The Business of Being Born
April 16, 2008 at 3:54 pm (Breastfeeding)
Tags: Abby Epstein, Childbirth, fertility, Health, Home Birth, Midwifery, Movies, Ricki Lake, Theology of the Body
“MATERNITY CARE IN THE UNITED STATES IS IN CRISIS.”
“I saw that nowhere does the tension between technology and nature play out more dramatically than birth.”
This excerpt from director Abby Epstein’s statement on the official movie web site of “The Business of Being Born”, and I think it’s a tremendous understatement. This film doesn’t just tackle the tension between technology and nature; it shines an interrogation lamp on the corporate and political tug of war that takes place in hospital board rooms and plays out on the fertile field of maternity wards.
I wouldn’t have thought twice about having a “traditional” hospital birth when I have my first child, but I found out that choosing a “traditional” hospital birth now means probably a nice volley of Pitosin and epidural that results in a 43% chance of C-Section–which is major surgery! My favorite part–which is also in the trailer–is when Ricki asks some OB nurses how often they see a natural childbirth (i.e., sans drugs), the question is met with an awkward silence and questioning faces rapidly searching their memories. After the…yes…..pregnant pause, the nurses answer with, right–you got it–”Rarely” and “Almost never.”
By the way, this film isn’t styled as perfect-pitch journalistic piece, so don’t expect the most balanced account ever. This is a film, and it’s meant to question, to prod, to provoke and instigate a conversation about birthing that hasn’t been taking place.
This vignette is honest, raw and authentic. It made me cry because more than anything I’ve seen about birth–even in the Natural Family Planning World–showed maternity is such a visually visceral way. It showed life as it IS–painful, wry, witty, wonderful, passion-filled, surprising, sexual, gorgeous and embracing. It portrayed midwives as compassionate trained medical professionals, rather than backwoodsy grannys armed only with hot water, a towel and ignorance. Seeing what midwives go through to get trained (I have a friend studying midwifery right now actually), and seeing their level of preparation and experience, this is something I would be prepared to seriously consider and do when it comes to be my time, God willing.
The only creative smudge on the film was a character flaw of the nurse wife Cara. While I totally respect her profession, her credentials, and her passion, I didn’t dig what seemed to be her primary motivation for being a midwife. She spoke from a fundamentally flawed radical feminist perspective. What I perceived from her is that woman needs to “take back” her uterus and all its associative powers, including childbirth, from men and the Man. There seemed to be a dissonant dialectic between the sexes, rather than an equal and complimentary relationship, as taught in the more authentic feminism of Theology of the Body. Despite the proclivity to proletariat maternity politics, Cara was a very real person, and I liked that about the whole film. It just seemed elegantly real. May I strive to be that–elegantly real–in my daily life, and when it comes to my time for welcoming my first child into the world, may I be as natural and authentic as the women in this film.
asimplesinner said,
April 17, 2008 at 4:58 am
I am working on a post for The Black Cordelias right now dealing with the fact that most of my friends are 30somethings who have contracepted or (sadly) aborted until now when some have settled into marriages… One couple I know of - both 31 - have shared with me that they plan to put off children till 35 while pursuing advanced degrees…
It then occurs to me that after 2 decades of being fertile, and 2 decades of taking artificial hormones that told her she was pregnant when she wasn’t, the wife is running real risks they ignore of being able to get pregnant and have a natural childbirth… If they want two, they are talking about the second kid by about the age of 40…
So two things occur to me: late pregnancy for a first pregnancy seems likely to have more possibilities of complication… and 2 decades of treating the body like an object and “better living through chemistry” sort of predisposes one to seek the least natural remedies.
At least that is what I suspect, at 31, few of my contemporaries have children.
militarywifey said,
June 13, 2008 at 2:11 am
My midwife was AMAZING! She saved me from having a C-section. My daughter was Left Occupit Posterior (in other words, sunny side up) and was causing me HORRIBLE contractions. Her heart rate was dropping at points and I was freaked out. I heard the word, C-section, a few times. I had been through nearly 24 hours of active labor, I DID NOT WANT A C-SECTION. I heard the term “nuchal cord” being tossed around and it freaked me out. I just wanted to have a healthy baby already. Thankfully my midwife was so skilled and amazing that she was amazing to turn my daughter and I was able to deliver her naturally (I did have an epidural though).
