The Business of Being Born!

It's coming!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This movie is a must see. Check out their website to see if it is playing near you. It will also be released directly to dvd through netflix so go add it! Their release date shows Feb 12 but I heard they announced at their Hollywood premier that they were pushing back the release date!

The Utah Birth Network is proud to present a special screening of

Friday February 8
Displays featuring local mother-friendly organizations and The Shape of a Mother open at 5pm
Movie begins at 6pm
Discussion panel to follow movie

Located at Weber State University (Rm 110)
Davis Campus
2750 N. University Park Blvd.
Layton, Utah

Seating is limited!
Contact Sara Forsberg to purchase tickets
801-643-2633 or sara@utahbirth.net
or send payment by paypal to payment@utahbirth.net
$10 pre-purchase
$15 at the door
$40 Utah Birth Network membership + 2 tickets
Free at the door to WSU Wildcard holders

Birth: it’s a miracle. A rite of passage. A natural part of life. But more than anything, birth is a business. Compelled to find answers after a disappointing birth experience with her first child, actress Ricki Lake recruits filmmaker Abby Epstein to examine and question the way American women have babies.

The film interlaces intimate birth stories with surprising historical, political and scientific insights and shocking statistics about the current maternity care system. When director Epstein discovers she is pregnant during the making of the film, the journey becomes even more personal.

Should most births be viewed as a natural life process, or should every delivery be treated as a potentially catastrophic medical emergency?

Visit www.thebusinessofbeingborn.com for more information

I am so excited for this movie. I've been really busy getting this organized for this but I have a few blogs that I really want to post. I hope to get to them in the next few days. Until then, go to the Business of Being Born website and check out the trailer!

Waterbirth International

Waterbirth International is having a crisis and you can help. Visit their page to donate.

They had their first ever Gentle Birth World Congress this past year. It was extremely successful but apparently drained most of their resources. They are on the verge of closing! They need to raise money to keep functioning. I hope they are able to get what they need and continue on!

Waterbirth Int. is such a wonderful organization. They have so many resources available to help women and their families. I was contacted a couple of years ago by a woman who was working with them to have a waterbirth at one of our local hospitals. The hospitals here are largely unsupportive of waterbirth, even to the point of picking women up out of the tubs while the women are trying to push their babies out.

Our local midwifery organization had a waterbirth conference and Barbara Harper and Cornelia Ennings were both able to come and speak. I spent a couple quiet hours with Barbara as we discussed birth and our visions for maternity care in the United States. She is a wonderful lovely woman and I hope they are able to raise enough money to stay open so she can continue with her vision.

Lately I have been so discouraged about the conveyor belt course of birth in this country. I don't understand why consumers don't protect themselves. Why don't people take responsibility for their bodies, for understanding how things work and why they do this? Why don't people CHOOSE? This isn't like buying a can of soda or picking out a movie. This costs thousands of dollars and affects the rest of your life - physically and mentally. Not only will it touch your life, but the choices a woman makes about what is done to her or for her are going to affect her baby's life - forever. It seems like this should matter more. We should pick only those who are deserving to attend us. We put far too much trust in something that is broken, and not enough trust in something inherently normal.