Monday, February 19, 2007

Pregnancy on the big screen

I was just minding my own business, reading my email, when I saw a post from one of the many lists I am on about a new film concerning pregnancy and birth in the good ole U.S. of A. It looks very promising. Pregnant in America is said to be "a film that will expose the underside of the U.S. childbirth industry and help end its neglectful exploitation of pregnancy and birth". He said "neglectful exploitation...", I can already see some OBs taking off their earrings and greasing up for the fight. This could really stir things up in the world of American birth.

I have not seen An Inconvenient Truth, but many people were moved by it. I have read passionate posts about people who felt like their eyes were opened and they were moved to make steps or more steps to living a more eco-friendly lifestyle. Apparently, Al Gore is now organizing a series of worldwide concerts to continue his mission.

It all started with a film.

Now, granted, this guy, Steve Buonaugurio doesn't have the money, political clout and renown that Al Gore has. But if he can create a groundswell of support using the power of viral marketing (think YouTube videos) and the blogging world (remember the recent Pork vs the Lactivist), he can use this film to make a statement and actually turn the tide of the pregnancy machine in this country. It took consumer demand to allow fathers in the delivery room. Maybe a film like this can help create the fire that will drop our cesarean rate from 30 percent to 10 percent (as it should be) and will drop our shameful infant mortality rate (and the shame only rises for the African-American family who has higher infant mortality rates).

So go check out the trailer and tell me what you think. Would you see the film? Do you think it will give an honest view of the state of pregnancy and birth care in America today? Will it scare women or help them wake up and become more aggressive consumers? I can't wait to hear what you think.

2 comments:

kemicutie said...

I have you on my favorite places and I love your blog. You give wonderful information.

I have seen the trailer and I am excited! I do hope that it will make an impact on the hospital practices and help reinstate the midwifery model of care for all women. I think that we really need to not only question the practices in the hospitals, but also take Dr. God off of his pedistal and put him where he belongs, which is a health advisor and someone who works with us to maintain health. OB's are surgeons so they for the most part do not trust birth. It starts with their training. You already know all of this. I pray that women will wake up to the fact that what is going on here is wrong and in any other field of medicine this would be malpractice. Fortunately, I know enough to employ a midwife who will attend the birth of my babies at home.

Milkshaken said...

Thank you for sharing this with us all. I am excited about this film. It has the ptotional to enlighten or offend a great many people - both of which are a good thing when it comes to the subject matter. I just hope that women will begin to take up their own torches of self empowerment and be proactive and take responsibility for their own journey into motherhood. I did my own reading and research and I knew what would be OK and what wouldn't be OK during my births. For me, this was incredibly empowering and it manifests itself in all facets of my life.

This is what I said on the site:
I am incredibly moved that someone has made it his goal to speak this truth in such a public way. For me, this is akin to "Bowling for Colombine" in terms of it's eye opening potential and capabilities. Kudus to you Mr. Buonaugurio. I'm curious to know your own story too. What made you want to make this film? I will share this trailer and any further info about the film with every woman i know. CTS