The Business of Being Born

For all who are unfamiliar: "The Business of Being Born" is a film documentary directed by eh, Ricki Lake who chronicles the choices and frustrations women encounter when choosing a home birth, specifically in the hustle and bustle of the big apple. While at first I turned away from this movie simply because it was directed by Lake (I shouldn't judge, but I kept thinking of her as the annoying host on her even MORE annoying talk show in the early 90s) I decided to give it a shot after hearing a positive review from my doula friend, Sara. 

Well, as all movie reviews go, there were the obvious highs and lows.  On the low side, I didn't particularly favor the way hospital births were portrayed.  While I do realize the main point of the movie was to show how birth is normal and therefore, should normally occur in a comfortable, peaceful space...sadly, not everyone has that luxury.  Lake kept panning to a dreary hospital hallway, using lighting effects to make it look like a horror film.  Any woman, pregnant and watching this, AND living in Chicago would probably be begging her family to relocate to oregon, california...basically anywhere with more options. Ok, ok....maybe I'm more biased because I live in a city that has limited options.  While nurse-midwives do exist here in Chicago, home-births are far and few-between.  Insurance is another issue which I won't even get into here, but you can imagine.  Those who desire a natural birth, can still have one in the hospital without the big bad man shoving pitocin in their IVs without their knowledge.  I have a friend to prove it, as she successfully had a natural birth in a nearby hospital last year. 

Ok, beyond my one rant, this film was very significant to me.  Watching the few couples in the film actually give birth... amazing.  Also seeing the primary midwife in the film, Cara Muhlahn work her magic and remain so calm was awe-inspiring.  I would have to say the part of the film that stuck with me the most were the intermitent comments made by Dr. Michael Odent.  I have never heard of him until watching this film, but now that I have, I am voracious for more information.  His comments resonated so closely with my own philosophy.  He stated in one comment that the close connection between mother and child develops moments after the baby emerges from the womb.  The woman releases this "cocktail of hormones," the main component being oxytocin, releasing feelings of love and connectedness that bring mother and child together.  This is where love is formed and secured: Real love. No hospital, no drug can recreate such a cocktail, which leads some mothers to miss out on this powerful connection by way of hospital intervention.  At the end, he leaves everyone with a question about love.  How is it formed, if not at the beginning of life?  How does this connection occur if natural oxytocin does not abound? Where is this love?

It is a question I often think about, and a question that saddens me.  Most women in the United States don't recieve the emotional support and encouragement they need to take on a natural birth. The cesarean rate is climbing as the years pass, and most women don't have the information they need to truly know their options.  

Overall, this movie did it for me.  We need to educate, inform, support!  I feel like a radical activist ready to jump on cars and wave inappropriate banners in the faces of conservatives! We need to give birth, or shall I say power, back to women. When things get too complicated, we need to go back to the basics.  We must find, support, and most importantly, create simplicity amongst all the chaos.