Brandi: You do not know how all doctors in the U.S. feel either. Just because your husband is a doctor does not mean you know everything about how all doctors operate.

The rights of the women who wants homebirth is the issue here not hospitals if you wnat a medical birth you can have it easy! for those of us who wnat home its not so easy or available. I dont want all those drugs in me or my kids.

it should be every woman’s choice where to birth, not a madate from a medical board, this is why i live here, the freedom to live my life the way i feel is right.

AMA showed physicians’ insecurity of losing their market share in the ‘business of being born’ by attacking Ricki’s documentary, which merely shows the beauty and possibility of safe homebirth or natural childbirth in a non-hospital setting.

I applaud Ricki’s effort in putting this issue in the limelight.
The AMA and the medical community need to spend more time improving the quality of service they provide in hospitals for childbirth, opening more birthing center inside hopsitals, giving women choices in childbirth, helping women feel comfortable and respected in their most vulnerable time – when they are in labor, rather than criticising Ricki’s work by their usual scare tactics. The high mortality rate in childbirth in US today are from hospital birth, not home birth.

I’m 35 and my Dad was born in 1928 in a house via a midwife. This is how MOST people in the HISTORY OF THE WORLD have been born. Birth is NOT an “illness” that one needs to be hospitalized for.

My Dad was also pissed that the medical industry pushed and harrased him and his wife to circumcise his sons. My father was uncut, and my parents had NEVER thought of doing it. The docs in the 70’s pushed and pushed and harrassed and guilted my mother into relenting. She regrets it now, and I RESENT like hell that this was done to the most personal part of MY BODY without my knowledge or consent, and my father was NEVER cool with it.

Does anyone know why we are one of the ONLY countries to still practice large scale genital mutilation of baby boys? Docs get to charge for it AND the hospital SELLS the foreskins to biomedical companies!…

The AMA is a big bunch of CORPORATE DOCS concerned with ONE THING and ONE THING ONLY! MONEY!MONEY!MONEY!MONEY!MONEY!

BILLIONS of Asians have been born while their moms were working in the rice patties! Birth is a natural process, NOT an illness and foreskins are a natural part of a mans anatomy NOT a birth defect.

The things that the American corporate health care scheme have convinced Americans of is shameful!

No.
I almost had my baby at home… which it should have been a perfect experience!
I’m plannning on having my next one at home… And it’s true, as soon as you come to the hospital, nurses and doctors try to brainwash you and push narcotics and what not into your labor…
BAD!

I posted earlier and have gone back and read further responses that I feel I need to remark upon.

Medical Professional: I wonder what profession you are in and if you have ever watched or given a non-augmented (no pit, no epidural) vaginal birth? Or if you can define why home birth is reckless? If you specify a little bit more maybe then we can all understand where/why you are saying it is reckless.

Midwives that I know have gone through a rigorous training for four years plus several years as an apprentice. They know how to turn breech babies and/or will allow a mom to push her own baby out. Which I did with my twins. My son was a frank breech that I caught, and my daughter was a posterior footling.

If I had been in a hospital this would have been grounds for an automatic c-section, only because they couldn’t be sure of what would happen. I had no worries about me delivering my breech twins. I knew my midwives could do a version, or facilitate my babies in coming out! Which wound up happening with my daughter.

I wish that Dr’s and midwives could work in a more symbiotic relationship, but that would defeat the purpose of the AMA. Oh wait Holland does that. A midwife takes care of all of the pre-natals and only sends them on to a DR if truly medically needed! Why can’t America, where we are free citizens and can make up our own mind of what will and won’t work for us, do something similar? Why does it always have to be all or nothing? Why is money the definer of our choices?

I respect decisions for either c-sections, birth center, or home births. But YOU, should make the decision. The decision of where and how YOU give birth should not be dictated by anyone. Whether or not enough information was given by all sides ind the documentary there was much that the AMA and ACOG would not respond on when they were given the opportunity to do so. If they are having issues with how they are being portrayed then they need to come forward and give the information that is requested.

Sam I am so sorry for your loss.

I have no children, but a number of women in my family (including my mum – twice) have had home births, and all have used midwifes, as that is the norm here in New Zealand (70 – 80% of births are attended solely by midwifes, with no doctor present).
My mum always remebers how nice it was to deliever at home. You had your own bed, bath etc and was overall more comfortable than a hospital. I thought The Business of Being Born was a truly remarkable film, that looks at the current birth care options in the United States. This movie may have been partial to home birth and midwifes, but it was in order to give women more options and control over their births – to open their eyes about the health care system. It may not simply be for the ‘good of the baby,’ but for the good of thier wallets and convience of the doctors. I thik the movie was very correct when it pointed out there is a culture of fear around natural birth and birth in general. The thing that concerned me was that alot of C sections were being done unneccesarily.
When I have children, there is no doubt in my mind that I’ll have a midwife, although I may feel safer in a hospital with my first.