The Business Of Being Born...

I know, I don't have kids. Though, I have witnessed four different births, three of which were in the hospital and one at a birthing center with a midwife. I decided after being present for a midwife assisted birth that I wanted that when it was my time!

I've wanted to see "the Business Of Being Born" since I heard about it. Tonight I had my chance. Matt works super late every Wednesday (until next week, my baby got a promotion and doesn't have to work the crazy shifts anymore...yay!!)Anyway, I figured it would be a good night to watch it. I must say though, Matt isn't typical when it comes to "girl stuff", he finds it interesting. Good thing because I'm pretty open about things. Everyone should be educated.

This documentary is well done. It's not the guilt-inducing, anti pain relief, pretentious attitude that it could be seen as from those on the outside (though they do exist, this wasn't one of them) It's about giving women choices. It's about allowing your body to do what it was created to do. It's about asking questions, getting answers.

The US has the 2nd highest infant death rate. #2!! That means in third world countries, babies are born in fields are surviving, while our babies are dying in a "safe" environment. It does give you something to think about! My favorite part is when a women mentions how when you're in a hospital and the doctor suggests a medical intervention and when you ask why, you're told that it's best for the baby. If you continue to question, you look like a bad mom that doesn't want what is best, so you go along with it.

Recently, a friend and I were talking about childbirth. I mentioned something about not fearing it. She was shocked. She expressed that she has nightmares about the birth experience. The reason? We've been conditioned to fear it. We've heard all the horror stories and have been told how painful it is (which is a fact I'm not debating). Where are the stories of empowerment? Where are the stories where women persevered? They are few and far between. I would bet that if we focused more on what our bodies were designed to do, and less on the horror stories, there wouldn't be such anxiety. Our mothers and grandmothers do us no favors by instilling that kind of fear.

Even if you want a hospital birth, with an epidural or a c-section, you should watch this documentary. If for no other reason then to know that you have choices and a right to know what is going on and to question things that you aren't totally comfortable with.