The business of being born

[anita665]

It's a US documentary https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMX3ahiOT3o - who has seen it and what did you think?

Personally as I'm British I found it quite shocking. In the UK I guess we are heading more that way and women automatically assume that hospital is the only sensible place to give birth but this takes it to a whole new level.

I watched it because I hoped that it would get me to put my own fears aside when it comes to planning a home birth. I guess it kind of did. I don't really know.

 

[treschic81]

I thought it was very good, but I don't think the hospital has to be a bad place to give birth. What I got out of it was that all the interventions that happen A LOT in the US have become the norm instead the exception. I think you can have a natural unmediated birth in a hospital if you have a doc or midwife that is supportive. The state I live in makes it VERY difficult to have a home birth, so it's not really an option for me, but I think it's all about having the right perspective.

 

[NaturalMomma]

I watched it after having my first son in the hopsital in the US. It sucked. Interventions are not only the norm, but hospital policy now. It is very difficult to have a unmedicated and/or natural birth in a hospital because most providers do not support that nor are they even with you until the end. In my experience the hospital is set up for you to fail.

 

[MindUtopia]

Yep, I thought it was great. I always sorta assumed I would have a home birth (literally, since I was a teenager), but seeing that a few years ago, plus having friends whose births (natural/home births and highly medicated births/c-sections) echoed a lot of what was presented in the film really helped to seal the deal for me. I grew up in the U.S. and much of my work still involves health services and health policy research in the U.S. but I'm so thankful to live here in the UK now. As much as people complain about the NHS, we have it really good here and natural birth is supported in a much different way that it is in the U.S. And it's affordable. I couldn't afford to hire a private home birth midwife in the U.S.

 

[Shadowy Lady]

I thought it was very good, but I don't think the hospital has to be a bad place to give birth. What I got out of it was that all the interventions that happen A LOT in the US have become the norm instead the exception. I think you can have a natural unmediated birth in a hospital if you have a doc or midwife that is supportive. The state I live in makes it VERY difficult to have a home birth, so it's not really an option for me, but I think it's all about having the right perspective.

I agree with this. I watched the documentary and found it very helpful. I'm still giving birth in the hospital though as for me that feels safest. I have a very supportive midwife and the hospital I'm going to is used to midwife directed natural births so I feel good about it

 

[solitaire89]

I have just watched the first 2 mins - literally. I feel sorry that a seeming majority of people think of birth as something a doctor must attend... will reserve full judgement until I've watched the whole thing.

Apart from to add - have hit 7 mins. "And bring the machine that goes 'ping'." Is a little too close to home for my liking...

 

[ttc bubby no2]

I think it is great and I made my mum & sister watch it before my homebirth so they understood why I was choosing that option as it isn't that common in Australia. Mum was really worried about much choice before but after watching it she could see why I wanted one.

I first watched it when I was pregnant with my first child who I birthed in hospital but it still helped me understand the whole cascade of intervention thing which unfortunately many women don't know about.

 

[Katy Bug]

Yes, I watched it as well and it totally turned my perspective around on labor and birthing. It was an eye opener because, being a US girl myself, a lot of US first time moms have this idea that you go to the hospital, go through pain, are given an epidural and that's it. You hear a lot of stories about how it hurts like hell but you never hear people talk about their actual experience. When I was watching the doc, I was amazed at how those women made labor out to be something they WANTED to experience, something they wanted to be a part of because it is natural. You always get the bad, dirty side of labor and birth, but rarely get the side you see in the documentary, which now is why I'm not really afraid to go through labor (birth is still a bit scary). But so many women here are scared (and who can blame them?) of labor and birth because they're fed all this stuff about it being a horrible experience. I believe it's only horrible if you make it horrible (or you have really pressing doctors).

