More (Yes, More!) Business of Being Born
Back in 2008 when I was pregnant with Alec–37 weeks pregnant with Alec, that is–I attended a screening of Ricki Lake and Abby Epstein’s documentary, The Business of Being Born.
Like scores of other women, something inside of me was forever transformed after watching the film. I left the theatre feeling capable and strong in my body’s ability to give birth. I felt validated in the fact that my preferences mattered, that my voice and my choices deserved respect from the people around me.
This a true gift in a society and culture where birthing women all too often find themselves feeling robbed of their confidence and autonomy and respect. And it was a true gift to me, who had just switched care providers (yes, at nearly 37 weeks pregnant) and who would go on three weeks later to have not only an empowering VBAC but also my hospital’s first water birth.
You can imagine my excitement, then, when I learned that Abby and Ricki would be releasing yet another film–and, in fact, a whole set of films that expanded upon the work they did in The Business of Being Born.
You can imagine my even greater excitement when I was asked to review all four installments of the new films–More Business of Being Born–before their DVD release date tomorrow, November 8, 2011! (Make sure to check out the giveaway at the bottom of this post to win a digital download for yourself!)
This time around, instead of releasing one film, Abby and Ricki created a set of four hour-long pieces:
- “Down on the Farm: Conversations with Legendary Midwife Ina May Gaskin”
- “Special Deliveries: Celebrity Mothers Talk Straight on Birth”
- “Explore Your Options: Doulas, Birth Centers, and C-sections”
- “The VBAC Dilemma: What Your Options Really Are”
As both Abby and Ricki mention in the introduction to each of these shorter films, they wanted to build upon the inspiring possibilities of The Business of Being Born and give women a wider set of educational tools to use during their pregnancies as they prepare for birth.
And while they see this as a distinction between between the two films, make no mistake: More Business of Being Born is still inspiring!
For instance, it’s one thing to read or hear a bland, expository account of the second stage of labor (that is, the “pushing stage”). It’s quite another to watch Ina May Gaskin as she and another midwife from The Farm share their stories and wisdom about birth, and particularly about pushing. They discuss physiologic pushing, the sensations of pushing, perineal protection, and crowning in a way that women can both learn from their conversation and walk away feeling more confident in their body’s ability to push out a baby.
And then there are the celebrity stories. Some people might wonder why anyone needs an entire DVD devoted to celebrity stories (and not “regular people” stories).
First, it’s important to note that throughout all of the DVDs in More Business of Being Born, there is a wide range of 
amazing, glorious, and honest birth stories from non-celebrity women: stories that make you laugh and cry and jump for joy (and, like seven-months-pregnant me, cry some more). But what I like about “Special Deliveries” is that it showed celebrity women being just as candid and real about their labors as any other woman would be.
For example, when Alanis Morissette says (with a wry smile on her face), “I was prepared as I could possibly be, and there was nothing that prepared me for it,” I was like, “YES!!!” Because it’s so important for women to hear others be open about just how humbling the birth experience can be: that it can be both beautiful and challenging.
What’s more, the other celebrity parents (Cindy Crawford, Christy Turlington Burns, Kellie Martin, Melissa Joan Hart, Gisele Bündchen, Alyson Hannigan and her husband Alexis Denisof, Kimberly Williams-Paisley, and Laila Ali) are just as open and honest about their birth experiences. They talk about feelings of empowerment and the reservations they felt before giving birth. They talk about what scared them without making birth itself seem scary. And they share the many different ways in which they prepared for labor, made decisions, and ultimately gave birth.
(Cesarean mamas, look out in particular for one of the women featured in this film as she talks about her unexpected cesarean. What she says might ring true for many of you, and if you’re like me, you’ll shed tears right along right her.)
The third installment in More Business of Being Born, “Explore Your Options,” does exactly that: it gives women the tools and information they need to explore some of the birth options that are available to them and to make choices that reflect their own values and their own preferences for their babies’ births.
It shows doulas talking about what they do, and it shows doulas doing what they do. (Hint, hint: we’re not midwives! But we can make an extraordinary difference in a woman’s labor and birth.)
It describes the “middle ground” of out-of-hospital birth centers and explains why these locations might be great options for many women.
And lastly, it explores the alarming increase in the cesarean section rate, both in the United States (where the overall rate is currently 32.9%) and in Brazil (where the rate is a shocking 99% in some individual hospitals).
The final film in the series, “The VBAC Dilemma,” takes the perspectives of doctors, midwives, journalists, and, perhaps most importantly, women who chose VBAC (including Abby herself) and creates a sort of montage of views on the subject. In other words, there’s no voice-over declaring, “VBAC IS FOR EVERYONE! AND DAMN EVERYONE WHO DOESN’T THINK SO!“
But there is an underlying narrative that captures the following: The “VBAC dilemma” is complicated. Private and malpractice insurance companies make the issue even more complex (and frustrating). But perhaps even more troubling is that certain hospital, insurance, and individual care provider policies regarding VBAC are chipping away at women’s autonomy: at their ability to choose how they give birth after a previous cesarean. And it should be up to women to examine the risks and benefits of both VBAC and repeat cesarean and make the choice that is right for them.
