Movie Review: Pregnant in America
As a doula, childbirth educator, and low intervention birth advocate, I had looked forward to the release of this movie with high hopes.
The film style was clearly directly copied from Michael Moore’s style without any attempt to express this filmmaker’s own style. Mr. Buonaugurio has passion, and he is right that many people are left in the dark when it comes to childbirth practices in America. But he offered very little in the way of HOPE for people.
I’ve had 3 home births myself, but right from the begining I was put off by the flip chart in the background that had boldly written on it “The hospital is our enemy.” The hospital is NOT our enemy. It certainly is excessive for the majority of women in America to birth in hospitals rather than at home or in birthing centers, but the hospital serves a necessary role in keeping birth safe.
I continue to be annoyed at how the natural birth community misrepresents the Cytotec issue. I am not a fan of Cytotec, and believe that it should only be used with full informed consent. But that informed consent is being denied by BOTH sides of the debate. The medical establishment does not make women aware that it has an increased risk of causing uterine rupture, meconium passage, and hyperstimulation of the uterus even in women with no previous cesarean sections. The natural birth community does make women aware that the “contraindication” on prescribing it to pregnant women only applies to prescriptions for the treatment of ulcers because it can bring on labor–which, if you watch VERY closely as snips of the package insert information are highlighted in the movie, you will see. The package insert for Cytotec specifically addresses use for labor induction, and while it does not specifically “approve” its use, it only contraindicates its use in women with a previous cesarean or who are on their 5th or greater pregnancy.
I was most especially annoyed by the failure of the moviemaker to more fully address the NICU stay of his daughter. He invited us into this deeply personal area of his life, and then for reasons unknown, did not provide a full explaination of what happened in the NICU. It was clear to me from looking at the baby in the hospital that the original transfer had merit–her respiration was clearly not normal. But the days of “observation” after she was released from the NICU…what was going on there? I suspect it was an unnecessary treatment that may be part of the reason the movie provides no real hope for the viewer. Mr. Buonaugurio learned first hand how difficult it can be to stand up to the medical establishment and say “this treatment is not needed. I’m not accepting it.”
In the end, I did not like this film. I think it has value if it is used as a discussion starter (such as I did this evening in using it for an EmPoWeReD Birth moview showing)…but I don’t think it has value if viewed as a stand-alone product.
Tags: birth films, cesarean, Pregnant in America, Spiral of Interventions