Birth Story: Ina May Gaskin and the Farm Midwives

Innovative filmmakers Sara Lamm and Mary Wigmore launched the feature-length documentary film, “Birth Story: Ina May Gaskin and the Farm Midwives,” at the 2012 Los Angeles Film Festival on June 14, and will be screening the film until June 24. This documentary celebrates the life and work of Ina May Gaskin, a world-renown midwife, who founded and is the current director of the Farm Midwifery Center in Summertown, Tennessee. Ina May began delivering babies of friends and family, and taught herself midwifery skills from the ground up. She created a community called “The Farm,” in which she developed a natural model of care for women and their babies that changed the generation’s views of institutionalized childbirth.

Ina May promotes low-intervention and effective methods in approaching a high-risk birth complication known as shoulder dystocia. With nearly one third of all births in the U.S. resulting in a C-section, Ina May demonstrates that natural methods and approaches are still effective and plausible, and her natural, learned skills could be implemented to save the lives of thousands of women who suffer from shoulder dystocia and other complications.

 “Human female bodies have the same potential to give birth well as aardvarks, lions, rhinoceri, elephants, moose, and water buffalo. Even if it has not been your habit throughout your life so far, I recommend that you learn to think positively about your body.”

― Ina May Gaskin, Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth

Directors Lamm and Wigmore’s two year project of making this documentary will only continue to be funded if at least $50,000 is pledged by Wednesday, July 18. The filmmakers currently have $36,836 pledged, and are confident that Ina May’s inspirational, unique story will generate the support necessary to continue moving forward. Their Kickstarter fundraising page can be found here.