The film champions practices that were, at the time, considered radical in Brazil: delayed cord clamping, immediate skin-to-skin contact, the "golden hour," and the right to refuse unnecessary interventions like episiotomies or routine amniotomy. Birth Reborn was not received with universal applause. The Brazilian Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FEBRASGO) pushed back hard. Critics accused the filmmakers of demonizing doctors and romanticizing natural birth to the point of irresponsibility—specifically regarding home births, which the film treats as a viable option for low-risk women.
Birth Reborn is not just a film about having babies. It is a film about power—the power of the medical establishment versus the power of a woman who trusts her body. As one of the interviewed obstetricians states in the closing minutes: "We are not the protagonists of birth. The woman is. We are merely the supporting cast." Renascimento do Parto -Birth Reborn-
One of the most compelling sequences follows a woman laboring in a squatting position, moving freely, grunting with primal agency. The camera cuts to a standard hospital scene: a woman lying flat on her back (the least biomechanically efficient position for birth), legs in stirrups, hooked to monitors, isolated from family. The juxtaposition is devastating. The film champions practices that were, at the
Following the film’s release, the hashtag #PartoDoRespeito (Respectful Birth) went viral in Brazil. Women began firing their doctors who refused to discuss natural birth plans. Medical schools reported a surge in students seeking training in obstetrics that included midwifery techniques. In 2015, the Brazilian National Health Agency (ANS) began implementing stricter regulations to curb unnecessary C-sections, specifically requiring doctors to provide women with a written document explaining the medical necessity of the procedure. Critics accused the filmmakers of demonizing doctors and
Directed by Eduardo Chauvet, Renascimento do Parto (released internationally as Birth Reborn ) landed like a thunderclap in a country known for its "C-section culture." At the time of its release, Brazil boasted one of the highest Cesarean section rates in the world—approaching 85% in the private healthcare sector. The film didn’t just ask "Why?" It whispered a provocative answer: "Because we forgot how to give birth." The documentary opens not with a crying baby, but with statistics that are hard to digest. For decades, Brazil normalized the idea that natural birth was archaic, dangerous, or unnecessarily painful. The narrative, perpetuated by convenience-driven healthcare systems and a society that prized scheduling over spontaneity, turned Cesarean sections into a status symbol.