Doula

Deb agrees because Silvio insists it's important, she wants to maintain her home birth plan, and Silvio frames Sascha's presence as supporting that choice. Though uncomfortable with a stranger in her space during late pregnancy, she compromises to preserve the relationship and her birth preferences.

Earlier, the doctor encouraged a hospital delivery, so Deb may feel she needs all the support she can get for her home birth choice.

Deb is upset because Silvio made a major household decision without consulting her, announcing Will would live with them via video call rather than discussing it first. This triggers her deeper fear about losing her identity and becoming an afterthought once the baby and Will arrive.

Deb later tells her mom's group that she feels she's already losing her sense of personhood.

During the birth simulation led by Sascha, Silvio is emotionally triggered and breaks down. He reveals that Will nearly died during his hospital birth, explaining why he's so resistant to Deb's plan for a home birth, his trauma from nearly losing his son makes him fear medical interventions while also fearing the risks of unassisted delivery.

This explains Silvio's earlier tension about birth plans and his ambivalence about Sascha's presence.

Deb kicks Silvio out after learning he plans to leave the following day to pick up Will despite Deb being near her due date. The combination of feeling excluded from major decisions, her fear of losing autonomy, and his timing choice triggers her to demand he leave.

This conflict was building since the video call announcement about Will moving in.

After drinking wine and vomiting, Deb opens up to Sascha about her deep fear. This stems from her identity crisis, she's been feeling like she's losing herself throughout the pregnancy and worries that the transition to motherhood won't feel natural or that she won't bond with her child.

She previously told her mom's group that she feels like she's already disappearing.

Deb goes to the hospital when contractions start, but when the doctor wants to give her Pitocin (a labor-inducing drug), she asserts control and chooses to deliver at home instead. This reflects her consistent preference for an unmedicated, natural birth and her desire to remain in control of her birthing experience.

Sascha had reassured her throughout that choosing her way of birth is her right.

After delivering at home with the midwife present, Deb begins bleeding significantly, a medical emergency indicating postpartum hemorrhage. This is why an ambulance is called and she ends up waking up in the hospital. The bleeding occurs despite a seemingly successful home birth.

The tension around home birth versus hospital delivery makes this turn particularly stark.

Silvio intends to leave the day after the park confrontation to pick up Will, even though Deb is very close to her due date. This disregard for the timing, and making the decision without Deb, represents the final straw that leads her to kick him out.

The tension about Will moving in has been building since the surprise video call announcement.

Sascha, as a doula following in his mother Penka's footsteps, believes in supporting the birthing person's choices. He reassures Deb that choosing to birth her way is her right and that he will support whatever decision she makes, empowering her autonomy rather than pushing medical agendas.

This philosophy echoes how Penka likely supported Deb and Silvio originally.

Silvio's anger and frustration with Sascha's presence in the house culminates at the park when he tells Sascha he's fired. Silvio feels displaced in his own home and resents the bond forming between Sascha and Deb, viewing Sascha as undermining his role in the pregnancy.

Deb pushes back immediately, defending Sascha's presence.

Silvio returns around the time Deb goes into labor, having taken hallucinogenic mushrooms. This surreal choice reflects his attempt to gain clarity on his life during this chaotic period. The mushrooms scene adds to the movie's tense, slightly off-kilter atmosphere during the birth moment.

This occurs after Deb has kicked him out, showing his altered state of mind.

The prenatal appointment revealed Deb was having a boy, yet they have a daughter at the end. This discrepancy is never explained in the film, it simply presents the surprise as part of the birth experience, though it may reflect the unpredictability the movie emphasizes throughout.

The film focuses on Deb's control over her birth experience rather than the baby's gender.