Birth has set a tone in the life of mothers. Whether it is following the process of natural birth or deciding with the common normal way to give birth, they both stand as one of the most important times in a woman’s life. Many woman and families aren't educated on natural births and this results in normal hospital births having the leading number of births in the united states. Women see hospital births as being the only safest most efficient way to deliver a child, but research shows that home births have the least number of mother mortality and can possibly be safer than a hospital delivery. (http://www.homebirth.org.uk/hbstimes.htm).
The whole unit of birth is something that opened my eyes to home birth and the glorification of it. Its usually something that I would totally brush off, but after learning about the different aspects of it, I am aware now that it can actually be the best way to deliver a child. I feel that every woman planning to have a child in the future should watch this documentary in order to be educated on home births and to learn the unknown facts about hospital births. Mothers delivering at home in company of a midwife tend to have a better birthing experience and connection to their new born child. Delivering a child in a hospital can sometimes cause these feelings also, but the majority of the time the mother feels distant from her child. Hospital birth rate is higher than at home births because it is what people are most familiar with, it is the “normal” way to give birth.
Normal birth(Hospital birth)
Normal births are considered hospital births. Births where there are interventions, many doctors around, and much intensity. It is seen as the most common way of delivering a child, which is why most Americans chose this as their way of delivering. Patients fail to realize that the hospital is not patient centered, it is doctor centered. This means that things are done to benefit the doctor and make him/more comfortable in the situation, instead of focusing on the comfort level of the patient. “A hospital is a business” is a quote that many of us tend to forget, even though hospitals are here to help us...we have to remember that it is a business that focuses on making money therefore whatever way they can make money than they will do it. When watching “the business of being born” which is a documentary that focuses on educating women on home births, midwives, and the unknown facts on hospital births. It pin points that during a hospital birth a mother pushes out the child and then the new born is automatically taken away from the mother and put in the nursery. It is obvious that this doesn't give the mother a time to connect with her baby and to have the joyful feeling of bringing life into this world. When watching the mothers give birth at home in this documentary, it was a intimate bonding feeling between the mother and the child. The mother automatically began to breast feed and it seemed as if there was an immediate attachment.
When listening to our guest speaker today(ms plaza) she told us after she had her child she didn't feel a connection until about two days later. Ms plaza had gone through a normal birth but some may consider it natural because she had decided not to receive any drugs during the labor, therefore it was so painful at times that when her child finally was born ...all she wanted to do was sleep. Being in the hospital with a strap over her belly made her feel as if she was being trapped and couldn’t move on her own will. Trying to get in a comfortable position was extremely hard because the doctors would just make her lay on her back, but shouldn’t she be able to lay in what ever position feels best for her? To me this is something no mother should feel. Another feeling that she had during labor was also a worried feeling. Ms plaza stated that the doctors had no clue on what they were suppose to do. They were rambling around the room asking questions to one another as if they didn’t know she was laying there on the bed in labor. It felt as if she was invisible to them and noone cared about her giving birth. This made the whole experience something very horrifying and she wished no woman would ever have to live through that. After delivering her baby, she didn't really care what they did with her baby because she was so exhausted.
Another interview that helped me gain more understanding of normal births would be the interview that took place with Melissa. Melissa was very open to answering personal questions about her births, being that she had been through a natural and normal birth she could speak for both sides. Although Melissa loves both her children very much, she did state that the home birth process was much more loving and gave her a instant connection with her child, rather than the distant feeling from her first child. Normal birth wasn’t one of her fondest memories but the natural birth was a breath taking experience for her because of the freedom she felt to do what was comfortable for her. During her pregnancy she told us that she had sex a lot which is something we all thought may have a bad affect on the baby because of the constant movement...it seemed as if she didn’t really change her normal activity therefore her pregnancy wasn’t a tough one. Something not so pleasant about her normal birth is that she had to receive an episiotomy, this is something I question because there are plenty of woman who can deliver a child without having their vagina cut open, which therefore makes me think this procedure is unnecessary because “An episiotomy is performed in 70 to 80 percent of births in North America, making it one of the most common techniques used in Western medicine” (http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-1015337.html).