And then there’s the video of the home water birth VBAC that had me literally sobbing tears of joy by the time the mother picked up her baby and brought her to her chest.
Just like the rest of More Business of Being Born, the film is the perfect blend of education and inspiration.
***
So here’s my final take: Ricki Lake and Abby Epstein don’t believe that every one of us should have a home birth. Lots of people (mistakenly) thought that this was the message of the first Business of Being Born, but this is not the message of the films.
Instead, the message is this:
Each woman has a fundamental right and ability to choose the type of birth that is right for her, and what is “right” will vary from woman to woman.
Women need honest, accurate information about birth in order to make the decisions that are right for them.
Birth is beautiful, and there is also beauty in the wisdom of women and of skilled care providers.
But more than that, birthing women are strong and capable and wise.
This is what childbirth education students need to hear. This is what doula clients need to hear.
In fact, this is what all pregnant women need to hear.
And these are the messages that any woman should be lucky enough to take with her as she goes to give birth, no matter where and with whom she does it.
***
Edit: The contest is now closed. Congratulations to Rebecca, whose comment #11 was selected at random using random.org!
Want to win a digital download of More Business of Being Born for yourself? Here’s how:
Let me know why you’re excited to see More Business of Being Born! That’s it!
You can enter up three times, once each in these three places:
1. In the comments section to this post
2. On my Facebook page
3. On Twitter, using the hashtag #MBOBB
Make sure to come back here and add a comment if you’ve entered the contest via Facebook and/or Twitter.
Contest ends one week from today, Monday, November 14, 2011 at 11:59 p.m. EST. I will pick one winner at random using random.org and will announce it the following day.
Good luck!
And if you can’t wait for the giveaway, go ahead and order More Business of Being Born (available TOMORROW, NOVEMBER 8, 2011) for yourself.
Note: The folks from The Business of Being Born did supply me with free digital downloads of MBOBB so that I could review the films. I received no other compensation for this review and giveaway.
I am SO excited to see More Business of Being Born! As a doula, I hear over and over from clients that the Business of Being Born opened their eyes, changed their minds, made them feel confident, want to have a natural birth, hire a doula, have a birth center birth, and so on!
I remember learning so much from BOBB and loving every minute of it. In fact, when it finished I immediately watched it a second time over! I am so excited to see the additional documentaries that Ricki and Abby have put together on more important topics! I think BOBB had the BIGGEST impact on women and childbirth in the US, and I’m thrilled to see what the future impact of MBOBB will be!
Very cool! Am starting the journey of being a hypnobirthing practitioner and would love to have this my toolbox of info and empowerment
BoBB is what opened my eyes to there even being a natural option in giving birth- had never really heard of it before!
This sounds almost cliche at this point, but the first Business of Being Born really did change my life. I never knew there was another way to look at childbirth besides as a “medical event.” The movie changed the way I view childbirth as well as the medical establishment as a whole. My husband and I getting ready to try for our first baby, and I am crazy for information – I am so excited to see and learn from this new set of movies!
I am gearing up for a VBAC in early January and am especially interested in the last of the new films. I watched the original back in 2009 before my first birth and it was so informative to me.
K – so great to hear such glowing reviews of the new BOBB films! I’m working hard to bring the four new films to Central Ohio through CHOICE. We are hoping to have screenings over the next several months along with Q&A/discussion sessions, with our proceeds going to the Mothership Fund (assisting families who need financial support for CHOICE services). More info to come – hope to see you there!
I am really excited to see the new films. The first one was definitely life changing. It helped me realize how strong my body truly is and that we as women have options when it comes to childbirth. I can’t wait to see them.
I’m TTC now, and I’m already soaking up all the information I can find on happy, healthy, educated pregnancy and birth. I loved the first movie and can’t wait to see the new ones, especially the one about birth choices because I’m very interested in using a birth center. I would also like to see the video on doulas to clarify for myself the difference between midwives and doulas and whether I’ll need a doula in addition to a midwife.
I would love to see these – the first movie pushed me over the edge to apply and begin studying midwifery here in Toronto.
I tried desperately to do a home birth with my first baby, but I didn’t have near the resources and information that I’ve found since then and I am always looking for ways of adding to the pot of knowledge and try to share it with friends! It would mean so much!!!
my first baby is due in april.. i watched BOBB a few months ago and was shocked & appalled and it totally changed the way I want my experience to go.
Watching _Business of Being Born_ during my first pregnancy made me so excited to experience pregnancy, labor, delivery…sadly, I miscarried that and a couple subsequent pregnancies. I’m now at 35 weeks with a healthy and viable pregnancy. The release of _More Business of Being Born_ seems to be happening at the perfect time to bolster my confidence as I get closer to delivery!
