not know (the s/g showed he has no fluid). Which ended up in an induction anyways. When the nurses called the Dr. He told the nurses to tell me to go to the other hospital. When I said NO. He said "Fine but let her know if there is any distress it will be an automatic section"

I was beyond upset. But my son came on his own @ 3:32am. and guess who they had to call out of his bed to come deliver. He was in the room 10 mins the most and walked out and did not say one word to me.

When I went back to for my 6 week check up I ran into another mother who was @ the other hospital and she said there were 5 mothers over there and 4 of them including her had c-sections. The mother who did not have the section had her baby early in the day. The mother that I spoke to said that she got there @ 8 am to be induced and by 3pm she was informed she is in line for a section and by 6 pm she was in the OR.

That right there let me know that I had been lied too since day one ( I told them No inductions and they said they had a very low c-section rate, they let mothers go when they are ready)

Another thing I wanted to mention was when I told him I was breastfeeding he said "that will not last" Then when he asked me what birth control I wanted I said "I have not found anything that will not affect my supply" His smart ass remark was "Well I guess I will see you in 3 months". I did not get my period back till my son was 8 months old and he will be 1 in less than 2 weeks and is still nursing.

Wow sorry that got long. I did not realize I was still upset over my son's birth.

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I haven't seen it but my experience is this. I had anatural the first time and when my daughter was born her clavicle bone got broke. I wanted to have a natural again but thwey told me the baby could be bigger and that was too risky that that might happen again and be even worse. I had a c-section and then another since they told me the same. i want another child but I hate having c-sections. What do you think? Would it be too dangerous now this late in my years after having to c-sections over the last 2 1/2 years? I guess I still have wishful thinking, right?

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I have not seen the movie although I really want to. I had an unmedicated home birth using hypnobirth techniques. The labor and birth itelf went well. I wouldn't change a thing about it as the birth itself was a very postive experience. I went to the hospital afterward to get stitched because I tore while pushing. I had absolutely no complications and my baby was fine. But the hospital pretty much kidnapped her for 3 days and treated my family horribly. They were not helpful with breastfeeding. When I had to leave her overnight and go home to pump (no one pointed out the pumping room to me or helped me pump there so I could leave my milk), they gave her formula, even though they knew I was returning with pumped milk. For an inexperienced mom who was struggling to get a breastfeeding relationship started, that was very discouraging. Despite the rocky start, I persevered and nursed my daughter a little over 2 years.

I am pregnant again and planning on a delivering at a birth center. I would personally never ever give birth at a hospital if I could help it (if I have complications this time around which make me a poor candidate for the birth center, obviously I would have no choice). That doesn't mean I think it's the wrong choice for women who do deliver at hospitals. I think women should be empowered to give birth in the way that is most comfortable to them. If that means being surrounded by medical staff and getting an epidural, then so be it. Birth experiences are relative and I don't have to birth your baby. I have a friend whose first priority after getting her water broken was to get her epidural. She was also given an episiotomy. The thought of all those things for myself makes me cringe, but for her, she had a good birth experience and that's all that matters. I hate the mentality that if you're not giving birth in a hospital then you're endangering your child's life. That's just so not true.

While not impossible, I do think it is very difficult to have a good natural childbirth experience in a hospital setting. Hospital staff are just not used to seeing it and tend to think in worst possible scenario outcomes. They don't view birth as the natural process it is most of the time. It is hard to avoid things dictated by hospital protocols (like not eating/drinking, not getting an iv, being restricted to the bed, delivering in the position most comfortable for mom, etc) unless you are assertive about what you want. Who can feel comfortable giving birth when you have to be vigilant about hospital staff honoring your requests? When, like a certain poster here, you see all the worst case scenarios or the women having home births who have to be transferred for medical attention and you don't see a lot of natural childbirths or the many women who have uneventful birth center and home births, it's understandable how one's perception would be skewed toward thinking giving birth is a dangerous process.

