birth, Healing, Honesty
Help me bring These Are My Hours to Philadelphia in June 2019, with a special Q&A with Emily Graham! Donate to help cover the costs of theater rental deposit – If you donate $20 now, you will get two tickets to the event once it is booked! If you are a birth professional or business owner and interested in advertising at the event, please email loveoverfearwellness@gmail.com for information.  Donate herehttps://www.gofundme.com/these-are-my-hours-screening-qampa  
  I seem to be talking a lot about birth media these days. Between Facebook and Instagram recently allowing uncensored images of birth to be shared, my own personal reactions to misinformed and dangerous depictions of birth in mainstream media, and the Indie Birth conference earlier this month, it is fair to say that the topic of birth media has dominated my conversations for much of the month of May. At the Indie Birth conference we had the privilege of screening an absolutely magnificent film, These Are My Hours, and the opportunity to do a Q&A with the folks behind the film. Now, I could say a lot about this film, but just in case you don’t make it to the end of this post I will just be sure to say WATCH THIS FILM! (Click here rent on Vimeo & use the code BIRTHISRAD for 30% off In a day and age where we are hard-pressed to find any realistic depictions of birth in mainstream media, These Are My Hours, offers a truly cinematic, real, raw, and downright beautiful glimpse of childbirth. This hour-long production had me laughing hysterically at moments, bawling my eyes out at others, and sometimes, both at once – and it is completely unscripted. One of my favorite things about this film from the backend is that, while it is directed and co-written by a man – Scott Kirschenbaum – the narrative is driven by the woman laboring in the film, Emily Graham, who is also the co-writer and narrator. You can’t even find Scott’s name on the film’s website (click here to explore), you have to go to IMDB or watch the film to find him credited. What a gorgeous real-life example of the divine masculine graciously supporting the divine feminine! In order to produce the film, Emily’s home was prepared in advance with cameras and equipment so that she could get used to having these foreign objects in her intimate birthing space. The crew was called when she went into labor, and showed up to do their jobs as quietly as possible. For most of the film, Emily is alone in the frame. Her partner is nearby but not on top of her, her midwife is in the next room, and her mother is across the room peacefully knitting on the couch. Emily prefers to have the consistent presence of her birthkeepers, but not to be interrupted by them at all during labor, unless she specifically asks for support. Her preferences are perfectly reflected in the final cut of the film, and because of this, I truly believe that These Are My Hours has the power to cure the disbelief of anyone who questions uninterrupted physiological labor. While an uninterrupted physiological birth experience may not be what every birthing person prefers for themselves, it is the right choice for many people – and it is sorely underrepresented in media, and completely ignored in mainstream media. The underrepresentation of this kind of birth not only means that most people do not realize that it is within the realm of possibility for them, but it also leads to the misunderstanding, alienation, and even persecution of those who do know that this is what they want, and who choose it for themselves. My wish is that every single person who may ever give birth, or provide support to another person in labor, watches These Are My Hours. My wish is that this film is shown in med. school, doula trainings, sex ed., and childbirth classes around the world. My wish is that this film is remembered for the role it played in the birth revolution and the reclaiming of birth. I lovingly thank Emily, Scott, Jason, and Carey for this piece of living art.
