The Business of Being Born: Review
Documentary Examines Hospital Birth and Intervention in the U.S.
An eye-opening childbirth video that looks at birth options in America, and encourages women to question the move away from midwives, natural delivery and home birth.
Television personality Ricki Lake has produced The Business of Being Born, a documentary which reveals alarming facts about childbirth in the United States.
The film suggests that hospital birth and intervention have become a lucrative business for doctors, hospitals and insurance companies while increasing risks to both mother and baby.
U.S. Childbirth Statistics
More than 4 million women give birth in United States hospitals each year, with the overwhelming majority receiving some form of medical intervention. However, no statistics prove that a hospital birth is safer than a home birth for the average, low-risk woman.
In contrast, women in other developed parts of the world favor natural childbirth, and are more likely to have a midwife-assisted delivery.
Cost of Labor and Delivery
According to 2007 March of Dimes report, the average cost of a vaginal delivery in a U.S. hospital is $8,800. A Cesarean delivery increases the cost to $11,000.
Compare these figures to the expense of a home delivery. A search of Internet forums where mothers discuss home births reveals that certified nurse midwives charged these mothers anywhere from $1,000 to $4,000 for prenatal care and delivery.
What is Intervention?
Medical intervention during childbirth includes amniotomy (breaking the amniotic sac to induce or speed up labor), the use of labor-inducing drugs (such as Pitocin) and pain-relief medications (often administered through epidurals), surgery (episiotomy and Cesarean section), and the use of instruments to assist with delivery (such as forceps and vacuum extractors).
U.S. and Infant Mortality
Despite the degree of medical intervention during a typical birth, the film says the U.S. has one of the highest infant mortality rates of any developed nation. According to findings released in 2007 by the Center for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC), maternal mortality has also increased.
American Culture and Childbirth
American culture has taught women to be afraid of the natural process of childbirth. By the mid-20th century, most American women gave birth in hospitals, and they didn’t question intervention.
High Cesarean Rate
According to the CDC report, thirty percent of babies in America are delivered by Cesarean section. In some hospitals, the rate approaches 50 percent.
While some doctors blame the high cost of malpractice suits for this figure, the documentary offers other explanations: excessive intervention, a new trend in elective C-sections, convenience to the doctor, and the desire for hospitals to move maternity patients quickly out of labor and delivery.
The Snowball Effect of Intervention
Midwives and other supporters of natural childbirth point out that use of one intervention often leads to use of another, creating a snowball effect.
Consider the widespread use of the epidural.
Because epidurals frequently inhibit labor, it is likely that Pitocin, a drug used to induce contractions, will be needed. Contractions caused by Pitocin are typically stronger and more painful than natural contractions, so the epidural might be increased.
In addition to an increased risk of the mother’s blood pressure dropping, there is increased risk of fetal distress, thus increasing the likelihood of a Caesarian section.
A C-section, in turn, poses the threat of infection and blood loss to the mother.
An Educational Film
The Business of Being Born convincingly argues that intervention – and hospital births – are not prerequisites for the safe delivery of a healthy child.
Although the film doesn’t dismiss the advantage of medical technology – clearly many situations warrant childbirth in a well-equipped medical facility – the film strongly encourages American women to empower themselves through knowledge, and to give serious consideration to natural childbirth and home birth.
