Birth Story: Ina May Gaskin and the Farm Midwives (2013)
Birth Story: Ina May Gaskin and The Farm Midwives captures a spirited group of women who taught themselves how to deliver babies on a 1970s hippie commune. Today as nearly one third of all US babies are born via C-section, they fight to protect their knowledge and to promote respectful, safe maternity practices all over the globe. From the backs of their technicolor school buses, these pioneers rescued American midwifery from extinction, changed the way a generation approached pregnancy, and filmed nearly everything they did. With unprecedented access to the midwives' archival video collection, as well as modern day footage of life at the alternative intentional community where they live, this documentary shows childbirth the way most people have never seen it--unadorned, unabashed, and awe-inspiring.
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When it comes to women giving birth, Ina May Gaskin and The Farm Midwives know the courage, strength, and insight women have inside them. This is a movie for strong women about strong women. And we are all strong if only given the right atmosphere and encouragement. All women, young and old, should see this movie. And their men, too. This is an excellent movie about the lost art of giving birth naturally in the United States and the world. It is about making birth part of the family experience. It is also about the dying art of lay midwifery. Ina May Gaskin and The Farm Midwives know the truth about the birth experience. They offer us knowledge in the safe, healthy, spiritual practice of giving birth. It is a sacred, family centered experience to be cherished by all involved, particularly our mothers.