The Business of being born

The Business of being born

The film “The Business of being born” expounds on maternity care in the US. According to the video, the US has high infant mortality for a developed country, and this is because of a decrease in midwifery services. Midwives are present in less than 8% of births in the US, which is relatively low compared to Japan, where midwives conduct 70% of births. Most women are now well informed about the type of birth their maternity hospital will offer.

I was devastated by the film’s revelation. Unfortunately, hospitals are trying to make money out of the birth process instead of ensuring women deliver safely. Most of the procedures that practitioners do in the labor room are unnecessary. I found the film to be quite informative. For instance, I learned the significance of midwives and home delivery. The perception that midwives are incompetent and unprepared for any eventualities is wrong. Home delivery is safe and gives the mother freedom to choose how to have her baby. Over the years, the US has witnessed an increase in caesarian birth deliveries, and one of the factors contributing to this is a lack of awareness. Caesarian is medically friendly to doctors, and many of them present the offer to patients as an option not because it is necessary but because it is convenient for them. Doctors what to go to the theater, deliver a baby in 20 minutes and go for dinner. Practitioners are selfish and lack the patience to wait with a woman in labor for hours. After watching the film, I am convinced more awareness about the birth procedure should be spread to women, and hospitals should be honest about their maternal services.