During week 10 on Thursday, March 24th, we will watch the documentary The Business of Being Born. Here is a Prezi on the topic.
Once you have watched the movie in class, post blog # 10 by Friday, March 25th by midnight. Include information to an information site pertaining to the birthing industries, natural birth, c-section info, and other related material. We will discuss your links and these topics during week 11, on Thursday, March 31, combining this topic with that of assisted reproduction.
Sociology of the Family 
In the movie “The Business of Being Born”, it is explained that the United States medical field has made women believe that they cannot handle their own birth, and therefore the health care field has taken it over. This means that many women are not having natural births, but instead are having unneeded interventions while at the hospital, and are having their labor induced and unneeded C-sections to have “designer births.”
The United States also has the second highest infant mortality in a developed country, which has become a problem since birth has gone into the hospital, and is no longer in the hands of mid-wives. This is evidence because only 8% of women today in the US used midwives for their delivery, while in other developed countries, 80% of women still use midwifes(such as Europe.)
The interventions of women in labor include giving them Potosin which makes contractions stronger, then giving them an epidural because the potosin is causing too much labor pain, and then a c-section because the baby is stressed by the close contractions which lower the blood flow. The whole process of birthing a child in the hospital seems contradicting and much more over involved then a natural birth. Births with a midwife are not only natural, but are also more memorable and empowering than a birth in a hospital, and as the movie says “the only way to have a natural birth is to get the hell out of the hospital.”
When in the hospitals, doctors often give C-sections when wanting to be done with work, or women decide to have them because they are “to posh to push”, or want the freedom of deciding what day, and even time they will have their child so that their daily schedule is not too interrupted.
The movie teaches the joys of home/natural birthing, and also explains why giving birth at a hospital may not the best selection.
http://www.chosenbirths.com/homevshospital.htm
This link is a website to Chosen Births Midwifery.
According to the movie “the business of being born”, today it is understood that women do not know how to give birth anymore and they need special assistance such a c-section or the help of a midwife. The United States has the second worst newborn death rate in the world and also some of the highest marital maternity rates. There is abundance of OB/GYN births instead of the use of a midwife, which is some of the most pain free easy childbirths. Midwives attend of 70% of people in Europe and japan. These countries have much higher birth successes than the United States. Also, c-section rates have risen 46% since 1996 because of technology and the different trends of childbirth.
I found a website online that gives tips and information for c-section recovery. There is also a forum where women that have had c-sections can discuss there births openly with other women.
Also, I found a website online called mana.org, which stands for the Midwives Alliance of North America. This site encourages women to use midwives for childbirth. The website states that a midwifes is a “fundamentally different approach to pregnancy and childbirth. Midwifery care is uniquely nurturing, hands-on care before, during, and after birth. Midwives are health care professionals specializing in pregnancy and childbirth who develop a trusting relationship with their clients which results in confident, supported labor and birth.” Lastly I found an article that discusses how women should endure the pain during childbirth and avoid using anesthetics and related medicines. “Official figures show that the number of mothers-to-be who receive an epidural, general or spinal anesthetic has soared in recent years to 36.5%.” (http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2009/jul/12/pregnancy-pain-natural-birth-yoga)…This is a staggering number which has to decrease in order to create healthier babies.
The other two articles:
1)http://mana.org/about.html
2)http://www.csectionrecovery.com/topics.html
The film discusses how the act of giving birth has evolved over the year. Giving birth has become a business and is no longer a pleasurable event that mothers take part in. Most births do not need a doctor present. Once in the hospital most women are given drugs to try to speed up their birth. But after receiving and epidural to ease the pain, the birth is once again slowed down. This causes the doctors to continuously pump more drugs into the mother.
Doctors give mothers advice and mothers see the doctor’s advice and do not realize the other options that they may have. When in that much pain and distress, women trust their doctors. But how do we know that what the doctor is doing is the best thing? Many women go into a pregnancy and are blind to the options they may have. Most women just need comfort and encouragement to have their baby. This is what needs to become the focus again.
Before this film I never gave the idea of birth much thought. I don’t remember my mom having my younger sister and I don’t remember the last time someone close to me had a child. It has never really been a relevant issue in my life. But this film helped to open my eyes to what goes on in a hospital setting during a birth. I understand a mother’s want to be in a hospital to ensure that if anything goes wrong with the birth a doctor is there.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1595040/
This article discusses the idea of natural childbirth. I think this article exemplifies the problem with our community. “The active involvement of the laboring woman is a critical piece of nature’s plan for birth, and it is the least understood.” (Lothian) It is mentioned here that labor is misunderstood. Women need comfort and a support system that believes that she can have the baby. As said in the article, “nature’s design works beautifully” (Lothian). We do not need to interfere with the way nature has everything planned.
This is my second time watching the movie “The Business of Being Born” and still I’m surprised but this information. As women, we are lead to believe that we cannot handle our own births and for that reason we go to the hospital to have the OB/GYN’s handle it. However, statistics show by having babies the natural way, at home with a midwife instead of in a hospital with people who are more trained in “surgery” than delivering babies, there is a much lower level of infant deaths. The United States has the second highest infant mortality rate for a developed country and perform way more hospital births that many other countries with lower cases of infant mortalities. Midwives back in the early 1900s were 95% popular, while today only 1% use them. In addition, hospitals and insurance companies are making it extremely hard for such practices to exist because in the end, they are the ones losing out. One midwife said that to have an in-home birth it costs approximately $4,000, as opposed to a hospitalized one which can cost over $10,000.
This movie emphasizes they joys of having an at home birth and the empowerment it gives women to be able to make their own decisions about their birth. The growing trend today are cesarean births, also known as c-sections. In New York City, many women take advantage of this so that they can get back to work and attend whatever events they need to. One woman was quoted for saying that “New York women plan their c-sections and tummy tucks the same day.” And with the enormous influence the media and celebrities have over our society today, it’s no wonder that c-sections are a growing fad when women, like Victoria Beckham, plans her c-sections around her husbands soccer games.
This website/video does a good job at outlining a cesarean style birth and the advantages/disadvantages.
http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/17796664/ns/today-today_health/
The film “The Business of Being Born” takes an in depth look at the ways of giving birth in the United States, as well as looking on the international scale. The first statistic shown tells us that midwives take part in 70% of births in Europe and overseas compared to 8% in the United States. Out of all the countries in the world the United States ranks second worse in baby death rate. This absolutely amazed me, our country is one of, if not is the most technologically advanced in the world yet we are loosing babies at an alarming rate. One of the more interesting parts of the discussion is about doctors and how they can manipulate women into giving birth either by telling them it is “time” and that the vacuum is now needed to help get the baby out or that a Caesarean section is needed to remove the baby. These women will always listen because they think the doctor is telling them what is best for the baby and the mothers want to be good moms so they do what they are told. In the video we see these women saying that the doctors have their own agenda and thats why they say that it’s “time” or use the other means to remove the baby.
The history of baby birth in the United States is actually pretty horrid, from tying women to beds and leaving them in their own waste to later using x-rays on pregnant women which resulted in cancer newborns. In 1996 the caesarean section rate in the United States was 46% by 2005 one out of three births resulted in caesarean section. Having a baby isn’t cheap either, the video said that a typical vaginal birth at a local hospital was about $13,000 and the midwives they interviewed said that for all of her services would be $4,000. This video really made it seem that hospitals weren’t the way to go and that the cheaper more effective route was midwives. I would never have thought that because typically when you think of having a baby you think of a doctor delivering a baby in a hospital.
