Business of Being Born

While reading the section on child birth in Women and Medicalization, is was reminded of a documentary I watched called The Business of Being Born. The documentary looks at 'alternative' methods to child birth, like home births, and comparing them to hospital births. That document uses statistics and experience from other women to show the advantages of using a home birth and why hospitals are actually detrimental to women. This just reiterates the push for profession dominance over child birth. The documentary even states that medical students don't even get to witness a natural child birth. In America, more women are having more c-sections that in any other country. Women are planning c-sections because it is the latest trend. Only 8% of births are attended by midwifes. However, midwifes attend to about 70% of births in Europe, Japan, Australia, Spain, and these countries are losing fewer women and babies during child birth. The US has the one of the worst newborn mortalities in the world. Just like Riessman stated in her article, medical management of child birth is not improving the results or the safety in women, and it clearly states that in the statistics. We have to ask ourselves, are these medical interventions making things worse?

Here is a clip from The Business Being Born where the discuss the medical process of delivering a baby: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3fPauJEy7fc