Henci Goers book, "The Art of the Thinking Woman" is an excellent book. There are statistics that show there are no worse outcomes for home births than there are for hospital births. There are also statistics that show how having certain interventions can lead to more interventions. Usually, the women who opt to birth at home or at birth centers or make "crazy demands" at the hospital are the ones who have put in a lot of time and research to get themselves educated so they can make informed decisions about the birth of their babies. They are not trying to put their babies at risk. And obviously, there is a time and a place for interventions. I think the original poster's intent was to find out if people liked their birth experience, not to start a debate about the right way/place to give birth. Like I said before, that's an individual thing.

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I haven't seen it yet, but can't wait to. Ricki Lake is co-sponsoring reopening a birth center in NYC and the article is featured in Mothering Magazine this month.
I don't understand Gloria's response except ignorance. After a little research (it doesn't take much), one would not have a difficult decision in choosing a home birth. If something arises, the hospital is down the road and a moment away. A responsible midwife would never let the birth progress further than necessary and since she is always present, she would know when that is. Giving birth is a natural thing, unlike getting a tooth pulled or surgery. Doctors are necessary for cesarean sections which there is a time and place for in some cases.

I would suggest taking a Natural Childbirth Class like the Bradley Method (one evening a week for ten weeks) and reading the book during your next pregnancy. I used A Loving Start for my home birth, but they also do birth center births with Dr. DiGiacomo (who is listed and reviewed in the business section of this website). I get so excited when I hear that women want to try to do what is best for their child by at least trying to go naturally and then enabling themselves in all manners to achieve it.(Kind of at a disadvantage if you haven't educated yourself, are lying on your back on a table, and not using a private doula. An unsupportive and ignorant husband doesn't help, either). The stats are all the proof you need. At least now a days, you have a choice and lots of good people to help you with your decision. I birthed at home in Seattle and twice here. I wouldn't have done it any other way. I knew that this was what I was supposed to do and am proud of my decisions and results. Sure I had insurmountable pain, but comparable to my period and it always went away after a minute or two. The cord was wrapped around her neck and I was the one who unwrapped it in the water before I knew it even happened. I was told it was a mother's instinct and quite normal. My second and third were very different from the first in the way of totally less pain, but also the fact that they were sooooo fast! Nature will take its course if you let it mentally and physically. If it doesn't, there are hospitals! Best of luck in the future.

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hi i have not seen it yet, waiting for it from netflix. i had my son in a hospital even though i knew i was going to go natural because it was my first and didn't know what to expect. it was NOT the place to do it naturally. apparently they are not trained to know how to aid a non-medicated birthing mother except to tell her to take the drugs, but i did achieve a horrendous natural birth despite their efforts to drug me. i will NOT be having another in a hospital unless there is a real reason to. it's home or birth center for me next time. read "how to raise a healthy child in spite of your dr" by Dr. mendelsohn. it was given to me by my doctor.
2 of my close friends gave birth at home this year and 3 at the birth center in the last 8 months. i can pass along their info if you want to speak with them personally. they can't stop talking about their wonderful birth experiences, and i can't bear thinking about mine. we all have the right to choose what is best for our family, nobody has the right to tell you what is the better way or should do. if hospital injuries were as publically documented, hospital births would be the exception, reserved for high risk births, not the norm.

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I have not seen it yet. And I want to. I have a unique birth experience. I gave birth at home with my man completely unassisted. The plan was to have a midwifery team from the most awesome birth center on the planet, the Hollywood Birth Center, assisting and on the day, my labor was SHORT and they were in rush hour traffic. My midwife, Debbie, was on the phone with my man the whole time, though, and I credit the Birth Center and our Doula, Lori, from Amazing Births (Also on the phone)for preparing us so well for our home birth that we were not the least bit apprehensive. Everyone arrived about 20 minutes after she was born. She was already on the breast and there I sat out of the hot tub with a spaghetti pot on my lap containing my placenta.

Trevor and I decided that if we do it again, we wouldn't change a thing. We'd have everyone over and let them relax in the living room while we birth privately. Also, "they" say to add an hour to your labor for every unnecessary person in the room. I think that's true. Think of a cat having kittens, if it feels threatened it will stop laboring and move to a safe spot to finish. Humans are just bigger animals.

I am also writing a book about birth experiences. If anyone would like to submit a.) your birth story and b.)what your ideal birth would be I would love to include you in my book. E-mail ____@____.com.

Thanks,
V.

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