Customer Reviews

Gentle Birth Choices [VHS]

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This beautiful, moving documentary of natural childbirth will definitely change your perceptions of the experience. It is very empowering for any pregnant woman to watch what a joyfull and miracluous event childbirth can be when a woman makes choices about the environment in which she delivers, who will attend to her at the birth, and how she prepares herself for the experience. You will learn things from the video that your doctor won't tell you, and you won't see any women screaming madly "give me drugs!" like they do in the movies. After watching this, you will suddenly remember that women have been giving birth for a long long time without medical and surgical intervention, and that the female body still knows how to do it.

Wow! I was really excited to receive this video and put it in the VCR immediately. What I saw was six women giving birth, some at home and some at birth centers. There were also many experts speaking about how childbirth is natural and should not be inter(fear)ed with.

Good points about this video:
- Natural birth is tremendous.
- Shows women having painful labors and not so painful labors.
- Women speaking about the joy and calmness of natural birth.
- Makes you feel like you are "right there". Intense at times.

Bad points:
- Every one of the women giving birth was in a couple.
- There were no couples of color and no single women.
- The midwives, and one doctor who runs a birthing center, inter(fear)ed too much, too often. Women were told to push and hold it, midwives checked for dilation and monitored fetal heartbeat.The doctore even pulled on a baby's head/neck to get it out and the mother had to yell at him to stop pulling.

As a natural childbirth instructor, I am always on the lookout for videos that are respectful of the women birthing in them. This video shows women birthing at home, in birth centers, squatting, standing and more.

This video shows the women working and rejoicing in natural birth and the emotional impact on their families and those around them.

In between births are segments by Dr. Marsden Wagner, Dr. Michael Rosenthal, Barbara Harper, RN, and several midwives. They comment on the safety of midwifery and alternative birthing settings and caution against the overuse of technology, while an appropriate use of minor intervention is shown when necessary.

Although I watch childbirth videos several times a week for my classes, I still can't make it through this one with dry eyes.

Two thumbs up!

This is the most wonderful video for the whole family. I am a mother of two children, one born at home underwater and one born in a hospital with a CNM. This video is great at preparing you mentally for the natural birthing experience. My 2 year old loved this video and my husband enjoyed it also. Lets you see how wonderful and fufilling the birth and labor process can be. I recommend this to everyone even if your not pregnant.

I've viewed this video twice. If you are interested in a natural birth, this video will help to re-assure you that pending an uncomplicated pregnancy, natural birth, in a non-stressful environment (i.e. birth center, your home) is the way to go. There are too many unnecessary C-Sections in this country and we need to get back to the natural method of delivery that God created us as women to have, pending no complications. I really enjoyed watching the individual people and their related experiences with natural birth. It has helped to re-assure me, that this is the way I want to deliver when that time comes. Pending no complications, I hope to join the thousands of women who experience natural birth. This video is informative and it has relaxed all my fears. It's a must if your considering giving birth naturally.

My first birth was a managed birth at the hospital. Everything, from the start of my labor to the cutting of my perineum was managed by an obstetrician. For my second birth I wanted something better. My local library had a copy of this video and I checked it out to view. Turns out it was very reassuring. Sure, there are some things I don't agree with and in some cases the births were a little managed. But nothing compared to what happens in the hospital.

My 2 year old daughter really liked watching the videos and I felt reassured that she wouldn't be scared to see me laboring as I would be giving birth at home with the assistance of a midwife.

Regarding the last review (below), there should be no law requiring you to give birth using an obstetrician and a hospital. America has the highest infant mortality rate of industrialized countries, doesn't that mean anything? I believe all low-risk pregnancies should be cared for by midwives, not obstetricians who are trained for high-risks pregnancies.

View it for yourself!

As a natural childbirth educator, I am always on the lookout for videos that are respectful of the birthing women shown in them. This video shows women birthing at home, in birthing centers, standing, squatting, in water and more. It conveys the awe and wonder and power of a woman in childbirth and the emotional impact of a birth on the family and people around her.

In between births are segments featuring Marsden Wagner, Dr. Michael Rosenthal, Barbara Harper, and several midwives. They talk about the safety of midwifery and alternative birthing locations. This video also covers some of the dangers of overusing technology, while showing the appropriate use of minor interventions when necessary.

All around, this is the best video I have seen to show women a variety of options, birthing positions and the emotional impact of natural birth. Although I watch birth videos several times a week for my classes, I still cant' get through this one with dry eyes.

Two thumbs up!

...the producers of this film did a great job of showing real women giving birth naturally without excessive medical intervention. ...this video showed what I wanted to see.

I was annoyed by the persistent political message about the importance of midwives and how America needs to move away from the sterile, medically assisted births and unnecessary C-sections so common throughout the past 50 years. I found it particularly odd that they featured a woman illegally practicing midwifery to support their claims.