.jeri.

Here's another documentary I checked out recently, about, well, the business of the birthing process. It operates from the premise that people in America may not know everything they should know about giving birth, and that perhaps the popular methods of our country aren't necessarily the right ones. I'd say that's probably a fair assumption, considering how many people seem to trust their doctors implicitly to make the best decisions for them. I know I've been guilty of that in the past and have learned over the last several years that I ought to be researching more on my own.

The movie talks about how many other countries don't approach birthing in the same way America does. Here, it's something that mostly happens in a hospital, and it's treated as more of a surgical event, while in many other places, that is not the norm. Part of the focus was on the rise of c-sections being performed these days, which seem to sometimes be a result of all the drugs that get administered during the early stages of labor.

And so, the movie showed several women going with a more natural birth, many of the times in the home. The women give birth in their beds, bathtubs, etc., and have the help of a midwife. I liked watching these experiences (a little bit startling seeing those personal moments, though) because I learned more about the midwives, their involvement, their technical knowledge, and what kind of instruments they have available to work with in a home delivery. It seemed less hippie-ish than I had thought it would be.

I also really liked learning about the effects of various drugs, and the movie really made me start to consider what kinds of choices I'll have to make when it comes time for me to have my own children. Like I said, over the years I've learned that not everything my doctors suggest for me are the right things, even though they ought to be. And knowing that, I realize how much I need to research to make the decisions that are the best for the health of me and my child.

I liked that this movie brought these issues to the forefront. It's not unbiased at all, but it makes some strong points and is informational. It was nice of the women involved to share their own stories and own videos. But there are a lot of naked birthing moms in the movie, so be forewarned!