Attached is a news article from the ny times talking about the increase in caesarean births in the US. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/24/health/24birth.html
The movie The Business of Being Born was very interesting. It featured mothers talking about their birthing experiences. They were asked about how they felt about midwives, most women preferred to just have their doctor present. Midwives attend over 70% of births in Europe but only 8% in the United States. Technology is making having children a lot different now than before. Today, women can induce their labor and have a c-section preformed right after it. Years ago, that would be called absurd. Talk show host Ricki Lake is now very involve in birthing techniques and had a large part in making this movie. One doctor stated that midwives are better providers for low risk women that do not need the full attention of Doctors. Doctors mostly attend to women who are at risk. In the early 1900’s most births took place at home, the numbers diminished throughout the years and not it is very rare to hear about a home birth. 90% of women are on some sort of augmentation at the time they give birth to ease their pain and speed up the birthing process. Women watch television shows like A Baby Story and sometimes it instills fear in them about their own experiences. Television dramatizes births on their shows and women do not always realize that.
In this film “The Business of Being Born”, it is shown how the medical field has altered the mind sets of women who are in the process of having a child. It states how since 1955, less than one percent of women give birth at home in an all natural way. When women are in labor in the hospital, often times doctors recommend medicine that speeds up the contraction process in an attempt to get the baby to come out faster. However, by doing this, the amount of pain induced is greatly increased, which requires more medicine to ease the pain. At this point, the two medicines are virtually fighting each other and the only person who is truly feeling the effect of this is the baby. At this point, doctors tend to use a manipulative technique to get the mother to do a c-section, and this technique gives the mother no option at all. The doctor will say, “the baby is in trouble”, and by hearing that, the mother automatically will give in to anything the doctor wants to ensure that the baby is born without any problems. Ironically, peak birth times for this procedure are at 4pm and 10pm. It is ironic because 4pm marks the end of a work day generally for doctors, and at 10pm, the thought process is that “I do not want to be here all night.” In 2005, one in three births in the U.S. were c-section births.
Also, at a hospital, a traditional birth costs approximately $13,000. This does not include the possible medication that would be used, or any surgery that may occur. However, the use of a midwife, and an at home birth is only approximately $4,000. This is one of the rare cases in the U.S. in which the less a person pays, the better. Midwives are generally very skilled at what they do, and give the women in labor much more care and comfort than a hospital and a doctor could.
The following website weighs the pros and cons of having a midwife, compared to a doctor while giving birth. Although the word “doctor” may seem more comforting and safe, it is not necessarily the case at all. Midwives are trained professionals and are always present at the time of birth, compared to a doctor who may not be.
http://www.natural-pregnancy-mentor.com/midwife-vs-doctor.html
The film, “The Business of Being Born” was a very eye opening experience for someone like me. I really have never thought about having a child or what I would do in the event of actually giving birth. “The Business of Being Born” gave insight into the United States birthing process, most importantly the comparison of natural births to caesarean sections, especially those compared to other countries. The movie stated that giving birth to children is becoming a business to most people. Many people are preferring to go in and just opt into getting a caesarean in order to hurry the process up. It was stated that a caesarean is the “most common major surgical procedure” and it takes abut 20 minutes, if everything goes as planned. caesarean rates in the US were 46% in 1996 and then became 1/3 of all births by 2005 (“The Business of Being Born” 2007). New York hospitals are among the highest of caesarean sections.
In some cases things don’t go as planned, the US has the second worst newborn rate in the world and one of the highest infant mortality rates. The movie claims that most of these deaths can be avoided by such things as natural births that involve little to no medicine and machines. In a hospital, 90% of patients are on drugs while giving birth (“The Business of Being Born” 2007). This enables the mother to be more likely to agree with what the doctor wants her to do. Many doctors use the whole “its for the good of the baby” and of course any good mother would agree.
Below is a trailer of the movie “Babies”, which I had to watch for another class. It follows four babies from childbirth until they are a year or so, when they take their first steps. The babies are from Mongolia, San Francisco, Namibia, and Tokyo. It shows how differently the babies are raised and the different cultures that they are surrounded by. It is a very interesting experience and surprisingly I actually enjoyed it. What happens at the birth of a baby is very important for the future growth of a child. Midwives attend 70% of births in Europe and Japan, while they attend less than 8% in the US (“The Business of Being Born” 2007). Along the same lines, Netherlands has 1/3 of planned births. Around 1990, 95% of American births took place at home, clearly this has drastically changed (“The Business of Being Born” 2007).
Personally I would probably never consider a birth at home. While watching the movie I kind of felt the pain as the mothers were screaming and walking around helpless. It just seemed like a very uncomfortable situation. I would try and go with a birth without medicine at first, but if I had to be induced I would gladly accept. I definitely would try and not do a caesarian section unless it was the last option.
The movie, “The Business of Being Born,” describes a process that women almost never see anymore and has almost diminished from society. In Europe and Japan, midwives deliver 70% of births, where in the U.S they are only present in 8%. Keeping those statistics in mind, European countries have a lower infant mortality rate than the U.S and the U.S. has the second worst newborn rate in the developed world. Many people blame the women and the fact that the U.S. has high risk women, but it’s not the women’s fault. Instead it is the birthing process that is the problem. With new technology, we feel that we are improving things, but we may just be interfering with nature and making things worse. We have lost the process of natural birth and few doctors have ever even experiences a normal, natural birth. We have also lost the understanding of how important the birthing process is to women. It is a life altering, empowering experience that should be remembered. Women forget that their bodies know what to do because the medical professions convince women that they do not know how to birth. Women in America no longer know what is normal about birth and society has instilled an immense fear in women about the process. Doctors use manipulative techniques to get the mother to condemn certain procedures. They are able to make it seem like they are giving the mother options but instead all the mother hears is an expert advising her to do something “for the good of the baby.” It would be almost impossible for her to go against that because then she is a bad mother for not doing the best thing for her child. Doctors go into the process saying that they are open to many types of births, but really the hospital is a system and women just get put through the system. They can go into the hospital with a set birth plan, but doctors change that very quickly to do it the way they deem best. Hospitals are good when there are sudden complications, but the hospital is a business. They want beds emptied and filled and don’t want women hanging around. They try to speed up labor and put the women on unnecessary meds. This serves as a domino effect and one medicine leads to another and the women do not really have much of a choice. All the medicine affects the baby and can put it into distress, leading to an emergency C-section that was completely unnecessary before the hospital put the woman on a surplus of drugs. Doctors get excited when things are not normal, they look for pathology because then they have something to do. Since 1996, the U.S. C-section rate rose to 46% and in 2005 there was 1 in every 3 women receiving a C-section. To a society where plastic surgery is common, many women view C-sections as just another form of plastic surgery, but the doctors do not give enough information about the dangers of this process. It can cause numerous infections, ruptured uterus, and even death to the baby. Midwives are more concentrated on keeping the women comfortable and calm and giving her as much time as she needs to birth. Women who do home births are able to feel and experience this process and connect with it.
Many people believe that surgeons should be doing surgery, not births, but people also question whether midwives are certified to deliver. There are many negative connotations about midwives where they are portrayed as old, ignorant, illiterate, and for the old country. However, they are extremely qualified and come prepared. In fact, hospitals are sometimes more dangerous than home births because some doctors come straight out of med school where have no experience of actually delivering a baby. The technique doctors use to deliver a baby is have the mother lay flat on their back. This position makes the pelvis smaller and makes it harder to use the stomach muscles and inhibits the mother from moving her hips around to make room for the baby to come out. Being in a vertical position is easier for the women but harder for the doctor to deliver. In a home birth, women have the option to be in a comfortable setting and able to move around or be in a bath tub to help aid the birthing process.
Overall, birth is easy and natural. Women have always been able to do it because their body knows how to respond, so there is no reason to make the process more complicated. One person that spoke in the movie claimed that if you want a humanized birth, “get the hell out of the hospital.”
