I have never made a review but I am so disappointed in the way the birth plan scene was written that I had to.
Disclosure: I am a birth worker (doula)
I am appalled at the way that Mel's stillbirth was used to manipulate Charmaine. As if the location of the birth would have anything to do with a baby's likelihood of being stillborn. Mel says, "if I had done anything unconventional I would never have forgiven myself." Which is a terrible thing to say and harmful to anyone considering an out-of-hospital birth experience. As a midwife she should know that the location would not effect a child being born still. Hospitals are more prepared for certain complications but those complications are not present at most births. This scene fuels the fear narrative surrounding birth in America.
Yes Charmaine is birthing twins and has an already complicated pregnancy, but the same scene could have happened without using fear and emotions to manipulate and expecting mother.
Midwives have rules and you can risk-out of certain options. (I risked out of a birth center birth with my second because my water broke early.) Mel could have explained the risks professionally and that she is uncomfortable with a home birth for those reasons, but the writers favored drama over what a real midwife would have done.
For the record: I would not recommend Charmaine have a home birth either due to her circumstances, but using Mel's stillbirth to scare Charmaine was shameful and unprofessional.
I am not exclusively biased away from hospital births. Every mother should be made aware of all risks and options and be supported in having the birth that she is comfortable with.
Birth is an amazing and beautiful experience. This scene is harmful to our society as it contributes to the idea that it is something to fear. It is a natural and wonderful thing that our bodies were created to do.