This afternoon, Cade and I went to a screening of The Business of Being Born, a Ricki Lake-produced, pro-midwifery documentary about the birthing industry. Women’s health is right up my alley (PUN!), so I wanted to see it as soon as I read praise from The New York Times, which hates just about everything…just like me.
Cade is selectively squeamish to the point that I can’t touch the veins in his wrist, but he has no problem unloading (PUN! wait for it…) biweekly diatribes about his digestive tract. Colorful ones.
The thought of childbirth freaks Cade out. This morning he actually said that maybe when he’s ready to be a dad, the human birthing process will have been antiquated. O, modernity! I started ranting about Brave New World, which I read for the first time two weeks ago. Then I think we started talking about Cade’s guts again. Then I mentioned all the sacrifices I’ve made in the name of entertainment for him, like the time I saw Too Fast Too Furious and found it Too Lame Too Stupid. I watched more than half the movie before I stretched across the seats and started daydreaming.
A cool part of the screening today was the chance to attend a Q&A with the director and Ricki Lake. I’m not a fan, but she’s Ricki Lake! I used to watch snippets of her show back in the day. The themes were oh so clever. “You Think You’re Hot, But You So Are Not!” What originality.
Unfortunately, I didn’t see Ricki Lake in person, as she and the director were ill, but she called in and had a brief phone conference with everyone. Other people involved in the film showed up, including the director’s son and baby daddy. The film confirmed what I’ve head about childbirth in America - that it’s treated in a ridiculously Victorian fashion, that most C-sections are unnecessary, that it makes no sense for a woman to be delivering on her back, etc.
I’ll definitely be rethinking my own birthing options if I ever decide to have a child. Right now, the thought of a human being tearing its way out of my body is enough to make me want to bind my legs. But I recognize the beautiful and transformative significance of this rite. Women are amazing and strong. Watching Ricki Lake and others give birth in various ways today affirmed this. The water births made a particular splash (PUN!).