This is a website giving women information about natural births. http://www.birthingnaturally.net/
This youtube clip made in 2009 promotes midwives and provides some facts about birth in the U. S. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ps7WANXhZXA
The movie, “Business of Being Born” was a very informative movie that gave a lot of information that I was unaware of. One of the facts given that I found to be very interesting was 70% of births in Europe and Japan were done through a midwife compared to only 8% in the U.S. I was shocked to find out how many births outside the U.S. used a midwife, I thought that was very old fashioned and rarely seen. I also thought it was kind of funny how they mentioned the designer births. I think it is a little ridiculous that people pick when they want to have their baby. I do not think anyone’s life is that busy where they have to schedule a day to give birth. They mentioned that Victoria Beckham did that to have the kids around her husband’s soccer schedule, I think that is ridiculous. Although I do think it is a good thing if the husband is in the army and going to be over seas, than he can be apart of the process because he will know the date of the baby. The fact that C-sections are fast makes it very appealing to people in labor and doctors. For the doctors it does not waste their time and for the mother it is quick so labor is short. But I feel like the women do not realize all of the facts when they want to get a C-section. C-sections are major surgeries, the abdomen is cut open, and the mother can get infection or possibly not heal properly. Most women hear C-section as quick and that is what they want without completely knowing the consequences. Below is a link that talks about c-sections. It gives reasons as to why to have one, the preparation, the procedure its self, what happens after the procedure and the side effects.
http://www.welcomebabyhome.com/pregnancy/c_section.htm
I must say I have never seen any reality shows of babies being born so this was a first for me. “The Business of Being Born” goes behind “the scenes” of women who are now experiencing in- home births with midwives. I did not realize how much of a painful, long process it is because when I think of women having their children at home, I just picture them laying in the tub and the baby just comes right out. The percentage of women having c-sections has increased 46% since 1996 and midwives attend 70% of births in Europe and Japan. The US ranks second worst in baby death rates which is somewhat startling. Doctors at hospitals really do push women to have their child… with the vacuuming and the constant giving of drugs to speed it up. My mother had both c-sections with my brother and I and my sister-in-law had both c-sections with their two children and that is the way I want to go. I do not want to go through all the pain and the constant drugs. Seeing how it was done back then with the strapping and twilight sleep was horrible. It amazes me that things were like that. Also, with the different drugs that made children born without arms or that ruptured the uterus and led to fatalities. I am glad to have watched this though because I am more aware and got to see how in-born births really happen. Here is a video of a woman talking about being a midwife
The miracle of life is something that is truly magical and special, or as it appears to be. However, the film “The Business of Being Born.” discusses the negative and detrimental implications of childbirth in American society. The process of child birth, mainly in hospitals has become extremely manipulative and dehumanizing. According to the film, America has the second highest newborn death rate in the world and is among the highest for motherly deaths at child birth in the industrialized world. The film sates that these horrific statistics contribute to our process of childbirth. To further understand this epidemic let us look at our Countries history.
In the 1990’s 95% of births took place in the home with a help of a mid-wife. However, within the next 15 years Americas media portrayed mid-wives with an extremely negative outlook and that featured them to be dirty, old and uneducated. Following this time period, our country was introduced to the world of technology and the way our babies have be born has never been the same.
Today only 8% of American births are performed at home , while 80% of births take place in the home in Europe and Japan. Also, the majority of American OB/GYNS are not introduced to live births until they actually perform them. Also, these surgeons are not primarily concerned with the well begin of the child or mother but rather with the business of the hospital. With the use of intervention drugs, which in actually harms the baby and provides the mother with even more pain, and a vast major it of cesarean births being performed, child birth has lost it’s natural and magical essence and has instead become a dehumanized and calculated process.
In the film, actress Ricky Lake discusses how during her hospital birth she felt like she had no options and was being controlled. However, Ricky also commented on how amazing having a natural at home birth was to her. Throughout the film, it very evident that home births are not only more intimate but are safer as well. Also, by using these invention drugs women are missing out on earth’s most natural and meanign high that is experienced after giving birth.
The society we live in today has destroyed the miracle of life. It is quit devastating how this miracle as turned into a calculated process and has lost it’s beautiful essence.
The following video discusses how a home birth is in actuality very safe
http://www.medhelp.org/health_videos/Home-Versus-Hospital-Births/show/2686
The move “The Business of Being Born,” really displayed the raw truth about the other side of birth that most people don’t think about. The whole routine about going into the hospital for the birthing process has just become a norm in our society today. I never knew that they use all of these medicines to basically speed up the processes. The fact that they use these medications that can potentially harm the child is something that I would never have known. When they speed up this process, it sometimes causes a need for a caesarian section. Caesarian sections have increased in the United States dramatically. The rate by 1996 was up 46 percent and has risen even more now a day. Midwives in Europe and Japan attend over 70 percent of child births which is nowhere near the less than 10 percent that attend childbirths in the United States. Midwives are specifically trained to perform natural births the way that they are naturally supposed to be. Most people have the misconception that midwives only come with a towel, like the movie said, but in reality that are always prepared with a lot of things and if necessary know when to transfer the pregnant mother to a hospital if necessary. Natural birth is also less money than a hospital birth. In the hospital a birth can cost up to 13,000 dollars, where as a natural birth only costs 4,000 dollars. Like in the movie where they said, this is one of the only cases where cheaper is better. Most people don’t research natural birth like they should, and after seeing this movie I think more people should.
The movie “The Business of Being Born” provided very detailed insight into the different ways that women can go about child birth. Before this movie I hadn’t really ever thought about the different ways one could go about having a child. I had always assumed it was up to the doctor, which is exactly why this film was created. It was created to show women that it is not up to the doctor, it is up to them and there is not only one decision to be made. It was brought to the viewer’s attention that many people feel that a doctor is the only choice and that a midwife is dirty and old fashioned. However, this is not the case. Most other countries rely on midwives more than doctors in childbirth and really only turn to a doctor when needing medical assistance if something goes wrong. These other countries also have a higher infant mortality rate, leaving the US with the second worst newborn death rate. I was extremely surprised to hear this information. Another shocking element of this movie was the portion on Cesarean sections. Though many American women receive this, it is actually very dangerous. It is often more dangerous than natural birth, but more conducive to a doctor because it is quicker. Often times women don’t know this and are forced to make a rash decision during labor. This is obviously not a time when their head is clear. Another point this movie raised was that celebrities make Cesarean sections more attractive to women. We should not but ourselves at risk because we are uneducated on a topic and put our full trust into a celebrity. America’s reliance on celebrities must change as well as our lack of knowledge on options when it comes to birth.
http://www.childbirth.org/section/risks.html
This link discusses the risks associated with a cesarean section.
The movie, “The Business of Being Born” talked about the differences between natural childbirth such as with a midwife at home versus childbirth in a hospital with doctors and nurses present. It talked about the pros and cons and I was able to pick up the hint of bias towards natural birth. The movie stated that in the U.S midwives attend less than 8% of births whereas in other parts of the world they attend much more births. The U.S also has the second worst newborn death rate and one of the most highest maternal death rate during birth. The percent of births at home from the 1900’s in the United States has decreased dramatically, and contrary to that since 1996 the rate of C-sections has increased. The movie talked about how many famous women who become mothers opt to have C-sections thus making it look more appealing to the average woman. This is dangerous, however, because many women don’t understand that a C-section is major surgery, and with each one you have it can get more and more dangerous for the mother and child.
The film talks about how a woman’s body knows what to do during birth. All the medications that are given to the mother while she is in the hosptial sends her body through a traumatic circle of contractions, supressing contractions, more intense contractions, etc. Without all of these medicines a woman could still have a very healthy, normal, and overall natural birth. When you go to hospitals sometimes these drugs are just forced onto you and you don’t have much of a say of how the procedure goes. When a woman chooses to have a midwife and has, say, an at home birth, they are more able to experience giving birth without any of the drugs and it is completely natural and not rushed. You are also able to make a deeper connection with a mid wive than you are a doctor/OBGYN who is constantly having to rush from patient to patient.