I’m anxious to see this movie. It certainly sounds interesting.
Lindy said,
July 9, 2008 at 11:58 pm
I have had two natural births, the first with an OB, and the second with a midwife. The difference b/n the two births was, to say the very least, extraordinary. It would take too long to write of now, but let’s just say that I educated myself enough before the birth of my first child that I knew what I did and did not want, and I had to FIGHT FOR EVERY LAST PREFERENCE with my OB. Totally different with my midwife, and it’s b/c OBs and midwives approach birth in two completely different ways. OBs treat pregnancy and birth as a sickness to be treated, while midwives view pregnancy and birth as a normal physiological process that women’s bodies were designed to do the right way most of the time. In my opinion, only high risk pregnancies shoulds be treated by an OB, and the birth should still be attended by both an OB and a midwife. I’m already getting too windy.
One thing I want to address, (and you mention this), is that I’m overwhelmingly disturbed by the latest controversy b/n the producers of the movie and the AMA and ACOG (who, of course, havce come out against the movie. More natural births = less money for OB-GYNs). In her response, Ricki made a very strong comment advocating her support of “choice”, and making natural birth and abortion two sides of the same coin. I have been as active as possible to try and tell natural birth advocates to not make this fatal error, as to couch natural birth in pro-abortion language is to lose a whole lot of support for the cause. (Me, included. As much as I’m for better legislation to support midwifery, I’m more for allowing babies to live long enough to actually be caught by a midwife in the first place.)
Finally, I just read the article in Family Foundations, and that’s why I’m here now posting this comment. I admire the courage it takes for you to stand up and shout from the internet mountaintop the all-around benefits of NFP in an age that doesn’t want to hear it. Kudos.
nfpworks said,
July 11, 2008 at 11:04 pm
Thanks, Lindy! Don’t leave the Kippleys out of the NFP blogging kudos sphere, although they perhaps have a different tone and approach.
As to the hoopla over the AMA/ACOG/BoBB spat: who knows. I can’t keep up with all the emails I’ve gotten from the BoBB, but I’ve had at least one run in with an ACOG activist doctor, so I guess their pride doesn’t surprise me. (Which isn’t to say that every ACOG member is a radical feminist–male or female–weilding their MD with activist rage.)
Let us pray for them, and make requests for more NFP friendly doctors, and make complaints (calmly and professionally worded–not like one of my blog entries) in writing to our health providers when we get beat on the head with an ACOG-activist stick.
Kerry said,
July 15, 2008 at 4:58 am
hey there! Just read about your blog in the latest issue of Family Foundations- SO glad you are out here blogging. I’m 27, married, with one child and I am trying to spread the NFP message far and wide here in California.
I liked the BoBB movie- hit close to home, as I had a midwife (LOVED the personal care and attention they gave) and give birth at a birth center.
My birth inspired me to teach natural childbirth classes, where you can bet I’ll include info about the beauty of NFP too! (Gotta get these couples when they are at that critical stage in life/marriage)
Well, just wanted to wish you the best- I’ll be checking the blog regularly.
Laura Hall said,
July 17, 2008 at 10:19 am
Hi, I also saw about you in the Family Foundations! Awesome!
Could not resist getting in on any birth discussion… another passion of mine besides NFP. My second child was born unassisted because the midwife did not get to my house in time. Living in the country when pregnant with my third we figured we could have a surprise unassisted birth again or we could prepare ourselves (still had prenatals and read up) and have a planned unassisted birth. We have had 4 planned unassisted births. I cannot express enough the intimacy my husband and I shared. The comfort of being around only those I love the most.
I share this because hopefully it will make others think outside the box… “If she could have an unassisted birth, then maybe I could have a homebirth with a midwife… my body is beautiful and works wonderfully and is made in God’s image.”