Childbirth can either be a source of joy or pain depending on the kind of support and attention that pregnant women get during labor. Advancements in medicine have contributed to painless childbirth especially for women who give birth through C-Section. In as much as this is the case, millions of women still die from child-birth related issues even after getting assistance from qualified obstetricians. This outcome is what informed Ina May Gaskin who is considered the world’s most famous midwife to look for alternative childbirth practices. In 1971, Ina founded the Farm Midwifery Centre located in Summertown, Tennessee to explore a spiritual like birthing process. The objective behind the center is to involve the whole community in the birth process and in this way help the women to get better health outcomes. Birth Story: Ina May Gaskin & the Farm Midwives is a documentary that explores the birth stories of nine women.
Birth Story is an attempt to demystify childbirth, which seems to be shrouded in mystery as there is not much information concerning the process. Ina Gaskin shares her unique childbirth delivery where the obstetrician used forceps to deliver her first baby to ensure the baby did not suffer from brain damage. Gaskin likens the experience to be taken into a torture chamber by masked physicians who did not let her see her child until the following day (Lamm et al., 2012). The physicians treated her as if she had committed a crime by getting pregnant without providing for comfort. This incidence is what informed Ina to rethink about coming up with a more decent childbirth process that is spiritual and sacred. The film allows for the woman’s family and community to be present at the time of birth to make the birthing process more relaxing and enjoyable.
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The women in the film demonstrate a strong will to survive despite the complications involved in their birth stories. Pamela Hunt a former midwife at the Farm Midwifery Centre was the first woman that Ina Gaskin and Stephen Gaskin attended to during a caravan. Pamela’s husband had initially requested Stephen for help but Ina realized that this was her true calling, as Stephen did not what to do (Lamm et al., 2012). Ina felt an inner peace and she learned to appreciate the beauty of women and, more importantly, the birthing process. The delivery proved complicated and there were fears that the baby would turn blue as it was not breathing but Stephen saved the situation. This first case is quite significant for Ina and her husband Stephen as it taught them responsibility when it comes to midwifery. The midwife must always show concern to the women she is assisting to make the process as comfortable and safe as possible.
Birth Story captures the stories of midwives’ interactions with other midwives and pregnant women. The midwives support each other to ensure they have the right provisions for the childbirth process. The midwives make regular house visits to ensure that they are not caught off guard and risk complications. Deliveries evoke feelings of satisfaction in the midwives since they are happy to help women to deal with the pain that is associated with childbirth. Ina establishes that during labor women are not supposed to complain about the pain but instead embrace the process. Ina likens childbirth to having intercourse since oxytocin level is high in both of these incidences. Relaxation paves the way for the pleasurable birth process, which coupled with the support of the loved one eases the pain. In one case, Ina advised a woman to sing to relax since the baby was fast and she feared the woman would have a tear (Lamm et al., 2012). The documentary captures the events as they happen and the mothers cannot help but rejoice on seeing their newborns. This is the kind of feeling that the midwives share on seeing that they have managed to help yet another woman to go through labor successfully. The documentary does a credible job of bringing a beautiful side to childbirth, which for a long time has been considered a personal responsibility.
Reference
Lamm, S., Wigmore, M., Roughan, K., & Mortensen, Z. (Producers), & Lamm, S., & Wigmore, M.(Directors). (2012). Birth Story: Ina May Gaskin and the farm midwives [Motion Picture]. United States: Ghost Robot/Reckon So Productions.