The video I have attached is about the differences between midwives and doulas, which I have never heard of before. I thought it would be interesting to see the differences between the two and that you can have a midwife and a doulas. The doulas focuses on the mother and her emotiona and physical needs whereas the midwife does this, but has to spend more of her time with the medical side of natural birth.
In the movie, “The Business of Being Born” there are a lot of facts that I learned about the birthing process that I did not know before. For one thing, I did not know that there was such a thing as designer births, which are where a mother schedules the day of her birth, has induced labor and then has a tummy tuck. Also, I knew that there are a few women that have had natural child births due to the fact that many celebrities such as Victoria Beckham and Britney Spears who have had planned Cesarean Sections. Even though there are so many women that have had Cesarean Sections involving the use of drugs, many of them do not realize that there are negative consequences from the use of pitocin and the epidural. Contrary to popular belief, the pitocin that is given to mothers combined with the epidural does not make the birthing process easier. In fact it makes it harder because the right balance of pitocin and epidural needs to keep being adjusted which leads to the need for the Cesarean Section as well as the choking of the baby from the compression caused by the combination of the drugs. Also, according to the movie there are some hormones that are supposed to connect the mother and the child that are supposed to be released during childbirth. However, when pitocin and the epidural are used, these hormones are not released and the mother and child miss out on an important connecting moment. So, is there a better solution than the use of these drugs in the hospital? The answer is yes and women can choose to have a natural birth at home which would cost much less than going to the hospital. Another advantage of having a natural birth is the woman knowing that she was able to give birth to the child without the help of anyone else. So before women run off to the hospital, decide to fill up on pitocin and epidural, and plan a Cesarean Section, they should consider the major pros of having a natural childbirth and the major cons of having a Cesarean Section involving labor inducing and “pain relieving” drugs.
This is an article about the risks of having a Cesarean Section:
http://www.childbirth.org/section/risks.html
This is an article about the pros and cons of having a natural childbirth:
http://www.planningfamily.com/pregnancy/labor-and-delivery/choosing-natural-childbirth/
When we watched the movie in class today, I was surprised to see that people were actively seeking C-Sections. More surprising to me was that many of the were not even necessary; even post-delivery tummy tucks were taken into account for the mother.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2008-02-23-childbirth_N.htm
In this article, it is described by a Midwife with growing popularity that many of the deaths in recent years in childbirth is linked to the growing number of C-Sections (According to the article, it has risen to 31% of all births in the U.S).
According to these two links, there is an obvious truth to the argument that C-Sections should be looked at with a more questioning attitude by soon to be mothers. From the mothers that we saw giving birth in the movie today compared to what you can see on the average TLC hospital stay pregnancy program, the labor involved with natural childbirth is much less problematic, and looks much less painful. Although I obviously could have no idea the pains involved, it should be fairly clear to anyone that has witnessed both types of delivery that doctors are a little bit more involved than they need to be; whether it is for the insurance charges, or for an overdeveloped sense of self worth, the medical industry has taken an uncanny and often unnecessary interest in pregnancy.
The movie, “The Business of Being Born,” presented many different facts explaining and stating how natural childbirth is a much more positive and healthy choice for women. First, the movie states the United States that midwives are used about 8% or less in all the the births. However, the movie states that in fact natural childbirth is better for both the baby and the mother, but the rates are still declining. Natural childbirth permits the mother to feel the pain of birthing a child, but also creates a strong bond through horomones released from the mother. Since most babies are being born in the hospital, doctors do not want to spend time and wait for a woman that is in labor for many hours. Therefore, drugs are given to speed up the process and also block the pain of the process. However, this is not the natural way of having a child, and the movie also argues that the effects of the drugs given during birth are unknown and longterm causes could be bad. Also, it is much cheaper for a woman to have a natural birth at home. However, the movie also states how the C-section is becoming more positive because it is practically a twenty minute procedure, and many celebrities have C-sections.
After watching the movie, it was quite clear that the women that were having the natural childbirth were in pain, but also had a strong immediate connection with their baby. Midwives are not common in the United States, and I actually never thought about midwives. I do not think I even know any one that has used a midwife to deliver their baby. Yet, I also did not even realize the problems and reasons doctors might potentially speed up a woman’s labor, because of the time factor mainly. Overall, I was surprised to see all of the different facts and positive sides to natural childbirth. Also, I was shocked to hear the “fad” of having a C-section but then immediately having a tummy tuck. I think it is crazy that women would be worried about having a tummy tuck right after having a baby.
Below is an article that states how six states have seen a rise in C-sections but also states the possible problems that arise with C-sections. It is a strong debate today of how dangerous C-sections can actually be. http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2010-03-24-Csections24_ST_N.htm
Attached is a video discussing the problems of C-sections calling it the “most overused procedure.”
“The Business of Being Born” looked at the differences between natural home births and those that take place in the hospital. What was interesting about this film was that it held a very strong position that hospital births were actually detrimental to both the mother and baby. Interestingly enough this is partly true.
Modern medicine has advanced to a point where it has become acceptable to use drugs to assist in the birthing process which can cause complications which require more drugs. On average it costs between $9,000 and $17,000 to deliver a baby vaginally in a hospital. If a mother has to or chooses to have a c-section, the cost jumps to between $14,000 to $25,000 or more, depending on whether or not there were complications with the delivery. (CostHelper.com)
The cost for having children is immense. It is hard to believe that hospitals are charging so much money in our country when we have the 2nd highest newborn death rate in the developed world. For a country who continually claims to be a forerunner in so many fields, why aren’t we a forerunner in keeping babies alive? This question may lead back to the hospital’s use of unnecessary drugs to cause faster births than the mother naturally could have her self.
Hospitals are a business that profits off of getting women in and out as quickly as they can while still making as much as they can off of their delivery. I believe that this speedy process has much to do with the poor health of both mothers and babies after delivery. Also, in the hospital setting, it is hard for the initial bond between mother and baby to be created. Nurses just seem to whisk the baby away as soon as its born. With a home birth, the bond is instant and may be more strong.
Between what doctors and midwives are saying, there is no better way. Both believe that their setting is the best for the birth of a child and cannot be convinced otherwise. It is possible that in the future more births could be home births but it is also possible that c-sections could be the future. Either way, women will still be having babies and there will still be a need for care. Hopefully we won’t manage to hurt ourselves in the long run with making the wrong birthing choices.
