"Birth Story": Let's Push This Project Forward!

I want to invite you to a party that I, myself, am admittedly a little late to (somehow missed this before today); it’s showing no signs of quieting down, though, so I’m showing up with the Natural Parenting blog posse, intending to really rock its final hours. Make that final days – six of them – in which we can all help further the cause, and reach, of a very exciting film project, Birth Story. Created by two already-credentialed documentarian moms, this film tells the story of the legendary midwife Ina May Gaskin, and her Tennessee farm… and, of course, the many beautiful births that take place there.

Here, watch this:

Okay, that trailer alone made me want to have a baby (in a bathtub) right now. Honest first reaction. I would have felt a little bashful about sharing it with you, though, were it not also voiced by a viewer at the LA Film Festival (as per this vid), where Birth Story won the Audience Award for Feature Documentary Film. And, given that Gaskin and the other midwives on her farm (as well as midwives and natural birth advocates around the world) intend to restore womens’ confidence around childbirth – and undo the fears that mainstream medical approaches toward delivering babies tend to create in moms-to-be – I’m thinking my reaction is probably shared among many viewers, and is likely right on par with the project’s goals.

Its additional goals include getting the film airtime on television, distributing it around the globe, and making it available in a variety of educational settings. So although the initial $50,000 fundraining goal has already been met, the more people who join this party (by way of donating some cash, for which -- depending on your donation level -- you can receive a DVD, and other awesome merch), the bigger and better its impact will be.

Let’s show this project some 100% Natural Parenting love and make this final push – so to speak – a strong one; be a part of this amazing project by giving what you can to lend a hand. In the words of the filmmakers, “Anything you can give will help us birth this film—it’s an exciting time for independent documentaries and also a challenging one—funding sources have dried up and the market is harder than ever, especially for women-centered films. But we believe the time is right to present a movie that celebrates women and their bodies, that honors what we can accomplish when we work together in community, and that shows childbirth the way we never see it in the mainstream media—unadorned, unabashed, and awe-inspiring.”