You’re probably here because someone—maybe your sister, a crunchy friend, or a very insistent midwife—told you that you have to see this movie before you even think about setting foot in a delivery room. It’s been years since it first came out, but honestly, people are still obsessed. Ricki Lake and Abby Epstein basically kicked a hornet's nest back in 2008, and the sting hasn't really gone away for the American medical establishment. If you are looking for where to watch The Business of Being Born, you actually have a few solid options, though they’ve shifted around a bit as streaming services play musical chairs with their licenses.
Right now, your best bet is usually Amazon Prime Video. You can rent it or buy it there for a few bucks. It’s also frequently available on Tubi or Plex if you don’t mind sitting through a couple of ads about insurance or snack food while you’re trying to learn about the history of obstetrics. Some people have luck finding it on Kanopy, which is that amazing free service you get through your local library. If you have a library card, check there first because it feels pretty good to watch a documentary about the "business" of birth without actually giving any business to a massive corporation.
Why are we still talking about a documentary from 2008?
It's a fair question. Most documentaries about health or science have the shelf life of a banana. They get outdated fast. But this one? It’s different. The film tackles the intersection of corporate medicine and the biological process of birth, and frankly, the US maternal mortality rates haven't exactly plummeted since the film premiered. In some demographics, they've actually gotten worse. That’s why the search for where to watch The Business of Being Born hasn't slowed down.
The movie features experts like Ina May Gaskin, who is basically the patron saint of modern midwifery. She talks about the "sphincter law" and how fear can literally stall a labor. When you watch it, you’ll see these stark contrasts between a sterile, high-intervention hospital birth and the much more intimate, sometimes intense, home births. It’s not just a "yay midwives" propaganda piece, though it certainly has a perspective. It’s a critique of how birth became an assembly line process.
I remember watching it for the first time and being genuinely shocked by the history of the "twilight sleep." Doctors used to give women morphine and scopolamine. They wouldn't remember the pain, but they weren't exactly conscious either. It sounds like something out of a horror movie, but it was standard practice. The film argues that while we've moved past that specific nightmare, we’ve replaced it with a cycle of interventions—Pitocin leads to an epidural, which leads to fetal distress, which leads to a C-section. They call it the "cascade of intervention."
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The Ricki Lake factor
Ricki Lake isn’t just the producer; she’s the emotional core of the story. She had a disappointing first birth experience in a hospital and decided to do things differently the second time around. Her personal footage is raw. It’s not the sanitized, Hollywood version of birth where a woman screams once and a perfectly clean toddler appears. It’s sweaty. It’s loud. It’s real. That authenticity is why people keep searching for it. You’re not just watching a lecture; you’re watching a woman reclaim her body.
Where to find the sequel and classroom versions
Wait, there’s more? Yeah. Because the first one was such a sleeper hit, they released More Business of Being Born. It’s actually a four-part series that goes deeper into specific topics.
- Episode 1 focuses on celebrities like Laila Ali and Gisele Bündchen talking about their births. It’s surprisingly grounded.
- Episode 2 is all about special circumstances—VBACs (Vaginal Birth After Cesarean), twins, and breech births. This is huge because many hospitals won't even "allow" you to try a vaginal birth if you've had a C-section or if the baby is feet-down.
- Episode 3 looks at the role of doulas and birth centers.
- Episode 4 is a deep dive into the history of the profession.
If you’re looking for these, they are a bit harder to find for free. You usually have to head back to Apple TV or Amazon to rent the individual segments. If you are an educator or a doula-in-training, the official website often sells "educational licenses," though most casual viewers just want the streaming link.
Is it biased?
Let’s be real. Yes.
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The film definitely has a "pro-natural" slant. Critics, including many OB-GYNs, have pointed out that it might make women feel guilty if they want an epidural or if they need a C-section for medical reasons. It’s important to watch it with a bit of a critical eye. Modern medicine saves lives. In cases of preeclampsia or placental abruption, you want that "business" of being born to be as high-tech as possible.
But the film's main point isn't that hospitals are evil. It's that the system is set up for efficiency and litigation defense rather than the physiological needs of the mother. It’s about informed consent. Most women go into a hospital not realizing that once they start one intervention, the clock starts ticking. Many doctors have a "failure to progress" limit that is based more on shift changes than on the actual health of the baby.
Real-world impact on birth choices
Since this movie came out, the demand for doulas has skyrocketed. A doula isn't a medical professional, but a support person. Studies, like those from Evidence Based Birth, show that having continuous labor support can decrease the risk of C-sections by about 25%. People watched Ricki Lake’s film and realized they wanted someone in the room who wasn't just there to check a monitor.
Key takeaways for your birth plan
If you finally sit down to watch it tonight, keep a notebook handy. You’re going to hear terms you’ll want to Google later.
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- Cytotec: A drug used for induction that the film is very wary of.
- The Lithotomy Position: That’s the "lying on your back with feet in stirrups" thing. It’s actually one of the worst positions for pushing because you're working against gravity, but it’s the most convenient for the doctor.
- Midwifery Model of Care: Focuses on birth as a normal life event rather than a medical emergency waiting to happen.
Honestly, the biggest value of finding where to watch The Business of Being Born isn't to convince you to have a baby in a tub in your living room (unless you want to!). It's to give you the vocabulary to talk to your doctor. It empowers you to ask, "Is this intervention medically necessary, or is it for convenience?"
Actionable steps for expectant parents
Watching the film is just the first step. If it sparks something in you, don't just sit there feeling anxious about the "system."
Take a look at your local options. Does your hospital have a low-intervention suite? Do they have a high C-section rate? You can actually look these stats up for most hospitals in the US. If you find that your local hospital has a 40% C-section rate, and you really want a vaginal birth, it might be time to look for a different provider or a birth center.
Next, find a doula. Even if you are planning a high-tech hospital birth with all the drugs, a doula can help you navigate the "business" side of things so you can focus on the "being born" side.
Finally, check out the follow-up resources. The Choices in Childbirth organization, which was heavily involved with the film, has a ton of guides on how to navigate the healthcare system. Knowledge is the only way to ensure your birth experience belongs to you and not just the hospital's billing department.
Once you've tracked down the film on Prime or Tubi, watch it with your partner. It’s a game-changer for the person who will be supporting you, as it helps them understand why you might want to push back on certain routine procedures. It turns a "patient" into an active participant in their own care.