http://www.costhelper.com/cost/child/baby-delivery.html
The film “The buisness of being born” helped to explain how hospitals and much of modern medicine in the U.S has ignored the positive experiences provided by Midwives and natural birth. Due to popularity of hospital births in U.S society today, many women often go through the birthing process under the supervision of their OBGYN. Since many of these medical professionals were not properly trained, or have much experience in natural birthing processes, many doctors try to induce labor and speed up the process. According to the film, by speeding up the process with various drugs and epidurals, they are actually doing more harm to the mother and the baby then if a natural birth took place. As a result, many OBGYN’s often perform emergency cesareans in order to avoid comlications to the baby and the mother. But, in all reality these operations are major surgery and are often caused by administering medications to women in order to speed up the birthing process. The film represents a less invasive, and often more rewarding birthing process, which is natural and is overseen by trained medical professionals known as midwives. Midwives are specially trained and certified to help conduct natural births, and are a major aspect in other developed nations healthcare systems. This is not the case in the U.S though, only 8% of U.S births are overseen by midwives. Often, midwives help to deliver babies in the parents homes or in birthing centers. By doing so, the mother can feel more relaxed and are not put under the strict time constraints of a rigid hospital system. Even though there are considerable benefits to home births, less then 1% of births in the U.S take place in the home, with much higher numbers taking place in other developed countries. What is most startling about this statistic is that even though we have more births that take place in “safe” hospitals, the U.S still has one of the highest infant mortality rates of any developed nation in the world. The film demonstrates that because one in three women in the U.S have “c-sections” they drastically increase the chances of mortality for themselves and their baby. What is most troubling about this trend is that even though many OBGYN’s know that cesarean sections are more dangerous than natural births, they are still performing them when natural births are still a viable option for many women instead of undergoing risky surgery. What the film makes clear is that natural birth is painful, but is often one of the most rewarding experiences for women once it is over and they get to see, and hold their newborn child. What cesarean sections do is they negate this experience with medicine and drugs that dull pain and reduce the process to a fog that often causes a disconnect between the mother and their newly born child. When natural births take place, a mothers hormones take over after the child is born and these hormones help to form a strong bond between the mother and her child. When cesarean sections take place, this often does not take place, and many women who have had them done often state, according to the film, that they wish they would have done natural birth instead. What this film shows is that many modern medical procedures do not take into account what is best for the mother and child, but only what is comfortable for OBGYNs and fits within the given time frame.
Some links on the topic are posted below:
http://kidshealth.org/parent/pregnancy_center/childbirth/natural_childbirth.html#
This link helps to explain what natural birth is, where it takes place, who are the trained professionals, and what complications can arise during the birthing process.
http://www.webmd.com/baby/tc/cesarean-section-topic-overview
The link above is from Webmd and discusses what a cesarean section birth is like, what it encompasses, and the risks involved.
http://www.statehealthfacts.org/comparemaptable.jsp?ind=47&cat=2
The link above breaks down the infant mortality rates by all of the states in the U.S.
The movie “Business of Being Born” explored the topic of childbirth in the United States. The United States has the second worst newborn death rate in the world. I think this statistic is pretty alarming. The U.S. is one of the most advanced countries in the world and we cannot figure out how to properly perform childbirth? The movie insinuates that the advancement of U.S. society has led to the idea that the medical profession must perform births and that woman have no idea what they are doing. Less than one percent of births occur at home. The movie also points out that the United States capitalistic economy creates hospitals that are more focused on filling beds, emptying them, and refilling them, rather than focusing on performing a successful birth. Peoples’ incentives become distorted when so much money is at stake. Home births are natural and more intimate. The midwife focuses on making the mother feel comfortable and stresses the sacredness of the experience.
One out of three births in the United States are C-section births. The movie points out that having a C-section is almost like scheduling your birth so “you can make it home for dinner.” Having too many of these can be dangerous though. I was a C-section baby and it worked out for me. My mom decided to have this because her first child died shortly after birth because the doctor forced the baby out. If your a woman, as in my mother’s case, I guess it really depends on what you feel is right and what you have experienced in that past for the type of childbirth you are going to have.
Here is a link to a website discussing the risks of C-sections:
http://www.childbirth.org/section/risks.html
The movie, “The business of being born” was all about the birthing options that pregnant American women have to deliver their baby. It showed what a home birth was like using a midwife. I personally did not really know how the midwifery industry worked, so I thought this movie was very informative. Midwives are very popular in other countries, statistics show that there are 20%-30% midwifes in Japan and Europe. On the other hand, there are 8% less in the United States. The United States has the second worst newborn death rate in the world. This especially shocked me because I did not know that the US newborn death rate was so high. American women do not much about the birth options they have for their children. If a woman chooses to give birth at a hospital, it is very likely for her to have a cesarean section. In the movie it talks about how the hospital is just a business, it is there job to get you in and out as quickly as possible. This means if a women’s birth is not moving quick as the doctors want it to go, they will persuade the mother’s in using drugs to speed up the process. Pregnant patients usually take the doctors advice because the doctors usually reinforce their recommendation with saying that it is best for the baby. Mother’s do not know the effects the drugs have on the baby. In the movie, they were saying how one drug caused intensive contractions, which would squish the baby and prevent them from getting enough oxygen. In this case, doctors will perform a C-section. After watching this movie I feel as if it is much safer to have a natural birth, but it would be much better if hospitals weren’t so focused on being a business. Seeing how the midwifes actually cared about their patients was reassuring to see that if one picked to have a birth that way, that it would not be as impersonal as it is having a child at a hospital.
This link provides information about midwives:
http://www.americanpregnancy.org/labornbirth/midwives.html
The film The Business of Being Born explores the topic of natural births giving at home versus births given in hospitals. It aimed to point out the benefits that go along natural birth with the assistance of a midwife and the negative effects that hospital births have on both the mother and the baby.
It pointed out that midwives assist over 70% of births in Europe and Japan while, in the United States, it is only 8%. Much of this has to do with doctors and how they treat births like a business in the hospitals. They literally convince women that they do not know how to give birth and eventually makes decisions for the mothers that usually are not good for the baby they are carrying. Many times, they resort to c-sections if the baby is taking too long to be delivered. According to the film, the number of c-sections has risen 46% since 1996 in the US.
The film made a great point that obstetricians are surgeons and are most comfortable giving surgery. This has a lot to do with why the resort to C-sections. They are familiar with surgery and plus it is faster. Unfortunately, as the film stated, the United States has the second worst newborn death rate in the world and the highest mother mortality rate. I though these were very impacting statistics that really say something about the way we handle giving birth here.
A lot of it also has to do with “Designer Births” when women who are “too posh to push” decided to have scheduled C-sections. They see it as the quick and easy way to deliver their baby.
I feel like this film made a lot of really great points about natural births. They pointed out a lot of the benefits of having midwifes instead of going to the hospital. I think this film will make a lot of women who want to have kids or will be having kids to think differently about the birthing process that they want to go through. The film discussed how natural birth is about empowering women and letting their body run everything the way that it naturally needs to. Without the interference of medicine and other people’s decisions, the mother can have a delivery that is safer to both her and the baby.
http://www.midwiferytoday.com/company/aboutmt.asp
This website aims to make midwifery the norm in our world and redifine it as an essential relationship with women. It also features a number of videos and articles.
Prior to seeing this film, I did not even know midwifery existed. I was under the assumption that the only way to safely deliver a baby was in a hospital, and any home births were ancient and most likely not practiced in developed countries. In “The Business of Being Born”, it says that less than 8% of women in the US use a midwife today, yet in other countries, it was about 80%. It was also shocking to hear that the US has a higher infant mortality rate than the countries that frequently use midwifes, rather than hospitals. This just goes to show that there is a system that we are not aware of, that controls the way mothers give birth, which is natural process. I believe many women, such as myself, just are not aware of what is going on and if they had been informed, may have take a different approach to delivery.
Another aspect that I found shocking was the amount of drugs that are given to a woman in order to induce the birth. I believe a woman should have the child when her body is ready to deliver it, and it just goes to show how hospitals have become somewhat of a business, just trying to get the mothers in and out. Furthermore, it is horrible that so many doctors use the statement “your baby’s in danger” to manipulate the woman into either receiving more drugs, or enduring a c-section. When discussing this topic with a midwife, she stated that a c-section was not necessary until her 187th birth, and then again at the 324th. This is so surprising considering the number of c-sections in the US has drastically increased over the years. It further displays how hospital births are merely for convenience and just focus on the end result. It seems women are losing control of a process that is so important to a mother and so life changing. Not only are they losing control, but with all the drugs they are given, they may lose memory of the entire process.
