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Overlooked & Underrated Docs & Features
(click on broll or dschwartz for all his posts)
Ina May Gaskin and The Farm Midwives
“Birth Story” profiles the life and work of midwifery advocate Ina May Gaskin one of the many co-founders of The Farm, an ‘intentional community’ formed in the late 1960s. Gaskin became a midwife, teacher of midwives, and an internationally renowned author with her own Amazon page.
Co-directors Sara Lamm and Mary Wigmore have produced a powerful, deeply moving story encompassing Gaskin’s biography, glimpses of the history of midwifery, the challenges of childbirth in the United States today, the role midwifery plays in meeting those challenges – and, of course, a history of The Farm which served as the crucible for Gaskin’s inspiring work.
The film includes several childbirths – including a water birth. I was surprised to see most of those attending the births not break down in tears at the baby’s emergence. I was just some guy watching this recording on my TV and was brought to tears several times.
I cannot overstate the emotional impact of “Birth Story” as well as its potential to educate, and to improve public policy in humanizing and improving our approach to childbirth. D. Schwartz March 1, 2013