Shaniqua Harvey The Business of Being Born (2008) Ricki Lake and Abby Epstein (Until the Violence Stops) Rating: 7/10 "The United States has the second worst newborn death rate in the developed world" (The Business of Being Born). As a first time mother, this statistic was very frightening. I wanted to understand the reasoning and methods behind this unnerving statistic. This documentary was recommended by a peer and I was not sure what to expect of it, I thought that it would take a look at a few deliveries. But what I received from this documentary was greater than watching a normal birth. I received perspectives, answers and confirmation. Honestly, this documentary sheds light on one perspective and that is natural birthing, it does not look into other methods except to confirm the natural method. The film makers tried to compare the births that take place in a hospital setting and the ones that take place at home. The main focus was the home birth, but I honestly felt like this narrowed perspective allowed me to take the information and process it on my own. As viewers we are shown the processes of a natural birth, and then shown the processes of women who wanted natural births but for one reason or another could not. The main difference that I noted was female choice, which I believe to be the overall message of this documentary. In the hospital female choice was mostly dictated by doctor decision without understanding the rationale behind those decisions. While at home, the decisions appeared to be dictated by the mother; in fact the expectant mothers seemed to be laboring basically on their own without any mediation. Obviously in society with our new focus of going natural, there is going to be aims to support it for every aspect of life. This film supports the natural method of birthing whether at home or in a birthing center. If one is not curious or into the natural method, for a first time mother as myself it allows you to see several birth perspectives. This film can be informative from either perspective if you do not know what to expect for your first birth. It asks mothers to do something that our society usually does not do and that is to question a doctors reasoning behind some decisions. I agree with the film makers when they say that when a doctor say's I think we should do this, we automatically agree because we believe it is in our best interest. The point from this is, sometimes it may be unnecessary. Birth is a natural process in the fact that your body knows how to create, carry and eventually deliver a baby and this documentary delves into that perspective. Baby ratio is 64 born to every 1,000 women, so this is a topic that is very common and profound in our society and very relatable since everyone knows or knew someone who was pregnant at one point. The film makers use personal interviews of themselves, their patients, doctors, and experts to give us a view of the "problem" with deliveries in America. There is a span from child birthing from the 1900's to present time. One of the most appealing points in the film was the use of medicines during the birthing process and their later effects on children. With hospital staff we do see two different perspectives on home versus hospital birth, natural versus non-natural methods of birthing. Abby Epstein and Ricki Lake were both present during the entire film. Lake had an overwhelming presence on the film over Epstein. Majority of the camera shots were close-ups on the speakers at the time, or of the birthing process. Due to the one on one interviews the camera was always eye level on the speakers. The camera would also pan out, to give us a view of the room, birthing process or other speakers. The focus was deep; everything appeared clear and in focus. Some of the hospital scenes appeared to have a soft focus and that was to show the blur and rush of birthing and the birthing process in the hospital setting versus at home or at a birthing center. Editing techniques were mainly cross-cut, to quickly take us to the next scene. The film makers included archival photos and video of birthing over the course of history. Diegetic sound was used throughout the filming of this documentary. My perspective was very biased since I would like to birth naturally but in a hospital. I felt that this documentary helped me gain perspective on my voice and verbalizing my wants during delivery. I think even after watching this documentary I still want to birth in the hospital, I just feel I am more aware of my options. Now from the perspective of mothers that do not prefer natural birthing, I am not sure of the effectiveness of this documentary as a persuasive technique due to my bias. I would be interested in hearing the pros and cons from this perspective. The end of the film I found gave me the perspective due to the film maker Epstein going against the overall objective of the film and then her rationalization of her decision. This changed the perspective from the overlying message of natural home birth is best, to whatever birthing option the mom thinks is best for her!

