The Business of Being Confusing

Recently I got around to watching a film I had been interested in viewing for quite some time now: The Business of Being Born. It is a documentary about how we deliver babies in America. Now, I didn’t know exactly what I was getting into when I pressed play…honestly I just love babies and love learning about pregnancy/labor/newborns/etc. I learned that the film was made by Ricki Lake and it showcases her feelings and experiences with her 2 childbirths. 1 in the hospital with a OB and 1 at home with a midwife.

About 15mins in, I started to feel myself tense up. I felt like this movie wasn’t comparing and contrasting the different methods of giving birth, instead it was proclaiming the “right” way and the “wrong” way.

RIGHT                                                                                                   WRONG

-Having babies at home                                                            -Having babies in a hospital

-All natural, no epidural/pitocin                                                 -Inducing labor & having an epidural

-Squatting, standing, all fours, ANYTHING                              -Laying flat on your back

  But laying flat on your back

-Having a midwife and a doula                                                  -Having a OBGYN

Now looking at this list, which column do you relate to more? I fall exactly into the “wrong” column…which, as you can imagine, makes me a little defensive and confrontational. I think what makes it worse is the undertone of “if you were educated more on childbirth, you would do things our way.”

*Ahem* Well, Ricki…I don’t agree with you.

You all claim throughout the movie that it is a personal choice, a memorable time, and a time where mom is in charge…yet you CONSTANTLY contradict yourselves during the film! You say that America is the only country where it is “normal” to have babies in hospitals (remember, that falls in the “wrong” column). You say that most all other countries use midwives instead. Germany, France, England, Russia, Italy, etc. You also say that America has the highest newborn death-rate (of an established country) in the world. I can’t believe that. You say that women should NOT have an OBGYN deliver babies because they don’t really know what they are doing…”they’re doctors, trained surgeons and all they will do is pump you full of drugs and then push you to have a c-section.” (grumble)

I don’t know about every woman’s experience, but out of all the women I have talked to, no one was pushed to do ANYTHING they didn’t want; and my Dr. knows how deliver babies, thank you. She has been delivering babies for decades! She even predicted what my body would do and how much my baby would weigh…down to the ounce. She was exactly correct on everything. Oh…did I mention when the movie was “proclaiming these facts” they were using all male doctors? Interesting…I still think even male doctors can deliver a baby just as well, just saying, there were very few women being interviewed. (Unless they had bad hospital experiences, of course.)

They then attacked the medication aspect. Traveling back 50 years, the started using old techniques as part of their case. They talked about, what I will admit, sounds like a terrible method of “twilight sleep” using a detrimental drug…made and produced in Germany. -Wait. I thought Germany was one of the countries we were using to promote midwives. We are forgiving ignoring the fact that they created this awful technique and yet condemning America for using it? Seems odd.

They then slammed the use of Pitocin, saying it “squeezed the baby too much.” Um…hello? The baby is about to be squeezed and pushed out of human being…it’s going to happen no matter what. Then the epidural. Yep, you guessed it, it’s evil. It effects the mom’s ability to anything at all…apparently. And laying on your back? That is the most “unnatural position” to give birth…and the doctors will not let you move….? That’s when the Dr.’s evil plan has really kicked into gear. Now you can’t push, can’t move, they have trapped the baby in you, and you are “forced” to follow the Dr.’s orders. They call up the OR and “make” you have a c-section…and since you are so “out-of-it” from the epidural, you consent.

*Sigh* There are so many things I have issues with. I hope you all read the previous paragraph with a heavy dose of sarcasm.

I was in a hospital. I had Pitocin. I had an epidural. I was laying on my back. Guess what? I wanted to be induced because my baby was 8lbs 8oz, with a head over 14in in circumference over a week early! If I had waited for her to come on her own, she would have most likely been over 9lbs with an even bigger head! That’s not a small issue…at all. I had an epidural. It hurt! I know Pitocin makes the pain more intense, but I planned to have pain relief early on before we even talked about induction. I broke my foot a few years ago, I took medication for that. No one wants to hurt. You can’t make me feel bad for not wanting to be in excruciating pain. I was laying on back…that’s unnatural? That seems to be the most natural position to me. Not once did I think "I want to get up and bounce around." Even if I wanted to, they would have let me. There was room for the baby to come out either way. Just barely (jk).

My Dr. never once mentioned c-section, neither did the nurses. I know not all doctors, nurses, and hospitals are the same. I am sure there are scenarios very close to their claims, but to say that ALL hospital births are the same is a flat out lie. To say ALL home births are better is an even BIGGER lie. (I have heard horror stories :\) They admit that high-risk moms should not have home births…doesn’t that seem hypocritical? With that statement they just admitted it’s good to be in a hospital! -Wait. Isn’t that where they have more complications and deaths? Didn’t you give us that “fact” earlier? Plus, how are you going to know if you are high-risk? You’d have to go to the “dreaded” OBGYN for that. *gasp!*

I was glad I was in the hospital. (if you are squeamish, sorry, skip ahead) I had trouble clotting after birth and needed medication before I lost too much blood. Even then, my blood pressure was dangerously low for a day or so after until my body could produce more blood. I was faint every time I got up from bed…they had to monitor me before letting me go home. Lorelai needed some oxygen to help her little body get into an effective rhythm of breathing. She was observed until this was achieved (which was long, thank God). She didn’t need to go to the NICU or anything, but if she did…it was there for her. I also needed an antibiotic in my IV before birth because I am a carrier for strep B and, if contracted to my baby during birth, she could have developed SERIOUS complications. I learned this by going to my OB and getting tested for it...otherwise I would have never known I carried this potentially fatal bacteria (to baby only).

After all said and done…Ricki Lake herself ended up having her home-birth baby laying on her back after her midwife forcefully told her she wasn't going to take her to the hospital. Contradict yourself much Ricki? I think this whole film got confused on their own message.

I didn't mean to rant too much, I just felt like the documentary was telling me I was stupid and wrong for choosing the things I chose. If you say it is a personal decision, then back off. If you want a midwife, go for it. If you want an OB, go right ahead. If you want any combination of the two, more power to you. It is a personal decision; do not push your own feelings on others. To all my pregnant friends and relatives out there: do your research and choose the best path for you! There is no “wrong” way…just the one that is right for you!

M.LEWIS 

P.S.- Sorry for all the quotations, italics, and parentheses. ;)