I believe this is a good article because it gives more information on midwifery; information that most people have no knowledge of. http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=51188
The following is also beneficial to look at because they provide pie graphs to show the statistics of midwifery. http://www.naturalbirthandbabycare.com/farm-statistics.html
In the movie “The Business of Being Born”, we see two different, non-conventional, takes on child-birth. The first explores the overwhelmingly negative/unnecessary elements of hospital birth, while the second examines the often neglected benefits of vaginal birth. Full of countless shocking statistics, this movie provides women with the information they may need to take a route down an alternative path they may not have otherwise known was available. I, personally, had always imagined that I would have my first child in a hospital, as I had always seen growing up, but after watching this documentary I may consider other options. The first thing I learned about in this movie which was quite off putting was the pressure that doctors put patients through. (“patients” aka pay checks). Dozens of women in the film attested to feeling as though they were pressured by doctors; they went to the hospital with one course of action in mind, and ended with a different one. After learning about all of the epidurals, pitocin, and vacuum assisted births, this movie really forces you to ask yourself: is all of this intervention really necessary? Today, we may think it is, however, doctors centuries ago felt the same; it was only until years later they discovered all the negative effects. For example, the movie explained how originally, doctors used to scan pregnant women with an x-ray machine. Years later, they discovered that this lead to cancer. Next, they would give mothers a certain type of drug. Years later, they discovered it lead to arm/legless babies. Furthermore, in the 1990s, only 20 years ago, doctors gave mothers a drug that lead to ruptured uterus’ and thousands of dead babies. Today, we are seeing the exact same trend. The epidurals, the pitocin…is it all necessary? What are the negative effects we will see in the future? Another statistic I found rather disturbing was the fact that a vaginal birth has a much fewer risks than a c-section, however in 2005 one in five births were c-sections. To me, this idea isn’t scary so much because of the health reasons, but even scarier because of the ethical reasons. Are mother’s giving up that easily? Are women so weak that they would rather just be numbed and cut open? Undeniably disturbing as it is, it’s a fact of our culture and an indicator of where our society is going. If an intervention isn’t made, the health of America’s future children could be seriously at risk.
this is an article explaining all about c-sections:
http://www.babycenter.com/0_giving-birth-by-cesarean-section_160.bc
this is an article about midwives:
http://www.storknet.com/cubbies/childbirth/exah1.htm
this is an article exploring some of the pros and cons of a vaginal/c-section birth:
http://www.womenshealthcaretopics.com/VaginalBirthvsCesareanSection.html
The film we watched was “The Business of being Born” which was a documentary on the way pregnant women are misguided to think they can’t have a natural pregnancy. The film stated that in 1900 95% of births in the United States took place at home but by the time it was 1938 the number had gone to as low as half that. It’s even more surprising that in current days the number of pregnancies at home is less than one percent. The film showed real experiences woman had while giving birth and different settings that a birth can take place. Some women delivered in a hospital while others delivered at home with a midwife. It is obvious that it’s much more rewarding to those women who delivered in their own home with a midwife appose to those who were in the hospital, most of which ended up having to get a cesarean section. There are more disadvantages to a hospital birth as the mother usually ends up being rushed into having her baby because the doctors are only interested in a speedy and fast delivery. I was actually very surprised with all that the documentary had to say as I would of assumed the opposite, I always thought hospital births were the safest and best choice when in reality its actually healthy and cost wise better to deliver with a midwife. It was mentioned by a midwife that for her to do a homebirth it would be around $4000 total whole hospitals births can be anywhere up to $10,000 that’s a pretty big difference. In the end it really all depends on the person and what they want to do but there are many pros and cons that can be seen in both options of delivery, but in the documentary they made home births seem like the best option.
The clip is a certified midwife
In the documentary, The Business of Being Born the differences are shown between a natural childbirth and births that involves medications in the hospital. Natural childbirth’s involve midwives and the portrayal of these midwives in the United States is poor and dirty people. The reality of this statement is false and a stereotype. Midwives take care of 70-80% of births in Japan and Europe, while the United States has a low 8%. The comparisons between natural birth and assisted reproduction are contradicting. One male in the documentary even stated, “If you want a humanized birth, the best thing to do is get out of the hospital.” With this in mind, many people do get out of the hospital, and return to their homes for the birth process. The women in the documentary said that the birthing process is a transformative experience; it can be devastating or empowering. If one chooses do have this experience in the hospital, many people find that the hospital tries to push for short labors, and uses medications to do so. The medications in return have a snowball effect. If the labors take too long, the doctor will most likely push for a cesarean section. Since 1996, the rate of cesarean sections has rose 46%, which is extremely large. For the women who choose to give a natural birth in their homes, they found the after effect to be extremely empowering, and giving the power back to the mothers and away from the doctors who have taken over this wonderful experience. The use of midwives in the U.S. today is only 1%, and assisted birth has become the “norm”. The following websites offers information on why some woman may want to have a natural birth, information on this process, and history on midwives.
http://kidshealth.org/parent/pregnancy_center/childbirth/natural_childbirth.html
The movie, “The Business of Being Born” focused on the issue of childbirth and how it appears. Over the past few decades, women in the United States have been mislead and misguided about information in regards to giving birth and what their options are. The medical profession has convinced women that they don’t know how to birth correctly, which is not true. Ironically enough, most doctors did not observe a natural child birth in medical school. The main focus was on natural birth versus medical birth. One statistic that the movie informed us about was the fact that midwives attend more than 70% of births in Japan and Europe. Everywhere in the world (except for the United States) condones natural child birth versus high risk methods (ie drug induced births).
In 1900, ninety five percent of births took place at home, (in the United States), but in 1955, less than one percent of births took place outside of a hospital. In fifty years, the change was completely dramatic. In a hospital, it is much more of a rushed setting. Women are looked at as business, they are taking up space in a bed, so nurses and doctors want to move them out of there as quickly as they can. Hospitals are a business. Unfortunately, because of this, along with all of the drugs women are given, they don’t know what normal is. Cesarean sections, although we see them as being “normal,” because they happen so frequently, is completely unnatural. 1 out of every 3 women in the year 2006 had a cesarean section. Also, drugs, such as Pitocin is used, which makes contractions longer, therefore makes the birth more painful, along with putting more stress on the baby.
This video shows an interview with a midwife and her patient and discusses the benefits of natural birth.
The documentary “Business Being Born” investigates the the hidden world of midwifery and the corporate side of pregnancy. 1 percent of births in the United States are done outside of a hospital. This statistic has drastically changed since 1900 when 99% of births were conducted at home. Along with this change, America has become the second worst country in birth safety. While countries in Europe, Japan, and Australia, all rely heavily on natural births and have fewer infant mortality rates. Hospitals are a business, and therefore make money off women choosing to give birth in them. Each year, the U.S. spends over $50 billion dollars on childbirth. This is more than any other nation in the world. Hospitals make the argument that it is much safer. If any problem was to arise, they can quickly and efficiently treat it. Hospitals also give medication to increase contractions and medicine to ease the pain. The American Medical Association has lobbied hard to keep women going through child birth at hospitals. It supports legislation that helps ensure safe deliveries and healthy babies by acknowledging that the safest setting is a hospital.
This documentary exposed the true natural process of giving birth. The women portrayed in this film all described the experience as euphoric and a “high” that they have never experienced. These women feel that giving birth at home with a midwife, although very painful, is the right way to go about childbirth. It brings them closer to their child. Doctors at hospitals want the women in and out as quickly as possible. There is no emotional tie to the mother or the child. Women feel empowered and transformed when giving birth at home and this documentary was intended to inform women so they can make the best choices for themselves. Whenever the birth process is not at a fast pace speed, doctors resort to medication and vacuums to speed the process up. Caesarian sections are also a health threat to women. The first c-section is nothing to worry about. However it is the second, third, and fourth c-sections that pose a serious threat in damaging other organs.
