There are 5 expectant couples within my social circle right now. It’s an appropriate time to share my thoughts on this film.

My only experience with childbirth was a natural one attended by a midwife. When Renee asked me to go see “The Business of Being Born,” I thought, “I’m already a believer, why do I need to see it?” I’m glad I did. My own personal experience made me a believer. This film strengthened my convictions.

Intrinsically, I knew that a natural childbirth was best, but I wasn’t going to push it. It’s our baby, but her body. Renee would have the final say on this one. She chose a natural childbirth with a midwife and has elected to breastfeed for as long as it’s feasible. I am thrilled at her decision.

Childbirth In the U.S.

I always thought a woman could opt for an un-medicated vaginal birth in the hospital. The OB/GYN was on-hand just in case something went wrong. The film shows you that’s not the case. This is the typical chain of events that will follow after a woman in labor is admitted:

1. An expectant mother is sick of being pregnant. She wants to get this baby out.
2. She asks for an epidural.
3. She’s so zonked out, she can’t push properly
4. Pitocin is administered via IV to induce contractions.
5. The baby isn’t coming out. More pitocin is administered.
6. The contractions are so strong, the baby goes into distress.
7. An emergency C-section becomes necessary.

The United States is supposed to be the most technologically advanced nation in the world yet it has the second highest newborn mortality rate in the developed world.

It seems like everything we do in the United States is backwards. (Don’t get me started on the metric system) According to the statistics quoted in the film:

• 70% of births outside the United States is attended by a midwife. It’s less than 8% in the U.S.
• In 1900, 90% of births in the U.S. were home births.
• In 1938, the number dropped to 50%.
• By 1955, it was less than 1%. It remains that number to this day.

When I did a search for Pitocin on Wikipedia, it takes me straight to the page on ocytocin. In all fairness, pitocin is the synthetic version of ocytocin. Rats. I thought I had uncovered a little conspiracy. However:

• Ocytocin is produced in the brain. Pitocin is administered intravenously.
• Ocytocin has a chance to act on the brain before it’s released into the bloodstream. Pitocin does not.
• Ocytocin enters the bloodstream in surges. Pitocin comes in a steady stream via IV.

The C-Section Factory

I remember in school, during a discussion about childbirth, a student piped up and said he was delivered via C-section. The first thought that popped into my head was, “I always knew there was something a little ‘off’ about this kid. I didn’t realize how commonplace it is.

I understand that a C-section is medically necessary in certain situations. In cases where it’s a high-risk pregnancy (diabetes, multiples, other medical conditions) it’s the only option. There was no way Kate Gosselin could deliver the sextuplets vaginally.

Too Posh to Push

We live in a performance and results oriented society. Natural childbirth offers too much of a margin for some schedules. Celebrity moms, career-track moms, and many others are electing for the “scheduled C.” An even more disturbing trend is the c-section and tummy tuck package deal.

The motivation behind an elective c-section is often fear. Much of what we know is from the media we absorb. In movies and on television, 3-month old babies are cast as newborns. A 3 month old baby is significantly larger than a newborn. A woman might see that “newborn” on TV and think, “no way am I going to push something that big out of me!!!”

The Choice is Ultimately Yours

I’m only qualified to speak to you about this from the father’s point of view. I wasn’t the one whose body would be irreversibly altered by this experience. I wasn’t the one doing the pushing. I wasn’t the one who could opt to be medicated. However, I have made decisions in the past while disregarding an entire set of data that in retrospect would have changed the decision I ultimately made. Those decisions are insignificant next to the birth of my child.

The birth of a child is the most profound experience you will ever have. All of the options available to you are worthy of your due consideration.

Buy “The Business of Being Born” on DVD.

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Chris over at Dad of Divas has a great series running called Becoming a Million Dollar Dad. Every Monday, there will be a new post about skills a dad can add to his repertoire to become a better man and a better father.

Last week, Joey from Daddybrain kicked off the series with Million Dollar Man v.1.2 - Tuning Up Your Emotions.

In this week’s post, I share my experience as a member of Toastmasters.

Read it here.

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Spotlight on Dads is a weekly feature that Jeremy runs on Discovering Dad. This week’s spotlight is on me.

Jeremy publishes one of the best dad blogs I’ve ever seen. Just as it takes a village to raise a child, it takes a small village to publish a great blog.

As of this writing, the contributing authors are:

Jeremy Biser is the founder, editor and publisher of Discovering Dad. He has three amazing kids and one incredible wife. His objective with Discovering Dad is to showcase articles about “learning what it means to be a good Dad

Matt Pfingsten is the co-author of The Playpen, a blog dedicated to providing support, humor and resources to parents of preemies, infants and toddlers.

Tom Bowns has a personal blog called Being Michael’s Daddy, where he shares personal experiences and wisdom about raising his fourth child Michael.

Chris Lewis writes about his quest to regain control of his kingdom at Dad of Divas. Each day he finds himself learning more and more of what it means to be both a father and a husband, and his writing is a tribute to this daily journey.

Daniel DeGuia s a 26-year-old proud dad of two and happy husband. Daniel’s first child was born five months after he graduated from high school. Becoming a dad at the age of 18 has given him a unique insight into parenting and has also enabled him to shatter some stereotypes. He writes on his blog, deguia.net, about current events, life in Sonoma County and the West Memphis Three.

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If you missed it the first time, my article on using window light to take better photos of your children is featured in using window light to take better photos of your children is featured in Discovering Dad’s October 2008 Carnival.

The Editor’s Pick honor is well-deserved. Josh presents She’s leaving home. Bye, bye. posted at Raging Dad.

Since my posting schedule is very relaxed, you have no excuse. Visit the Discovering Dad October 2008 Carnival now.

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Has it really been two weeks? Yes it has. There’s a lot going on, but I haven’t totally dropped off the face of the earth. You can still find me on Twitter, and I recently added a bunch of new friends on Facebook.

Here’s an open invitation to y’all from south of the Mason-Dixon Line and youse guys up north. I’ll be back on track soon. I’ve had a major shift in my daily and weekly routine along with some unusually heavy demands on my time. Ironically, there are a few guests posts in that queue.

Coming soon to a blog near you!