Product Details

• Language: English
• Subtitles: Spanish
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: WARNER HOME VIDEO
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0013K2Z7M
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #302,738 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Birth is a miracle a rite of passage a natural part of life. But birth is also big business.Compelled to explore the subject after the delivery of her first child actress Ricki Lake recruits filmmaker Abby Epstein to question the way American women have babies.Epstein gains access to several pregnant New York City women as they weigh their options. Some of these women are or will become clients of Cara Muhlhahn a charismatic midwife who between birth events shares both memories and footage of her own birth experience.Footage of women having babies punctuates THE BUSINESS OF BEING BORN. Each experience is unique; all are equally beautiful and equally surprising. Giving birth is clearly the most physically challenging event these women have ever gone through but it is also the most emotionally rewarding.Along the way Epstein conducts interviews with a number of obstetricians experts and advocates about the history culture and economics of childbirth. The film‟s fundamental question: should most births be viewed as a natural life process or should every delivery be treated as a potential medical emergency?As Epstein uncovers some surprising answers her own pregnancy adds a very personal dimension to THE BUSINESS OF BEING BORN a must-see movie for anyone even thinking about having a baby.System Requirements:Running Time: 87 minutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: DOCUMENTARIES/SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY Rating: NR UPC: 794043120732 Manufacturer No: 1000038295

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Parents to be - this is our wake up call!, February 8, 2008

By 

joyello18 (Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: BUSINESS OF BEING BORN (DVD)

I have watched this film twice in pre-screenings, and have an order in to purchase when it is released. You can also rent it from Netflix when it comes out.

The film intends to bring some transparency to state of birthing in the US. It doesn't conclude with "doctors and hospitals are evil" yet it also shows that homebirth is not just for hippies living in barns!

The film prompts its viewers to ask tough questions:

Why does the United States have the highest rate of maternal and neonatal deaths surrounding labor and delivery among all domesticated countries? With advances in medical techology and knowledge, why hasn't this mortality rate decreased in over 20 years?

What are other countries doing differently that is producing less injury and fewer losses of life?

Why do people spend more time researching what type of digital camera to purchase than they do researching the safest way to deliver their child?

Why has birth become such an event that women often anticipate with so much dread, instead of a natural part of life?

Why do intelligent, educated women spend 9 months of their pregnancy avoiding alcohol, caffeine, and even tylenol; but the moment labor approaches, they beg for maximum pain relief and expect this has NO effect on their baby?

Why is the cesarean rate increasing so quickly in our country, and should we be concerned about that?

Why are the majority of baby's birth certificates showing deliveries on weekdays during regular business hours?

What does an ideal birth look like? A "healthy" baby and a "healthy" mom? Or is there more?

As a culture, are we moving toward better birthing or away from it?

The film is an introduction to many aspects of the home birth and hospital birth discussion, and does a good job of keeping things balanced. I've talked to moms and dads, midwives, and OBs who have seen it, and overall it is a thought-provoking result.

For me, I'm a planner/researcher personality, so this film would not be enough to convince me either to have or not have a home birth. I've read at least 15 books on the subject now, and that is what has convinced me. However, my husband will never read those books, so this film was a good way to get him involved in the dicussion and decisions that we will make for our future children.

My top booklist if you're thinking about home birth: "Pushed" Jennifer Block 2007, and "Born in the USA" Dr. Marsden Wagner 2006, for current intellectual research and statistics involving birth. "Ina May's Guide to Childbirth" Ina May Gaskin 2003 and "Birthing from Within" Pam England 1998, for emotionally encouraging stories and feel-good about anticipating your birth type of ideas.

Hopefully, this film will be to birthing what Supersize Me was to fast food. Yes, we still have McDonalds around, and plenty of people eat there. But maybe more people will eat at home, or make more healthy choices. And McDonalds and other chains are removing transfats and selling salads. Generally speaking, the US population is a bit more aware of the dangers of overindulging in fast food, including the loss of life from obesity and obesity-related diseases.

This film would hopefully have a similar result: Yes, we still have doctors and hospitals around, and plenty of women are delivering in them every day. But a greater percentage of births would happen at home with licensed professionals. Hospitals would stop giving pitocin, epidurals, and other interventions to practically every woman in labor, and they would work to decrease their cesarean rates. Generally speaking, the US population would be more aware of options for birth, and would investigate the subject more before blithely succombing to a birth experience that is resulting in loss of life and permanent damage to women and babies across our country. I'm sorry, did I get on my soapbox just now?

Enjoy the film, and make the best decision you can as parents, for the sake of your unborn children.

5.0 out of 5 stars Everyone planning to have a baby should watch this, September 9, 2009

By 

Terri Henry "Onelove Livity" (Dominica) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: BUSINESS OF BEING BORN (DVD)

I found this movie to be very well made and eye-opening. I am about to have a home birth and this was just extra incentive. Read my full review of this movie on my blog [...]