Product Details

• Actors: Betsy Chasse, Dr. Marsden Wagner, Joseph Chilton Pearce, Ina May Gaskin, Barbara Harper
• Directors: Betsy Chasse, Steve Buonaugurio
• Format: Anamorphic, Color, DVD, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Intention Media Inc
• DVD Release Date: December 16, 2008
• Run Time: 104 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 2.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (34 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B001GJ7ZKM
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #120,880 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "Pregnant in America" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Studio: Victor Multimedia-05 Release Date: 12/16/2008 Run time: 104 minutes

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The film has passion, but lacks substance, December 28, 2009

By 

Jennifer N. Riedy "Knitted in the Womb" (Allentown, PA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Pregnant in America (DVD)

As a doula, childbirth educator, and low intervention birth advocate, I had looked forward to the release of this movie with high hopes.

In the end, I was disappointed with the film. The film style was clearly directly copied from Michael Moore's style without any attempt to express this filmmaker's own style, Mr. Buonaugurio has passion, and he is right that many people are left in the dark when it comes to childbirth practices in America. But he offered very little in the way of HOPE for people.

I've had 3 home births myself, but right from the begining I was put off by the flip chart in the background that had boldly written on it "The hospital is our enemy." The hospital is NOT our enemy. It certainly is excessive for the majority of women in America to birth in hospitals rather than at home or in birthing centers, but the hospital serves a necessary role in keeping birth safe.

I continue to be annoyed at how the natural birth community misrepresents the Cytotec issue. I am not a fan of Cytotec, and believe that it should only be used with full informed consent. But that informed consent is being denied by BOTH sides of the debate. The medical establishment does not make women aware that it has an increased risk of causing uterine rupture, meconium passage, and hyperstimulation of the uterus even in women with no previous cesarean sections. The natural birth community does make women aware that the "contraindication" on prescribing it to pregnant women only applies to prescriptions for the treatment of ulcers because it can bring on labor. The package insert for Cytotec specifically addresses use for labor induction, and while it does not specifically "approve" its use, it only contraindicates its use in women with a previous cesarean or who are on their 5th or greater pregnancy.

I was most especially annoyed by the failure of the moviemaker to more fully address the NICU stay of his daughter. He invited us into this deeply personal area of his life, and then for reasons unknown, did not provide a full explaination of what happened in the NICU. It was clear to me from looking at the baby in the hospital that the original transfer had merit--her respiration was clearly not normal. But the days of "observation" after she was released from the NICU...what was going on there? I suspect it was an unnecessary treatment that may be part of the reason the movie provides no real hope for the viewer. Mr. Buonaugurio learned first hand how difficult it can be to stand up to the medical establishment and say "this treatment is not needed. I'm not accepting it."

In the end, I think this film has value if it is used as a discussion starter...but I don't think it has value if viewed as a stand-alone product.

28 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars So what did his wife think?, May 12, 2009

By 

Ladycake - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pregnant in America (DVD)

I can't begin to describe how irritating I found this movie. Although I am totally pro home-birth and alarmed by the birth statistics in the US, I could not get past how self-absorbed the filmmaker/father was. I really regret having watching this film, except for the brief clips of Ina May Gaskin. She's awesome and outshines any penny-ante Michael Moore wannabes.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Extremely Disappointing, September 14, 2010

By 

S. D. Paul "Deonn (didi)" (WI) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Pregnant in America (DVD)

I am currently a midwifery student at The Florida School of Traditional Midwifery. Naturally, I am an advocate for home birth, and a woman's right to choose her own special birthplan. However, the hospital IS NOT THE ENEMY, nor is the medical community. This documentary only served to make me feel sorry for the wife of the selfish man who created it. His aggressive behavior is silly and confrontational, and his communication skills are poor. Not all hospital births are horrible. Obstetricians aren't all hell-bent on making women suffer through torturous and traumatic births. Placing blame and pointing fingers will not heal a broken system, but only hinder it further.
If you are interested in birth related dvds you may want to check out the following: Orgasmic Birth, Birth As We Know It, Open Minds to Birth, Birth Day, or even The Business of Being Born. If you want an informational "classroom" style DVD try Laugh and Learn About Childbirth. (There is also a Laugh and Learn About Breastfeeding dvd that is pretty good)
Also, I believe the baby may have had Group B Streptococcus (GBS) which is a type of bacterial infection that can be passed from mother to baby during birth. If a family is choosing home birth, testing for GBS is optional. I think perhaps the creator of this film and his wife opted not to test for Group B Strep. In the end of the film he claims that the hospital never told them what was going on with their newborn, but I got the impression that he was fibbing and didn't want to own up to the fact that they had decided not to test for GBS. Of course, this is just my own guess.