Lake in Tub Birth

Of all the movies premiering at the Tribeca Film Festival next week, only one features Ricki Lake giving birth in a bathtub. If you're into that kinda thing.

"The Business of Being Born" -- a documentary on which Lake served as executive producer -- explores birthing practices in this country. For her own personal enjoyment, Lake filmed the birth of her second child in 2001, and later decided to include the footage in the film. Now you can enjoy it too.

"I am naked at 195 pounds giving birth in my own bathtub," Lake recently told The Huffington Post. "It can't get any more intimate than that!" And it shouldn't.

Tags: ricki lake, RickiLake, The Business of Being Born, TheBusinessOfBeingBorn

Reader Comments

(Page 2 of 2) Previous 15 Comments

16. Also, waterbirth does not have the women deliver the placenta in "murky" water. After the birth - you get out and deliver the placenta elsewhere so it can be seen by those that need to examine it. MANY people tape thier births and there are a good many documentaries regarding it. Perhaps a little self education is needed. Try here: http://www.waterbirth.org/mc/page.do

Posted at 7:56PM on Apr 23rd 2007 by KarenPS

17. For all you assholes reading this, the title is self explanatory if you think its so gross why in the hell did you even click to read it..........man dumb ass runs in the nation and it runs fast

Posted at 8:14PM on Apr 23rd 2007 by t~

18. grosssssssss

Posted at 9:49PM on Apr 23rd 2007 by richie

19. Why all the negativity? If you don't like it don't watch it! There are PLENTY of people out there that are overjoyed to see something like this. Natural birth is a beautiful, wonderful thing & to see it getting positive press is awesome. I say Go Ricki, good for her!

Posted at 12:08PM on Apr 24th 2007 by CM

20. Just because the birth was filmed does not mean that there must be tremendous nudity...though it could be. There are a great many births nowadays that are filmed specifically for television (TLC's "Baby Story", "Runway Moms" and "House of Babies" spring to mind), and there is little editing (blurring), because of the camera placement. Still, anyone with any sense must think why Ricki Lake is doing this, and I certainly don't believe it is merely for the publicity--she could get falling down drunk and have a car wreck, if that's all she wanted. She is doing this for the same reason that so many other women are promoting the idea and ideals of natural birth, and that is that the typical birth in this country is anything but ideal; but few women even have the knowledge that there may be another alternative for them.

If you think it's gross or disgusting to watch, then don't watch it; but do understand that the typical woman giving birth in this country today has little or no control over who is going to be at the birth, unless she has a home birth. If birth is so private that filming it and airing it is distasteful to you, how is it that some obstetrician you've never seen (because your regular doc wasn't on call) can catch your baby, with a team of nurses you don't know on hand to snatch him away and do who-knows-what to him (in the name of safety and medicine, of course), while your own mother and friends can't be in the room, because they have a limit on the number of people you can invite. Where is the sense in that? Birth is private, but 5 strangers can attend--and literally be between your legs--while those you want to be there cannot?

I for one am glad that Ricki Lake is using her celebrity in what I consider to be a good cause--promoting natural birth and home birth. It's a whole lot better than Britney Spears and so many other celebs promoting C-sections because it's so much "easier"...except for the hellish 6-week recovery, vs. a few hours of contractions. At least this gets people talking about home birth, and perhaps more women will look into it.

Birth can empower women, but not the way it currently is in the hospital. Right now, fear rules, and the doctors are in control. If you want to be in control, have a home birth.

Posted at 9:04AM on Apr 26th 2007 by Kathy P

21. I am so shocked at the resposes posted here about birth.

Birth is amazing.
How else are we supposed to shift our culture into the belief that birth is beautiful. Positive birth stories need to be shared far and wide.

How can anyone think that witnessing the blessed event of birth is gross.
That is very sad!!!

Creation is amazing!
Imagine this....
Wait you don't have to imagine this--it's true.
Everyone on this planet was born.
Everyone swam in the amnotic fluid that filled their mothers womb.
Everyone had a placenta that kept them alive.
It's true and it's beautiful.

You go Ricky.

Posted at 9:30PM on Apr 28th 2007 by Patricia Couch

22. Kathy P: I, for one, am extremely glad that I planned to have my babies in a hospital vs. home in my bathtub with a midwife since both of them were unexpected C-sections. While I understand that young Hollywood may "choose" C-sections because it's "easier," I think most (non-Hollywood) women would prefer to deliver vaginally. And for the record, the recovery isn't that bad -- I had a more difficult time healing from my appendectomy than either of my C-sections.

But don't assume just because a woman had a C-section she was trying to take the easy way out. Some of us had no choice -- and my babies could have possibly died if I had chosen to deliver at home vs. a medical facility. Doctors and midwives can't always tell in advance if and when medical intervention is necessary. Is it really worth the risk?

Posted at 11:17AM on May 9th 2007 by ...

23. que lindo el nacimiento de un bebe pero dios mio eso es muy personal i mean what the helllllllllll!!!!!! lol lol!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Posted at 10:26AM on May 10th 2007 by bebita

24. GIVING BIRTH IS A WONDERFUL THING, I AS A MOTHER OF 6 THINK THAT IT IS GREAT THAT PEOPLE WHO ARE INTERESTED IN WATER BIRTHS CAN EXPERIENCE IT BY WATCHING SOMEONE ELSE. GIVING BIRTH IS PART OF NATURE THERE IS NOTHING GROSS ABOUT SHARING THE PROCESS OF BRINGING LIFE INTO THE WORLD

Posted at 11:09AM on May 10th 2007 by ladylomax

25. Ricki,

I think that was awsome that you showed the public something that personal. I really applaud you and hope the baby is doing well.

Posted at 12:30AM on May 16th 2007 by Dave

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