Sooooooooooo, I was so angry about the last documentary I watched about the "terror" of giving birth in a hospital in the United States of America that I had to at least mention some of my beef. I'm obsessed with babies, always have been, hence the phD in developmental psychology, so it makes sense that during my pregnancy, I could not resist watching any video or documentary I could find that had anything to do with pregnancy or labor and delivery. Thus, I watched several documentaries sensationalizing the birth process in modern USA.
One, hosted and produced by Ricki Lake, seeks out to make every women scared to death of letting their baby be birthed by a doctor in a hospital by showing creepy footage of what it was like to have a baby back in the early 1900's when the entire medical profession was still kooky and ignorant compared to today's standards. They also make doctors out to be purely in it for the money and thus that is what is driving your care and treatment, and that of your baby's, if you choose the doctor/hospital route. Instead of choosing "evil" medical professionals, everyone should choose "good over evil" by having their baby at home with a midwife. Interestingly, the woman followed in the film, a co-producer, ends up having her baby at the hospital due to complications. Unfortunately, since I watched this movie during my highly hormonal first trimester, it did freak me out a bit due to some graphic images but not to the point that I wanted to have my baby anywhere but the hospital with all the modern advancements and amenities that includes.
The second documentary pointing out the evils of modern medical practices for childbirth did not freak me out; it just made burn with anger. This one is hosted by a guy whose wife is pregnant with their first child. His slant is that he wants to "protect" his wife and unborn child from the evils of the hospital system in America. To do this, he drags his pregnant wife all over the world to interview various professionals and lay people about their birth experiences. Then, at some point in her pregnancy, his wife talks to the camera (her husband), with tears, that she's so many weeks out from their due date but still feels unprepared for the birth of their child. Does that sound like her being cared for and protected?
He even goes so far, toward the beginning of the film when his wife is very early in her pregnancy, as to convince her through interviews and some sort of hokey "research" that she (and all women) don't actually have to experience pain during labor and delivery, that's just a symptom of what the American medical profession has been tricking women into thinking. In fact, instead of pain, women can actually have orgasms during delivery...yes, you read that correctly. According to this guy's documentary, women can experience orgasms when they deliver a baby, rather than experiencing pain, and what is sad is that he convinces his pregnant wife that this can be true for her. Well, when the big day arrives, his wife is in a lot of pain during contractions...big surprise. Unfortunately, it actually is a big surprise to him, so he calls the midwife and tells her in worried, urgent tones that his wife is experiencing a lot of pain and could she come over right away to do something to help with that. If this guy had been any bit prepared by going to any kind of birth class, he would have known how to help his wife do breathing exercises or something to help her manage contractions, I mean, come on! I thought he was all about protecting and caring for his family - what a show! Well, after the baby is born, there are some concerns, so they decide to go to the...hospital! He, of course, feels so conflicted about going to the evil hospital and even rags on the hospital for not giving their baby a diagnosis even though they are asked to stay several days for monitoring. He even questions their decision to go to the hospital, in hindsight. Whatever, dude. He was a major drama queen about it. I just can't help but think it's funny that both documentaries that are so adamently anti-hospital end in hospitals, allowing both babies and moms to thrive.
Now that I've given birth in a hospital and also returned with a newborn, I can attest to the excellent care we received in the maternity and pediatric floor. The doctor who delivered my baby was amazing and made decisions that definitely caused her, the doctor on call, to have to spend many extra hours up at the hospital, at all hours of the night. Her decisions were clearly not based on money but rather on the patient's needs and desires, giving the best possible care. Furthermore, the nursing staff was absolutely phenomenal. They double-checked my infant's health and records, they went the extra mile on delivery strategies and newborn care. They helped every step of the way with kindness and expertise and cooperation among themselves. I felt completely pampered and fully confident in my infant's health and safety. I am so glad to be an American.
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