FaIIoutGirl I am a mother of two, and I found this movie to be extremely offensive. How to give birth is a deeply personal choice. To suggest that a woman who chooses a hospital birth is ignorant, and to imply that she is less caring and loving about her child is uncalled for. Sure, some are uneducated, but in this day and age, most women diligently do their homework before entrusting theirs and their baby's lives into a doctor's hands. Both my children were born in the hospital, and every decision I made regarding their coming into this world had months of research behind it.Not everyone wants a hypothetical medal to go with their birth. What I wanted above all was a healthy baby, and I got it, twice. I was not forced to lie on my back, or to take pitocin, or to have my perineum sliced, or anything of the sort... What I did, twice, was give birth in a safe, clean environment, with my loved ones and competent medical staff who stuck by me and cared about me and my babies. And plenty of painkillers, thank you very much. I actually enjoyed giving birth. Which can't be said for my mom, who had me "naturally" and describes it as a "total nightmare". She had a normal pregnancy, yet things went wrong during labor: I had trouble breathing, and she had postpartum hemorrhage. Thankfully, even though her birth was unmedicated, she was at a hospital. Had she been at home, with no medical stuff or equipment available, we could've both ended up dead. Which only proves: giving birth is a deeply personal choice. What works for one woman may not work for another.Who are you, Ricki Lake, to decide what is best for me, and for the rest of us *dumb, weak American women* (that's how you come across, you know)? Should cancer patients just let their illness run its course without accepting the help of modern medicine, because that's what's "natural"? Don't get me wrong, by no means am I comparing having a baby to having a terminal disease, but fact is, both are medical conditions, and modern medical advances help people, not impair them. If you prefer to think that pain and uncertainty are wonderful things - by all means, this is a free country. But don't you even dare tell me that everyone should follow your lead. Don't you dare telling me that having painkillers somehow makes it less special for a woman, or worse for her kids. Every woman who gives birth still goes through 9 months of pregnancy, feels her baby kick, hears the heartbeat, and cries tears of happiness when she first sees the little one on that ultrasound screen. Every woman who gives birth wants, above all, a healthy baby. Every woman wants to remember hearing her baby cry for the first time and holding her for the first time, not the dandy little fact that she gave birth in a bathtub because she is woman, hear her roar.Films like this do more harm than good, because they use lies, cheap scare tactics, and guilt trips to get their point across. They demonize doctors and belittle women who choose hospitals, but they never - not once! - actually site statistics and facts. They don't tell you that today, most women who give birth in a hospital are free to walk, be in any position they choose, be in the tub or shower, use doulas, and basically do whatever they want, unless there is an emergency. They glorify Europe's "wonderful" system but don't tell you that its high percentage of midwife births is due to COSTS, not CHOICE. They don't give you statistics on what happens if something does go wrong with a home birth.Should women like me feel less than women and worse mothers for DARING to go the route we chose? This is certainly how this movie comes across. And it is beyond offensive for me to hear some "expert" who's never given birth (and never will, due to being a man) sit there and philosophize about how a woman who's had a C-section or pitocin, QUOTE/UNQUOTE, doesn't care about the child because she doesn't receive that cocktail of love hormones released into the body during normal birth. He even goes as far as to imply that hospital births are the reason our society is failing. Really? Boy, they sure had a great big utopia 200 years ago! Bottom line: birth is a very personal thing. Every responsible, caring woman wants what's best for her child. There's something seriously wrong with people who think birthing your baby in a tub somehow makes you a better mom. Shame on Ricky Lake & Co for making this biased, fanatical rubbish.

iamwinstonsmith1984 Like any good piece of propaganda, this movie starts by demonizing the OB/GYN profession (the enemy). The viewer is bombarded with images of early-20th century birthing practices as if they were still in use today. Having hospitals (and of course, insurance companies) set up as the "bad guy", the movie portrays the alternative (midwives) as the "natural" solution. Moreover, home delivery is portrayed as the only real choice for a woman to express her femininity and individual power.A few hand-picked critics of hospital births are chosen, who promptly spew out some convenient statistics in support of home delivery. Correlations (like infant mortality rates) are presented as causality without even discussing other potential factors. For example, the movie likes to recite the infant mortality rates in the US as being higher along with the higher rates of hospital vs. home births in other industrialized countries. However, at no time do these "experts" note factors like the relative experience levels of midwives in Europe vs. the US. Nor is a qualitative assessment provided that compares the level of care offered. Further, factors like miscarriages are not even discussed (if there are higher rates in Europe then these babies would not be reaching full term, thus diminishing infant mortality at birth), nor are other elements like obesity discussed (the US is the fattest nation of fatties in the world).One of the things that stood out to me was the frequent use of absolutes in their arguments: "There's no scientific evidence" to support hospital delivery as better than home deliver, etc. etc. Nothing even close to resembling counter-arguments were presented, making this documentary Michael Moore worthy in its biased presentation of its content.It's a shame something so delicate has been treated with such utter disregard for good science and disinterested research. The movie maker had a clear agenda and presented a completely one-sided argument. If you disagreed with home birth, you simply are a brainwashed fool ready to submit to fake doctors posing as OB/GYNs.Perhaps the most hilarious part of the movie came at the end, as the filmmaker went into labor one month early with a 3.5 lb baby who was in the breached position, umbilical cord wrapped tightly around its neck, as her water broke in a taxi cab as she was rushed to the ER. In spite of this, the filmmaker mused a month later "I think I would have been OK at home." Wow.

livecompassion This film is full of life: humor, elation, disappointment, and the full range of emotions that the birthing experience provides. It is inspirational to women and partners and allows them to view different births including the preparation. These hip, smart and endearing city women and partners allow the viewers to share an important time of their life. Giving women more choice in their ideal birthing experience spares them from being surprised by the reality of hospital births. The lack of support in the United States for birthing families is surprising. This film is supportive, courageous and dares to challenge ignorance in the delivery room.