Something that is also shown to me in the movie is how many mothers aren't aware that hospital births can be very dangerous. When a women is in labor she rushes to the hospital and just automatically puts all of her trust into the doctor. The soon to be mother depends on him to keep her baby safe, deliver her a healthy baby, and to make sure nothing goes wrong...but many of them don't know that the procedures doctors use aren't always the safest. Lithotomy position(woman on back with legs spread) is the position most common during hospital births, and personally I have believed up until now that it is the best way to deliver a child...but the truth is that its not. It shocked me to find out that Lithotomy position is made to benefit the doctor more than the patient, it seems bizarre that a person can worry about themselves more than a woman pushing out life...but that's the way it usually is. When the woman is laying on her back, it gives the doctor a better angle in order for him to deliver the child, but it makes it harder for the child to come out of the mother. So why have the mother lay in this position if its not beneficial for her? As long as it is beneficial for the doctors, than that is all that matters.
For this to be a known fact for most people(mainly doctors) but still happening In the hospital, it seems as if its not really a big concern. It amuses me and saddens me at the same time to see a women constantly thanking the doctor for "helping" her, when the doctor isn’t really using the best technique to help the woman give birth. Such as when a woman has pain during a normal birth the doctors often persuade or request for them to receive an epidermal. They feed the patient all these things such as saying its only to help her, it won't hurt the baby and it will just make everything better. But the part that they really never mention is that the epidermal helps to ease the pain by slowing down the contractions, which slows down the pregnancy. This can began to slow down the entire labor process, which makes the doctor then want to give the mother Pitocin. Pitocin is a drug that speeds up the contractions which speeds up the pregnancy and pain but once again an epidermal would be needed again because the contractions will get out of control. This becomes an on going process, drugging up the mother and drugging up the baby! Its not healthy at all! Than after this happens, the doctor decides that the women needs a c-section. While watching the movie the woman received a cesarean section because the baby wasn't in the right positing to have a vagina birth. A c section should never be done unless the childs life is at danger. But when this happens in the hospital during normal births, the mother usually isn't aware that what is being done can harm her and her unborn child. This points back to the amount of awareness expecting mothers have on normal births. In the documentary Ricky lake admitted that she didn't know much about home births but once she found out she knew it was something she wanted to experience. It shows that you have to be educated on a specific thing before you can immediately turn against it or be for it.
When watching videos of natural birth on Youtube, I found a video that probably gave the worst but best example of hospital birth. In Monty Python video, a woman was giving birth and the doctors should have just been considered by-standers in the delivery room. I would never want doctors like these! None of them took the labor as a serious matter, and all they seemed to care about was making themselves look good to the head doctor. It seemed like there was only one important teacher (who still acted goofy) and then there was his little peasants who did everything for him. Off of the back this seemed as if it were a normal birth because the attention was focused on the doctor. In the beginning of the video the doctors word choice were ridiculous. He said things such as “Get the machine that goes ping,” and “ get the most expensive one.” People really listened to what the doctor orders, without saying “are you sure you know what your doing?” It reminded me of a scene from a movie when the doctors were bringing in the equipment to the deliver the baby with, and the music that went with the scene sound as if it was from star trek. At one point the doctors were just standing around the table banging on the bed, totally forgetting their purpose. When the woman finally arrived, she hopped up onto the delivery bed and spread her legs apart. It looked like the most uncomfortable thing in the world. It made me wonder if there are any real life situations that are similar to this and I after I heard ms plaza’s birth story I figured that this happens in real life. “Don’t you worry we will soon have you cured.” The lady didn’t even have a disease! They make it seem as if she was sick. When the lady began to give birth she asked the doctor what she should do, he replied “You are not qualified.” A real doctor now in days probably would have said “Just breath and relax.” The doctors put the woman’s legs in lithotomy position and when the baby came out they took a butchers knife and cut the umbilical cord as if there were in a meat shack. After that, the doctors left out of the room like nothing every happened. She lay there looking confused and then asked the gender of her new born child, as a response she got “it’s a little to early for roles” LOL! This whole entire situation was just a scene from a comedy. In this video there was no family members present at, no love was shown, no epidermal or sedatives were given to the mother. It was just like a hit and run...let push the baby out and then leave. This seems to be what doctors think in real life when delivering a child...get in, get the job done, and then move on to the next labor so we can get off of work on time.