This documentary helped me because beforehand I had the idea of "hospital, epidural, laying in bed, having baby laying down". But now, having watched this and doing numerous research, I have decided to try and have an all natural birth and have my baby in a position where gravity will help and one that is comfortable. If you read the books and studies online, you'll see that laying down is the worst position to be in during birth. But now, after researching and watching birth videos, I've kind of lowered the shock factor and have an idea of what to expect when it comes to interventions. I'm still having a hospital birth but it's at a small hospital but when it comes to interventions and what position I want to be in, I've learned a lot. The doc also helped me to understand that labor and birth can be a beautiful thing and not just a horrible experience. I now want to be able to pull my own baby out and let him lay on me if all is well before clean up. I don't like the whole "pull the baby away, wipe him clean, bundle him up, and give him to mom to look at for 5 seconds" routine. My mom told me that is the one that that ticked her off when she was in the delivery room with my big sis. They took my nephew away right then and she didn't even see him for like a minute later. No reason, he was fine, good set of lungs. My mom basically got to see him before my sis. I don't want that.

The frozen frame in the video above is one of my favorite parts of that documentary, because you could tell the mom knew exactly what position she wanted to have her baby in and when it happened she was so happy and just bursting with love and energy and smiles and holding her baby afterward in her arms. What an awesome experience. That is what birth should be like, not all this laying down in bed and expecting the worst.

 

[amjon]

I've seen it before. I ended up with a hospital birth for my daughter (induced because she had died). The meds they gave me to induce me didn't bother me that much (though they weren't able to stress out the baby as she was already gone ). When I delivered it ended up being much faster than they expected- at the end at least (4 days to get to 2cm, then 2cm to delivery in about 2 hours). They didn't have time to do some of their normal hospital things. I was on the bed, but they didn't put my feet up. I honestly don't think I could have pushed her out in that position. They gave her to me right after birth, but they wanted to take her to clean her up before they gave her back again. They automatically gave me pitocin after birth, but my chart said I had less than 500ml of bleeding, so really shouldn't have received it. It didn't cause any issues for me though. I'll have to go to the hospital again next time, but I'll be a difficult patient. My doctor seems to prefer natural though (at least he did for my MC, so I'm hoping he'll be the same for labor). I was offered an epidural numerous times last time even though I told them I wouldn't even consider it an option.

 

[Katy Bug]

So sorry for your loss, amjon. I cannot even imagine..it makes me so sad to hear when those situations happen You seem to be handling it well, I don't know if I could be that strong. I wish you good luck in the future

 

[YikesBaby]

I love this documentary. I am in Canada and we don't have a lot of midwives here... it's not as extreme as the US, but close. They are trying to change the way people think, but it's tough. When I mention a home birth my friends look at me like I am nuts.

Our MWs are provided free of charge and mine has rights in a hospital but prefers home births. After watching this I was absolutely positive that I wanted a natural birth at home without intervention.

If I order a well-done steak and it comes rare... I suck it up and don't say anything. And that's when I feel great. With all of the intense emotions of labour I am afraid I will be easily coerced into interventions I don't want... so I am setting myself up for success.

The part that really struck home for me is when they speak of the "orgasm of birth" when the massive flood of endorphins is released during labour, creating that natural bonding/protecting instinct. I want that. Moms should have that. Postpartum depression has been linked to epidurals and massive interventions... because those connections aren't instantly formed.

This is a great film to watch. It also shows that sometimes your birth plan can be all screwed up... and everything will still be okay.

 

[angel2010]

I watched it and recommend it highly to anyone that mentions birth to me. My birth was exactly the kind they talk about in the movie, induction leading to c-section. The disappointment I felt about my first birth coupled with this documentary have only solidified my wishes for a home water birth.

 

[anita665]

So sorry for your loss Amjon. I can't even begin to imagine what you have been through.

I guess what really shocks me is that soooo many women have some kind on intervention and are lead to believe that they really need it. That without it they won't cope or something will happen to their baby. If this is the case then go back 100 years and childbirth seems to be something which will almost certainly go wrong. That most of the time there would have been a bad outcome... but we know this isn't the case.