Finally
there is a film that captures the mystical, sensual, and joyful side of
childbirth. In A Clear Road to Birth, filmmaker Judy Seaman
at last gives voice to the growing number of couples who are choosing
to give birth at home without medical assistance. Photos and footage from
eight unassisted births are artfully woven together with interviews from
unassisted birth couples in an hour-long documentary that never fails
to hold our attention.
The film opens with a spectacular birth scene. With barely a sigh, a woman
in New Hampshire gently births her baby into her own hands. No doctors
are there to pull the baby out with forceps. No midwives stand by instructing
her to "PUSH!" Only a woman - trusting her own instincts, doing what women
have done for thousands of years - giving birth. It is a powerful image
that is sure to leave a lasting impression on the minds of those who watch
it.
The
other births in the film are equally impressive. A mother in Colorado
gives birth in a hot tub. She smiles blissfully as the baby slides into
her husband's hands. A Missouri woman catches her baby as her three-year-old
daughter looks on in amazement. Not until now has the elemental beauty
of unhindered birth been captured on film.
The
interviews in the film are interesting and informative. For one segment,
Seaman traveled to Petersburg, New York to speak with Athena Burke, a
singer/songwriter who birthed her baby in a tent in her back yard. Athena
speaks glowingly of the experience. Equally fascinating are the interviews
with the people of the town. As there are no hospitals in Petersburg,
Athena's son Christopher was the first baby to be born there in over 20
years. It is obvious when listening to the townspeople speak that they
have embraced Christopher as one of their own.
As
the author of Unassisted Childbirth, I,
too, was interviewed for the film, as was my husband David. Our children
John, Willie, Joy, and Michelle make cameo appearances (along with our
dog Benny!) Childbirth writer and speaker Jeannine Parvati Baker shares
her thoughts on "Freebirth" as well.
The
film ends in the same mystical way it begins - with a birth scene set
beautifully to music. A Clear Road to Birth
is destined to change the way people look at childbirth, and I am honored
to have been a part of it.
Click
here to purchase the DVD.
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