| The Business of Being Born | 
| Director: Abby Epstein
Actors: Julia Barnett Tracy, Louann Brizendine, Michael Brodman, Patricia Burkhardt, Tina Cassidy
Studio: New Line Home Video
Category: DVD
List Price: $19.98
Buy New: $7.96
as of 9/3/2010 16:18 MDT details
You Save: $12.02 (60%)
New (26) Used (15) from $7.85
Seller: inetvideo
Rating:  126 reviews
Sales Rank: 1,461
Format: Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, Widescreen, NTSC
Languages: English (Original Language), Spanish (Dubbed)
Rating: Unrated
Region: 1
Discs: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
Running Time: 87 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.3 x 0.6
MPN: 794043120787
UPC: 794043120787
EAN: 0794043120787
ASIN: B0013LL2XY
Theatrical Release Date: 2008
Release Date: May 6, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Explores the process of childbirth in America and the options open to expectant mothers, from hospital deliveries to private deliveries at home.
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:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 25
 I wish more women watched this movie September 3, 2010
S. Tate (WA)
The film does a good job explaining how birth has become a medicalized event, and our culture is so brainwashed into thinking it is some sort of emergency that doctors have to save us from. It doesn't even occur to most people that you could have a homebirth. It explains how interventions can lead to more complications and a higher c-section rate, and the fact that doctors are pushing for c-sections now for convenience and monetary reasons, or to rush the birth. In short, the medical industry has stolen birth from women.
Midwives are presented as a better option for women having normal births, since women in most other countries use midwives and have better outcomes. OB/GYN's are presented as what they truly are- a doctor that is trained to help women that are having complications and perform surgery in an emergency.
The only thing I was disappointed about in the film was the ending. Abby planned on having a homebirth, but went into labor prematurely, and the baby was breech. I understand the need for her to have the baby in the hospital because of this, but what I don't understand is why they immediately do a c-section. The baby being premature and the baby being breech are both not necessarily reasons to have a c-section. The film is almost protraying that which they were just speaking out against- the fact that doctors push c-sections nowadays for almost anything. The whole thing seemed kind of fishy, like they wanted the c-section to happen in the end so they could say "See, we believe c-sections are good when necessary!" because they needed something to show everyone that hospitals are ok in some cases.
made me think September 2, 2010
queenluvtarget (Flint, MI, USA)
Liked it made me think about the whole birthing process a little more with my 3rd baby even though i didn't go "natural". it helped alot with decisions I made this time around.
 This is a "Must" watch film August 22, 2010
Donna Ketcheson
I bought this film to show in my Maternal Child Nursing Class to show the students a new paradigm for the OB world. As a nurse midwife, this film is particularly relevant to today's insurance woes world and fragmented healthcare situation. It is well done and factual.
 Has some good, but lots of bad August 19, 2010
K. Asper (Ogden, UT)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I watched "The Business of Being Born" with an open mind, but there were some serious problems with how the argument was justified. The documentary is very biased (but most documentaries are), and incorrect or anecdotal information were given as fact. I felt like they shared the worse case scenarios in almost every case, and tried to portray the way individual doctors handle births as the absolute way all doctors handle births. They did the same thing with hospitals.
It was said, "in the hospital you're not allowed to have very long births." This may be the case in select hospitals, but for the most part it's false. In fact, just two weeks ago my wife asked the doctor and his staff to slow the process down so that my daughter's birthday would be the following day. Everyone complied with her wishes. This documentary would lead you to believe that those sorts of requests are impossibilities.
It was said, "one intervention leads to a series of interventions." Again, this may be true in some cases, but I asked my wife her opinion of this and she listed at least five of her friends, including herself, who were administered pitocin and still delivered vaginally. In fact, she didn't know of any girls who had ended up with ceserean sections after pitocin. So, I think that claim may be purely anecdotal.
The use of a midwife is promoted in this documentary, which I don't have a problem with, but it should be emphasized that midwives themselves do not recommend home deliveries unless it is a low risk birth (i.e., not a multiple birth, not the first birth, no preeclampsia, no gestational diabetes, no blood clotting issues, no obesity, etc.). In such cases, midwives can match the infant mortality rates of births in hospitals. They are not better, but they are equal. As a side note, I found it interesting that midwives come into a birth prepared with surgical equipment and even pitocin, the very things that this documentary shuns. As far as surgical procedures go, I believe most women would prefer an OB over a midwife. Moreover, guess what happens when the baby's heart stops or the mother hemorrhages - an ambulance is called and doctors take over the emergency.
It was said "OBs are surgeons and should be doing surgeries all day every day because they should not be doing normal births because they are not trained in it. They should not be doing it." This is false and absurd.
The statistic was given that "in 1900 95% of births took place at home... in 1955 1% took place at home... it is the same today" I'm not sure what they were trying to prove by this stat, but in 1900 the infant mortality rate was 150 in 1000 births! In 1955 it was less than 20 in 1000 births. Today it is 6.2 in 1000 births in the United States, but it should be pointed out that in Mississippi (the most obese state) it is 10.7 in 1000 births and in Utah it is 4.9 in 1000 births. Also, among African Americans the number is 13.6 in 1000 births.
It was said that women's health has nothing to do with infant mortality. This is false. Differences in ethnicity and women's health in the United States versus that of other developed countries is at least partially responsible for mortality numbers. Two huge risk factors for infant mortality, teenage pregnancy and obesity, staggeringly higher in the United States than in any other country. Both of these risk factors have increased risk of infant mortality, especially teenage. Lists of infant mortality by country mimic lists of obesity and teenage pregnancy by country. Of course, there are certainly more factors involved than just these two issues.
It was said, "We spend twice as much in this country per birth than any other country in the world. This is one of the very rare instances where cheaper is truly better." This comment is misleading. Medical costs are high in the United States because expensive equipment and technologies are used. This is certainly a problem that needs to be corrected, but the equipment and technologies are beneficial. Quality of care is only partially responsible for infant mortality. If women in the United States were to take better care of themselves they would be better prepared for labor and delivery, the outcomes would be better, and infant mortality in the United States would be similar to Singapore, Sweden, or Japan, in my opinion.
All these things being said, the movie did offer some good information and interesting insights into possible ways to make birth safer and a better experience for mother and baby. Although loads of incorrect and misleading information was given, there were some truths intermingled, and there were lots of good things to take away from the documentary as well. The main thing I took from it was that mothers need to be given more control of their births, and I believe that is the trend taking place in hospitals today.
MUST SEE!!! GREAT DOCUMENTARY!!! August 19, 2010
all_natural_1st_timer
As a first time mother and full advocate of the FULL NATURAL birthing experience I consider this documentary very usefull for those women who are really interested in knowing the truth behind what the real birthing experience should be. It portrays a little of everything from the view of obstetricians to those of midwifes ane doulas. Also shows C-section experiences and really puts what we have learned from TV shows and Popular rumors that are used to telling us how we should have our babies. It gives women in general a good resource that will show us how to make birthing an empowering experience instead of one where we are told what to do or how to do it. It clears up myths like: natural birth is something some women can do, you can't get out of bed while in labor, and that a hospital birth is the best place among many others. A must see for teens and women of all ages!!!
Showing reviews 1-5 of 25
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