This is a short clip on the consequences of drugs given by hospitals during childbirth. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YaxijqafuS4
After watching the movie The “Business of Being Born”, it showed the evolution of birth and how first natural birth was very popular until around the 1950s where c-sections became very popular where today only 8% of births are natural births in the United States compared to 70% in Japan. Which is very comparable to other countries where the deaths at birth are much lower than the U.S. One of the biggest reasons discussed in the movie were hospitals are making births into more a business than about the experience. They’re starting to speed up births so they happen almost according to schedule this is almost taking the entire experience of child birth out of the realm of unbelievable to the idea of making the highest profit in the least amount of time. Many people today do not even consider the idea of natural birth these days because having a c-section has become the societal norm and has taken control of how people are doing their birth. Hospitals are business, they want the beds filled and almost try to force the babies out, this is why I agree with natural birth a lot more. They also talked about how many people go into birth through hospitals expecting natural birth but from the various number of drugs given to mother and end up having c-sections anyway because it is recommend by the doctors. Since 1996 the cesarean rate has gone up 46%. The idea of the midwife has almost become extinct in the U.S. because they’re chastised through out history. The insurance companies also make it hard on midwives because they have to pay high rates and there are many complications with them getting there money from these companies. This is due to the insurance companies listening to the doctors that home birth is not good and very dangerous according to them. The risk of having a c-section drastically outweighs risk factor of natural birth and it is very surprising to be at how low the rates are because I thought from coming from natural birth there would be more people like me out there. But, I guess today through the media yet again has made the c-sections the societal norms. Mothers are not allowed to have long labor in hospitals and are then given drugs to almost force the babies out. Which leads to a cesarean. This I do not believe is right to the mothers or the children because it takes away from the experience of birth that you can never take back and that can not be compared to anything else in this world. These number are very surprising to me.
Below are links to various sites talking about the rates of c-sections and also given lots of information on them in American and the rest of the world today.
http://articles.latimes.com/2010/aug/30/news/la-heb-cesarean-20100830
http://www.usatoday.com/yourlife/parenting-family/babies/2010-08-31-csection31_ST_N.htm
“The Business of Being Born” showed just that, giving birth is like a business transaction. It displayed how over the years humanity of giving birth has been taken away due to hospitals. It showed how giving a natural childbirth by a midwife is optimal when considering the health of the mother and the baby. Seventy percent of births in Europe and China are attended by midwives and less than eight percent in the U.S. Midwifery has been stigmatized over history as a dirty practice which is why most women opt to have their births in hospitals. Most OBGYN that are facilitated with hospitals have rarely practiced child birth but do it anyways. More times than not the doctors in the hospitals think of birth as a business transaction, they want you in and out. Doctors do this by speeding up a woman’s contractions and intervening in the birth so that eventually they have to give the woman a C-section. An OBGYN will find pathology in the birth and will try anything to intervene and create pathology rather than allow the birth to follow its natural course. Interventions during pregnancy are not ideal for the mothers body or for the baby. Media glamorizes C-section births as an alternative to natural childbirth because of the convenience of it. A woman can schedule her C-section, meaning the birth, which seems ideal to busy mothers who think that they do not have the sort of time it takes to give natural child birth. Hollywood stars take this option and so will people that idolize these women. Hospitals do not care about the mothers or the babies involved in childbirth, they simply want you in and out to make money on the next. Using a midwife is the most natural way to give birth and the most extraordinary experience which is taken away when giving birth in a hospital. Midwives allow the mother to deal with her birth in a way that suits her and at her own pace. Natural births seem to be very serine and beautiful and I believe that if any women decides to give birth they should experience it this way unless surgery is necessary due to complications, not the doctors telling you that you have to have a C-section because they created problems when they intervened in the birth.
Some advantages of natural birth:
http://pregnancy.lovetoknow.com/wiki/Advantages_of_Natural_Childbirth
Having a home birth or hospital birth:
The movie “The Business of Being Born” shows the ways of giving birth in the United States of America. The kinds of these ways are C-section or cesarean section this way many is very extremely doctors friendly because it take a short time. This way also is very dangerous. C-section might be doing if other conditions requiring like multiple birth, larger tumors of the uterus, the placental problem hypertension or other infection. The natural birth is safely more than other ways. Childbirth in the United States in America in the documentary “The Business of Being Born” which explores the history of obstetrics, the history and function of midwives, and how many common medical practices may be doing new mothers more harm than good.
The United States some women like to deliver their babies at home under the care of the midwives and they believed that is safe. Other womens see that delivering a baby at the hospital is more safely more than home in case of the emergencies. The hospital is good and better to save the life of newborns and mothers. There is a big deal to deliver a baby in the hospital especially a teen mothers even though others feared about the doctors who want to make easy. It is you own choice sometimes especially today to choose the ways of giving birth either natural birth no any medicine or other way like C-section which is very dangerous.
In most areas of Sub Saharan Africa, it is expensive, dangerous, and unsafe to give birth especially when pregnancy is complicated by life threatening conditions. Safe caesarean section has a key role to play in making childbearing safer, but it costs around $300 or more, and in a continent where most people live on less than $1 per day, this is simply unaffordable to most households. Every day, 1500 women die from pregnancy- or childbirth-related complications. In 2005, there were an estimated 536 000 maternal deaths worldwide. Most of these deaths occurred in developing countries, and most were avoidable.
The link below shows the statistics of maternal deaths occurs in developing countries especially in Sub-Saharan Africa.
http://www.who.int/making_pregnancy_safer/topics/maternal_mortality/en/index.html.
In class on Tuesday we watched the movie “The Business of Being Born”, which talked about childbirth in the U.S. To me the movie was pro home births and births with midwives present and was bias against births in the hospitals without midwives. The movie showed us the dramatic difference in the number of midwives that are apart of U.S. births compared to births with housewives in Europe and Japan. In the U.S. only 1% of all births take place at home, while in Europe and Japan midwives attend 70% of all births. To me, this isn’t very shocking that in the U.S. only 1% of all births are at home, because I never hear about home births and the use of midwives. Personally, I’ve only heard of births in the hospital. But, on the other hand, in 1900, 95% of all births in the U.S. took place at home, and now it’s only 1%. This is very shocking and it is very strange that this percentage has changed so much; especially how today the U.S. is last in successful birth rates. I would think they would try to do something about this terrible rate, maybe move away from the hospital births? The movie talked about how the hospitals use various drugs such as Pitosin and Epidurals to make contractions longer, stronger, and closer together so women aren’t in labor longer than they want the women to be. To the hospitals births are more about the business than anything else. This goes hand in hand with c-section rates in the U.S. Doctors who look after the women in labor might just send the women into surgery for a c-section by telling them that it is what they have to do if they want a successful birth, while they’re really just concerned with time and getting a new patient into their hospital. They want the women to leave as quickly as possible. Since 1996 in the U.S. the c-section rate has rose 46% and in 2005 1 out of every 3 births were c-sections. Do the celebrities today getting these c-sections play a role in the relatively high percentage in the U.S.? People just see c-sections as a quick, trendy thing, where actually they can be very dangerous especially if you have more than one. Midwives and at home births in the U.S. cost a lot less than a birth in the hospital and their a lot more successful, so why don’t we see a lot more of them? An average birth in the hospital costs $13,000 while the cost for a midwife with full service including post natal care costs around $4,000.