Women giving birth
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_3JjgiUzVI&feature=related)
I watched a video of a women giving birth in a different country, it seemed very intense and violent for some reason. It started off with the doctor placing the woman’s leg in lithotomy position and then picking up silver tongs and scissors, but the video wasn’t clear on telling exactly what she used these things for. It seemed like she was cutting the womans vagina, maybe giving her a episitomy. Right after the doctor put her utensils down, the baby came out. She pulled him by his head and then yanked at his shoulders, grabbing him out of the vagina upside down (so that his legs were in the air and his head was facing the floor). After this she handed him over another women which held the baby by his legs upside down, carried him to a incubator and rolled him out of the room. When I saw how the nurse took the baby into her hands, I was so shocked. I wondered what country this was done in, and whether this was something frequent. It looked as If they were trying to kill the baby the way they held him. It was unbelievable! Something we learned in class is that a baby should never be pulled by the head when being born, because in many cases the babies head has come off. Watching this video probably was the main piece of information that guided me towards the choice of natural birth, the way the baby was delivered in this video made it seem like such a harsh experience for a mother and the child to go through a normal birth.
C- section Birth
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWmHAJMaW1w)
Bloody, a lot of cutting and a lot of hands on one place. It looked so painful, imagine sitting there while a bunch of people are cutting your stomach open. When watching it I forgot all about the fact that the baby is actually taken out of the stomach! It shocked me when I saw the doctors pulling the baby out of the stomach because it seemed like that was the natural way the baby is suppose to be born, instead of a alternative way. When the baby came out, the doctors used a baby blue suction type tool (that I saw people use a lot when a baby’s nose is stuffed) and they insert it into each of the new born’s nostrils and mouth. Even though this looked normal, I can tell that this is not the way most births take place. It was far from a natural birth, and it seems as if the recovery time would take longer than if the women had a vaginal birth.
When researching facts on hospital births on births defects that new borns had helped determined their stay at the hospital, amount the hospital charged, and the number of deaths that took place in the hospital. For example,
“The Average length of stay was longest for infants with surgically repaired gastroschisis (41 days) or omphalocele (33 days). For eight other birth defects, the average stay was longer than 21 days. The average length of stay for births without defects was 2 days.
-Average hospital charges were highest (nearly $200,000) for infants with hypoplastic left heart syndrome and common truncus arteriosus. Average charges for births without defects were $1,844.
-Anencephaly, trisomy 13, and trisomy 18 caused the highest rates of in-hospital death. The largest total numbers of in-hospital deaths were among infants with diaphragmatic hernia, renal agenesis, and trisomy 18. The in-hospital death less than 3% for each of the five most common birth defects— hypospadias/epispadias, obstructive genitourinary defects, Down syndrome, cleft lip with or without cleft palate, and pulmonary valve stenosis. . All birth defects but pulmonary valve stenosis resulted in average hospital charges of less than $40,000. More studies are needed to compare outcomes for infants with single and multiple defects and to assess longer-term outcomes.” (http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/bd/keyfindings/hospital.htm)
All of these examples and facts sum up the main ideas of normal birth and the way that it is viewed in America.
