Midwives Emerge On Screen

Midwives take the spotlight in Ricki Lake’s new documentary, The Business of Being Born.

After its recent debut at the Tribeca Film Festival, The Business of Being Born is set to cast midwives into the public eye. The film is a collaborative effort between Executive Producer Ricki Lake, Director Abby Epstein, and a smattering of health care practitioners and clients.

With an impressive amount of professional backing, the documentary aims to question the way women give birth in the U.S. It challenges society’s tendency to treat birth as a potential medical emergency and promotes an alternative view: birth as a natural life process.

Box Office Boom or Bust?

The Business of Being Born is set to be released progressively in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Seattle beginning in January 2008 and will also be available on Netflix in February. Although it may not get the details of midwifery exactly right (according to some midwives on staff at the American College of Nurse-Midwives), the film is a rare opportunity to see an approach to birth often hidden from the public eye.

“For the most part, this film is a wonderful message about women reclaiming their right to have choices about their own health and birth, and putting a celebrity behind the message makes it even more powerful,” says Mairi Breen Rothman, CNM and professional services consultant for ACNM.

Midwives at ACNM’s national office give a thumbs-up to the variety of health care professionals interviewed on screen and the fundamental message to trust the birth process.

6 Things to Know Before You Go

myMidwife.org is here to bridge the gaps if the documentary leaves you guessing. Here’s what midwives want you to know:

1. There are many types of midwives.
2. Most certified nurse-midwives (CNMs) deliver babies in hospitals.
3. Midwives are highly educated.
4. Midwives care for women in all phases of life, not just pregnancy.
5. Most insurance plans cover midwifery services (and we have information to help you if yours don't).

6. Midwives are everywhere - find yours today!