The following is a link to facts about Cesarean Surgery:
http://www.childbirth.org/section/CSFact.html
The video we watched “The Business of being born” was extremely shocking to watch, but very informative, especially for women. I can’t believe how america once again resorted to convenience and money other than what is best for the people. I learned that hospitals have a system to make a womans birth process as swift as possible so that they are in and out of their hospital room, and ready for a new patient. All women are pressured into taking drugs when they are in a state of pain and panic, so they have a higher chance of giving in to the drug. The problem is, the drug is not always best for the mother and her child. Ricki Lake described the process as a “snow ball” effect. One drug, commonly epidural, causes the need for another, given the name “pit” which then can call for more of the original medicine. When mothers refuse to take the drugs offered doctors will often further pressure them to take the drugs as they claim it is for the best of the baby. Women have no way of knowing the protocol of the birth process, so they give in. I think this is extremely disturbing of U.S hospitals to practice, especially when all side effects of the drugs given are not known. Another popular and quick trend performed in hospitals is the cesarean section; by 2005 1/3 of all births were done through this method.
What most Americans dont know is that having a midwife to help you through birth is actually safer, and an over all more rewarding experience for both the mother and her child. The U.S is the only country who has such a high percentage of births in hospitals accompanied by such a high percentage of infant deaths. I think this is a horrific statistic and that more women should investigate the different options for birth. Having a midwife is also significantly cheaper than what a hospital charges, which should also be a benefit for pregnant women.
I think this topic should be made aware to women in the U.S as european countries have a large percentage of mothers using midwives with much better outcomes for the body both physically and emotionaly.
This link shows the recent continual decline in at home births from the U.S, but a steady rate from the netherlands, and an increase of at home births in England.
http://www.uptodate.com/contents/planned-home-birth
In class we watched the movie “The Business of Being Born,” which was a documentary that exposed the truths of having a baby in a hospital setting versus in-home birth with the assistance of a midwife. I’ll be honest in saying that at first I didn’t exactly know the entire role of a midwife until it was explained in the film. It was an intriguing and informative film that provided me with information that I had little or no knowledge of. One of the statistics that immediately jumped out at me was the cost of having a baby: $13k for in hospital delivery and $4k was the going rate for one midwife. The use of midwives in the United States is significantly lower at a rate of 8% as compared to Europe at 70%. Additionally, the U.S. has the highest mortality rate of mothers during birth than the rest of the industrialized world.
The term, “designer birth,” was used, which described mothers that schedule their births for a certain date and then have a tummy tuck performed directly after. I found this rather humorous and interesting to say the least. An birth option that has risen 46% since 1996 is cesarean section or commonly referred to as C-section. Many women opt for this because its fast and in a sense more convenient. What they don’t realize is that this is surgery and like any other surgery can have negative complications and risks, most being infection. In my opinion I think that opting for a midwife is a great alternative for a woman to have. It allows them to deliver in a comfortable and familiar setting without all the commotion of a hospital setting. If it is cost effective, reduces health risk and empowers women then I ask, why not?
Here is a link pertaining to the option of using a midwife.
The movie discussed the significant benefits of home/natural birth. They not only talked about the deep emotional experience which goes with birth (and is more readily experienced in natural births), but also the medical DISadvantages that a hospital offers. The movie argues that in a hospital, you are forced into unnecessary and sometimes dangerous medical procedures because of time limits, doctor impatience, and convenience. According to the movie, the doctors are not looking out for your best interests. The environment is not welcoming, you are often forced to have a C-section or be given a ton of drugs because it is “best for the baby,” and the mortality rate of birth in the United States is one of the highest among developed countries.
On the other hand, natural births offer a different approach. They do have medical supplies, for necessary emergencies, but the birth is executed in the manner in which you planned for before you went into labor. This choice allows everyone to support you, for you to be connected to your baby after birth, and for you to be able to fully experience labor without being “drugged up” or rushed into unnecessary surgery. It allows you to dictate your surroundings, and you are not limited to a bed of any sort. You are encouraged to get up, walk around, be held by your partner, and do whatever is most comfortable for you. In the end, you are immediately given your baby, instead of him/her being ripped away to be checked, prodded, wiped clean, etc.
The following link, although long, provides great graphs (“Figures 1-7”) that allow us to see where and how home births are being provided in the United States:
Click to access nvsr58_11.pdf
Below is a woman speaking about her birth experience, and the reason that she chose to give birth in a hospital:
This second video offers another perspective that is more encouraging of home birth:
Last class, we watched a documentary called, The Business of Being of Born.
The movie shared some very interesting statistics that really surprised me. One of these statistics is that in the US less than 8% of women use midwifes for the birth of their children, while in other countries over 70% of women use midwifes for birth. All developed countries over the world use midwifes except for the U.S. The movie suggests that their are many reasons for why this has happened. One early reason is that hospitals used smear campaigns against midwifes in the 1930s. As culture changed, OBGYNs sprouted and this led them to taking control over child births in order for them to make their business more sustainable.
A natural birth is very rare in the U.S. nowadays, although this was not always the case. in 1900, 95% of births took place at home. By 1955, only 1% of births in the U.S. took place at home and the number remains that low today.
Women see culture telling them how births are scary. (Television sees women screaming and doctor advising them on what to do, women do not want to question the expert because then they will seem like a bad mother.) This has made expecting mothers to turn to surgeons and drugs to ease the process. Drugs such as pitocin and epidermal are used for child births. Mothers are led to believe that this is the safer option while this is not the case at all. The U.S. has the second worst newborn death rate in the world and one of the highest maternity death rates. Hospitals are not giving upfront information about the dangers of hospital births, especially caesarian birth procedures. It is major surgery and has a very high death rate. Serious issues with what happens at birth with the future development of children. The chemicals from the drugs of modern medicine hurts the baby. (health problems include learning disabilities, autism, etc.)
Overall the movie was an eye-opener for the birthing process. I believe it is unknown to the public all of the benefits of giving birth at home or in a center, instead of it taking place in a hospital. Natural births are safer, cheaper, more empowering, etc.
Here is a link that compares natural births vs. medicated births:
http://www.suite101.com/content/natural-birth-vs–medicated-birth-a6881
The most shocking information that the movie “The Business of Being Born” provided was the misconception so many women have about the birthing process.It seems that the doctors should be most interested in what is in the best interest of the mother and the child but the movie presented an alternative view on the process.Wha tis scary is that mothers today remain so uninformed about the process relying on the doctors word and what has become culturally acceptable that the number to cecerian births continue to rise in the United States. How is it that a country that cliams to be the most advanced has such an outdated view of the most natural process. It is almost counterintuitive to say but it is necessary for women today to not just rely on the word of their doctor or even their own mother’s experience, considering the history of cecerian births, to guide thier decisions about birthing. I was able to find several websites provided by the movie’s information links that would be helpful in informing mothers about what birth should be like.
http://www.choicesinchildbirth.org
This is primarily an informative website seeking to show women their options and the true facts about the birthing process.
http://www.motherfriendly.org/about.php#who
The Coalition for Improving Maternity Services (CIMS) is a coalition of individuals and national organizations with concern for the care and well-being of mothers, babies, and families. Our mission is to promote a wellness model of maternity care that will improve birth outcomes and substantially reduce costs.
The business of being born was one of the most interesting documentaries I have ever seen. Usually I see some political slant or sketchy statistics but less than 1%!? You can’t lie about something like that! You can’t hide something like that!
I had very little knowledge about midwife births before I watched this film. But the camera doesn’t lie, every midwife birth in the film looked ten times more peaceful and twenty times less painful than their hospital birth counterparts. The number of Women that choose to have midwife births in our country is staggeringly low, and to make matters worse, they do it because they feel it is safer at the hospital. The film constantly steward the awareness factor that is non existent when it comes to thinking of the baby instead of how fast a doctor can finish the operation.
I believe however, that their are always advantages to going to a hospital for giving birth. The mist obvious of these is the thought that if something were to go wrong, a doctor might need a operating staff to preform a c-section. The film even admits this at one point.
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“The Business of Being Born Sociology of the Family” was indeed a wonderful read and
therefore I actually was in fact very joyful to discover the blog post.
I appreciate it,Lucy