Natural Birth(At home birth)
I admit that I was very ignorant to this topic before, but after seeing different home birth stories documented in this movie, it helped me to understand home births better than I already did. Home births stress the bonding between a mother and her new born child. Also the bonding and loving feeling of having loved ones around to make you feel comfortable and safe only adds to the special moment. Midwives are people that are present during home births, it is them who the woman puts all of her trust into to deliver her baby. Midwives often educate woman and their partner on the entire process that will take place and let them feel as comfortable as possible. Depending on local law, midwives may deliver babies in the mother's home, in a special birthing center or clinic, or in a hospital. (http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=4384)
Many midwives struggle because its not a well known or supported business, in the documentary a black owned home birth business had to close its doors because of the price of rent and low amount of business. I believe that if more woman were exposed to information on home births and midwives than it would be the number one way for women to give birth. When watching the documentary in class, there was a intimate bond between the mother and child after just delivering her baby in her house. It seemed very delicate and special because there was so much love shown and right after the woman had her child..she began to breast feed her which seemed like automatic attachment. I realized that this stood as something very special because something like this would never be seen in a hospital during a normal birth. Home births stress the bonding between a mother and her new born child. Also the bonding and loving feeling of having loved ones around to make you feel comfortable and safe only adds to the special moment. During a hospital birth a mother pushes out the child and it is then put in the nursery. This doesn't give the mother a time to connect with her baby and to have the joyful feeling of bringing life into this world. When watching the mothers give birth at home, it was a intimate bonding feeling between the mother and the child. One thing that is very different from normal births is the position in which the baby is born. During a home birth the woman is in the best position possible for giving birth, which is squatting position because it makes it easier for the baby to come out. During a hospital birth the woman is put in a position that isnt the best for her or her child but since this is not known the woman believes that she is getting the best treatment possible. It amuses me and saddens me at the same time to see a women constantly thanking the doctor for "helping" her.
When exploring different natural births on youtube I came across several that interest me.
Ina May
When looking at Ina May video discussing natural child birth, she made a statement about how the men and women would just kiss when ever contractions came along. It is very rare that this sort of activity would take place in a hospital. This is something that we discussed in class, and something that isn’t done often. Often I hear about normal child births and think that it is the best way to give birth, but after listening to the points that Ina May were making...It helped me to see that natural child birth is something that maybe all women should have. Even though at one point she discusses how the doctor putting his/hers fingers into the woman’s vagina to open it up, can sometimes seem as if her privacy is being invaded or can make the mother feel uncomfortable. A good argument that she brings up is allowing the mother to have a midwife present that will make her feel safe and feel as if there is someone there who is similar to her, which will make her comfortable enough to push out the baby with no problem. This is something that doesn’t occur during natural birth, it should because often women feel like hell when giving birth. In normal births when the doctor gives the patient epidural’s and other pain medicines to relax them, I guess this serves as their own way to help them feel better while giving birth.
Giraffe gives birth
This seemed like the least careless birth ever possible. The giraffe was just walking around not seeming to care that there was a baby giraffe being born. It looked as if the mother was growing weaker, because she began leaning over to the side. I can tell that it probably was a painful having the giraffe just stuck there and having to carry that weight around on her back. After all of that walking the mother did, all of a sudden the giraffe came out. It reminded me of a human birth because sometimes mothers walk a lot of induce the labor. When the giraffe splattered out, it had a coating around its body...and it looked as if brown fluids were coming out of the mother. I felt bad for the baby giraffe because it hit the floor so hard and seemed as if it were dead, but I guess that is natural for a giraffe birth. Towards the end of the video, the mom came and pulled some skin off of the baby and just walked away. It didn’t seem very loving, similar to when the baby is born and right away they are taking away from their mother. Overall this birth is similar to a human normal birth, unloving and fast.
