Search - From Conception to Birth on DVD

Terrible!

Jenney Chendea | Virginia, USA | 12/11/2008

(1 out of 5 stars)

"At 7 months pregnant with my second child, I enjoyed this movie until I got tired of how often they reiterated how painful, practically impossible, and scary pregnancy and childbirth are. I mean, "Childbirth is like trying to fit a softball down your throat?" And they went on and on about how it should be physically impossible, how painful it is... all while showing moms in labor lying on their backs in hospital beds, hooked up to IVs and fetal monitors not being offered any pain relief (like walking around or being massaged or having a shower or a bath or any other comfort measures) until they finally "give in" and have the epidural... It's another ridiculous example of how our media distorts birth and helps cause our high cesarean rates and poor fetal outcomes. My young son was with me, and even he had the sense to say at the beginning, when they took a baby away from the mom immediately, "hey! that baby wants to be with its mother." I do have to say the images of the babies in the moms' bellies while they walked around were pretty awesome. But there was hardly any of that, unfortunately, and the rest of the video isn't worth watching to get to them."

Okay

S. Singleton | CA, USA | 10/27/2007

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I warn you, I've only seen parts of it, but from what I have have seen I think it's it's fairly good. The graphics are wonderful. Diana: The US has "high" infant mortality rates due to the fact that in government statistics any death up to a year old is considered "infant mortality", other countries largely do not do this."

But animation isn't everything when it comes to birth.

Diana Bort | 10/21/2007

(1 out of 5 stars)

"Sadly, this was the Discovery Channel's video about conception and birth in the US and only in the hospital. It includes images of one c-section, epidural injections, women laboring in pain while lying down and medical personnel only suggesting an epidural for pain relief, not a bath or meditation, doula or birth ball. It also included wonderful, imaginative animation for conception and the growth of the fetus. A more balanced film about birth in the US which includes both hospital and home birth is, "Born in the U.S.A." by PatchWork films.

Can the Discovery Channel please do more research and give us a video which includes the reason the USA has one of the highest infant mortality rates in the world?

"

Scary- Try "In The Womb" instead...

Krista M. Mott | Warner Robins, GA | 08/04/2009

(2 out of 5 stars)

"My husband and I both agree this movie was very scary- especially having our first child. Also, the technology they talk so highly of in the beginning wasn't used as much as it should have been. They focused on the lives of the 9 women far too much instead of focusing on the title of the movie- Conception to Birth.



If you are looking for a good movie with 3D/4D animations and images, try National Geographic's "In the Womb". It is wonderful and extremley informative. It truly portrays the miracle of life that a baby is."