I agree with those saying the film presents a biased and one-sided picture. Are there positives to natural, intervention-free births? Absolutely. Are you putting yourself at risk by giving birth in a hospital? Absolutely not.

The infant mortality rate in the United States is embarrassingly high. This is not the fault of doctors, nurses, and hospitals. Our medical facilities, on the whole, have some of the best results in the world. In fact, there's no difference between the infant mortality rate for the first couple weeks of life in the US and Finland.

So where does the difference come from?

1. Reporting. We count any baby born breathing as a live birth. Other countries have stricter definitions (for example, France doesn't count babies born under approximately 1lb as living if the die shortly after birth). Once you account for reporting variations, our rate is much more in line with other developed countries.

2. Babies in the US are more likely to die between 2 and 52 weeks of life than children in other developed countries. Why? Babies who are born preterm have higher rates of serious complications their first year of life. Preterm births are more common in the US than in other countries - and this has been mostly linked to poor maternal health, poverty, and lack of medical care throughout pregnancy. 20-something women, the most fertile demographic, is also one of the highest uninsured demographics.

Just some things to consider! No birth philosophy, geographic location, or amount of preparation can guarantee a perfect outcome. But rest assured that American doctors, on the whole, are doing their best.

Just watched "the business of being born" and now I'm scared