The Business of Being Born

I just wanted to comment on a documentary that I saw yesterday. It's called "The Business of Being Born" and it can be rented on Netflix or bought at the website www.thebusinessofbeingborn.com . Anyway, I usually don't get too fired up about the whole natural childbirth thing - I have always felt that it is such a personal decision - but after watching this film, I feel like someone needs to speak up for the absolute crisis that exists in the United States in regards to maternity care.
Every other developed country in the world spends less money, has lower infant and mother death rates, and has 80-90% of births attended by midwives. In the Netherlands, 1/3 of all births are homebirths. In the US, less than 1% of women have homebirths, about 5% have midwives attend their births, and 30-40% of women have c-sections. We are so blessed with medical advances in this country. High-risk mothers and babies are saved everyday because of skilled doctors. But, I cannot believe that 30-40% of women in the US are "high risk."
Natural childbirth is not a feminism macho thing. It is not about bragging. The benefits of natural childbirth are not just economical or physical. There is a psychological change in every mother who experiences natural childbirth. This experience is being taken away from mothers due to lack of information. There is a reason that mothers who choose and succeed at natural childbirth have an unspoken instant bond. There is a point during labor when a woman allows her body to do what Heavenly Father created it to do. At the moment of birth, unrestricted by synthetic chemicals, the brain releases several hormones that create an instant psychological change in a mother. It's difficult to explain, but when it is experienced, every mother who has also gone through it understands the feeling I am talking about. I believe this experience is more valuable than any study could possibly portray and is immeasurable in its benefits.
Medicine has its place. Midwives have theirs, and it is being restricted everywhere. I am so lucky to have access to care from a midwife, even with all the restrictions they are under. We need to change the thinking from "If I am low-risk, then maybe a midwife" to "If I am high-risk, then a doctor." If more women experience the care of midwifery, we can certainly begin to catch-up to the other developed countries in the world in regards to maternity care. It's cheaper for the insurance companies and better for women and children. We need lobbyists in DC to hear the issue.