Dolphin Gives birth (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DmBziYFME7I)
This birth looked similar to the giraffe giving birth, but instead of the dolphin walking around, it swam around with the baby hanging out from the back of her. When the baby finally came out, a lot of blood looked like it was released also. The mother’s hole looked as if is stretched out (just as during a woman’s birth) At the end of the video there was a “birth certificate” and it stated that the baby dolphin weighed 30lbs! This is another animal birth that related to a human normal birth because the process was fast and didn’t seem as if there was much love being shown. To the mother or to the child being born. Even though these all are similar to normal births, it seems like animal birth serves as the most natural birth because it is just the mom and the baby involved. There are no doctors, no medicine, its just a birth taking place...what can be more natural than that?
When comparing natural births to home births the safety levels of both don’t have much in common. (http://www.familymidwifery.com/home-birth-facts.html)
Type of Intervention Planned Homebirth - Hospital Birth
Induction of labor with oxytocin or prostaglandins 2.1% - 21%
Stimulation of labor with oxytocin 2.7% -18.9%
Electronic fetal monitoring 9.6% -84.3%
Episiotomy 2.1%- 33%
Vacume extraction 0.6% -5.5%
Cesarean Section 3.7% -19.0%
This information proves that home birth is safer in many cases than hospital births.
The guest speakers that came into talk about their home births seemed very enthusiastic and excited about the experience. This seemed very different from the people that discussed their hospital births, this was a obvious difference between the two.
I was confused on the whole concept of normal and natural births in the beginning, it seemed as if they were the same thing to me. When learning more on the two kinds of birth, I found that a normal birth consist of medical professionals, drugs such as epidermal’s and Pitocin, loud noises from the pain, fetal heart monitor, and a lot of steal instruments. During a natural birth there are loved ones that are gathered around, no drugs, sometimes kissing and caressing the woman’s body, and most of all it is women centered. All of the attention is focused on the women, oppose to a normal birth where the attention is centered on the doctor delivering the baby. I am sure that many people who have children aren’t very aware about natural birth, it is something that I barely hear about. This is because it isn’t practiced much in hospitals, where most births take place. But why cant natural births occur there as much as normal births do? Maybe because doctors want to deliver the baby as fast as possible, get the job done...and go home. With everything that Natural birth comes with, I believe that many doctors would oppose it.
When learning about normal and natural births, It seems to me as if natural births arent as dangerous as normal births. Without all the technology and drugs, It is a known fact that the baby will not come out as “high” as some babies would who’s mother have been injected with all different kinds of sedatives. Even though this may be true, most women still decide to have normals births because they aren’t aware of what it can do to their child, being that they put all of their trust into the doctor and he tells them that it will only make them feel better and it will not harm the child. Also women may choose it because it isn’t as painful as having a natural birth. The whole process of a normal birth doesn’t seem as loving as a normal birth because the baby is taken away right after the mom gives birth, but it seems so common and happens to frequently that it isn’t looked at as wrong or unloving. Even though I connect more with the idea of having a natural birth, I may end up having a normal birth just as many other American moms, because it is what I am accustomed to..but hopefully when that time comes I will have enough resources to have a home birth.
Even though this movie seems to go against the thought of having hospital births and doctors, it than switches gears and explores the idea of having the back up plan of going to the hospital to see a doctor just in case something goes wrong. This serves as a big contradiction to me. After saying how bad doctors are and how they don't do what's best for the patient at times...why would they choose to see a doctor? It comes down to the point that people in America put their health and safety into doctors hands, and doctors are people that make you feel safe in situations where you are injured or need medical attention.
So personally I believe that no matter their negative thoughts on doctors, they have at least visited a doctor once in their life and was unaware of what the doctor performed on them or unaware of the medication prescribed to them..but at the end they still listened to the doctor/ took their advice. So what does that show about them? It shows that they criticize doctors but at the same time trust them and feel as if they are their only hope.
Overall the information that I received on home births and midwives from this movie really helped me to understand it on a deeper level and it only pushes me to want to learn more.