I loved the first movie and can’t wait to see the follow up both as a lover of all things ‘birthy’ and a mom who longs for a VBAC.
I’m so excited about More Business of Being Born because, as a women’s, gender, and sexuality studies instructor I believe that nothing is more important for my students to see! It’s so important for the young women (and men) in my classes not only to begin to examine the larger structures that make up the medical-industrial complex but also to see how women are implicated (and harmed) when their reproductive choices are limited and constrained!
Also, as a scholar of motherhood and the maternal, this film excites me and makes me think much harder about how this kind of project counteracts the images of brutal, bloody, and excruciatingly painful births that we see represented to us on TV every day.
I’m super excited because when I was getting ready for my first birth BBB was the only video I could refer people to that was an approachable and entertaining watch for them to understand why I was so passionate about having a good birth. I know so many great books etc but BBB was “just right” for my dad, for my non-feminist identifying friends, etc.
I think the new one will fill a great need!
And I shared on your FB wall.
This might sound strange, but I’m excited to see the new BoBB because I am yearning to have a baby but now’s not the right time. So I am soaking up everything I can about pregnancy, birth, and parenting. It’s a really fun way to spend the seemingly interminable time between now and when I’ll finally start my family.
I’m excited to see MBOBB because I hope it will continue to inspire, educate and empower women about their birth options!
I also tweeted about this! @The_Weaze
I want to win! I won the book from Ina May Gaskin, and now I am trying my luck at this digital download. I am a student midwife and this would be a great addition to my ever growing library for my clients!
I loved the first BOBB. I teach Hypnobabies and love reading and watching anything about birth that is empowering and inspiring.
I’m looking forward to seeing MBOBB because I’ll be giving birth for the first time in May and I love to read/watch/hear all the empowering stories I can get.
Cant wait to see the documentary! I aswer lots of questions about birth, when I talk with mommies in 3rd world countries, and having another Birth documentary to share would be so wonderful. BOBB was already a huge boost, cant wait for these to be released!
Just commented on the FB as well, I am so thrilled about it and cant wait to watch it myself and to share it with others!
As a student midwife, I can’t wait for these films. The Business of Being Born was one film that pushed me toward midwifery (a calling I had already mostly decided on) and I love what Abby and Ricki have done in empowering women to have the births that make sense to them. I am especially excited for the VBAC Dilemma one because I am currently writing my final thesis on this very dilemma.
I really, really want to see the interview and tour with Ina May. Also, I luuurve to hear birth stories.
I’m not so sure about all the celebrity stories though. I just don’t get it. And I’m a bit afraid of learning more about Brazil. Brazil’s cesarean rate completely freaks me out.
I wasn’t so sure about a whole DVD devoted to celebrity stories at first either. But then I know we live in a “celebrity” culture. And I guess these women are well-versed in giving interviews, appearing on camera, etc. I was surprisingly pleased with that installment of MBOBB.
I am very excited to see this! Once we get pregnant, my husband and I are planning on homebirthing. We’ve done tons of research already, and we are always thirsty for more information!
If I’m interpreting this correctly, I believe I am supposed to comment here again to let you know I wrote on your FB wall about this giveaway!
I could use a little birth excitement mixed in with ongoing pregnancy yuck! Also, as you know, I’m a birth nerd.
I am so excited to see this. Like you, the first one impacted my life so much. I saw it right after having my cesarean with my first and it inspired a passion within me! I want to win this so bad, so that I can share it the community around me and help inspire other woman around here, where natural childbirth seems to be becoming extinct. I am also
I am also sharing on your fb wall the reasons I want to win this!
I also attempted to comment on your twitter, hope it went through. But that should be 3 total entries for me. I really want to win this, as it is such an inspiring film and I would use it to help all my doula clients!
I am so excited to see this movie because I LOVED BOBB! I thought it was a life-changing movie that EVERYONE should see. I’d love to host screening of MBOBB in my community to get the word out.
I left a comment on your FB wall.
I’m really interested to see “The VBAC Dilemma”. Thanks for the giveaway!
between this first one, and pregnant in america, and the book pushed by jennifer block i am an addict lol i try to educate mamas on my site about birth and friends who are being pushed for early induction. i dont think you can have enough education on anything esp somthing as unpredictable and “in the dark” as childbirthing!! thank you for this giveaway
I’m a mother and a doula and I can’t wait to see these movies. BOBB changed the direction of my pregnancy and as a result, I changed careers from an academic to a birth doula.
As a mom of 4, a birth doula, and lover of all things birth….I am excited that there is a continuation of the beloved BofBB. Adored the first one. Would love the 2nd one. THANK YOU SO MUCH for ALL you do to further the empowerment of women.
Shared on your FB…and on mine!
thank you!