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birth, Honesty
Trigger warning: Birth, hospital, doctors, mortality  In the midst of a week that has been celebrated in the birth community for the reversal of censorship of real birth images on social media, there has also been a piece of problematic fictional birth media circulating online. When I first saw SNL’s sketch from May 12th, 2018, “On the Day You Were Born,” which stars Amy Schumer as a mother and as a woman in labor, I was annoyed by it, but willing to let it go as a joke. Of course it is important to laugh about the things that can be most challenging in life, and for a lot of people their experience of childbirth tops that list. Then yesterday, I saw the video being shared via BuzzFeed, with the title “This SNL Sketch About Childbirth is Hilariously Real,” and that tipped me over the edge. Okay fine, so I read the comments (never read the comments) and really that’s what tipped me over the edge. (Haven’t seen the video yet? Watch it here). While there are moments in this sketch that are redeeming, and even some realistic depictions of postpartum and parenthood, the portrayal of Amy Schumer’s character in labor is deeply upsetting… We see a woman screaming bloody murder –  in absolute terror – while laboring in a hospital setting. Her husband is equally as terrified. There is a curtain up over her legs – disconnecting her from her own experience – and the medical staff in the room are only paying attention to what’s going on between her legs under the curtain. No attention is paid to how she is feeling… which, again, seems to be completely terrified. Everyone in the room is yelling, and in total hysterics. Another doctor comes in and Amy yells at her asking where she’s been, seemingly pleading the doctor to save her. I’ll pause there, because I think you get the picture. How often do we see birth depicted this way in the media? Pretty often. We are used to it. So it shouldn’t be a big deal, right? Wrong!
“This SNL Sketch about Childbirth is Hilariously Real,” says BuzzFeed. “Real?!” I yell, as I shake my fist skyward, “this is not the way it has to be!”
Let me back up and say that I have no problem with the fact that this sketch takes place in a hospital. People should give birth where they feel most comfortable, and for most people that will be under medical supervision, in case something goes wrong. Just remember – birth is not a medical event, and though you will likely have medical options to consider during labor, birth works uninterrupted most of the time. It is true that over the course of history maternal and infant mortality rates have gone down overall. This likely has to do more with the availability of healthcare and resources throughout a person’s lifespan than it does the presence of medical personnel during labor and birth (i.e. Rickets and Polio used to be big risk factors when giving birth – and they no longer are – even basic nutrition and access to healthy foods makes an enormous difference in prenatal care). It is also true that since the 1980’s those maternal mortality rates have been rising in the US (due to unnecessary, unsafe, and overused medical intervention). As a doula who attends births for a living, all of the births I have attended thus far in my career have taken place in a medical setting. That being said, none of them have looked anything like that SNL sketch. Most people should give birth in a hospital, because that is where they feel safe! But, they should not give birth in a state of terror! Terror can and should be avoided during childbirth. Now, to return to the SNL sketch, it’s not problematic to me because I lack a sense of humor. I understand that it’s intentionally dramatized. It is problematic because for so many people this is their reality, which is made evident by the popularity of this – now viral – video. Because we are fortunate enough to be living in 2018, when many of the pre-existing medical conditions that could negatively impact perinatal and newborn health have been treated throughout our lifetimes, and we are overall healthier than folks were even 100 years ago… birth works most of the time, and there is no need for it to be so entirely over-medicalized. The standard in obstetric care is to strip away the authority and autonomy of the pregnant/birthing person, and assign all power to the doctor in the room. This is not only inappropriate, but also dangerous. It can leave a person feeling like they have no control over what is happening to their own body. It can lead to terror. In midwifery care, this standard is often different, and the individual who is receiving care is treated as the expert in their own body and experience. (If you’re interested in hearing more about this, check out this episode of 1A from NPR on maternal mortality rates in the US). The over-medicalization of pregnancy and birth often leads to way more stress and fear than it does peace of mind. Especially when the care model is set up so that most people (receiving care from an OB) spend only five minutes, give or take, with their doctor in a prenatal appointment, and 0% of that time is spent actually discussing their feelings towards pregnancy and birth, or heaven forbid, their fears.
The standard of care needs to change. The depiction of childbirth in mainstream media needs to change.
How can we expect people to go into labor without an overwhelming sense of fear when there is no one addressing their concerns, or preparing them honestly for what could happen once they’re in the labor setting of their choice, whether that’s a hospital, birth center, or at home? That is, unless they have the resources to seek independent childbirth education, and/or hire a doula. How can we expect people to go into labor unafraid when all that we see in the mainstream media are overdramatized and over-medicalized depictions of childbirth? The more we expose ourselves to positive birth images and stories, the less “hilariously real” this SNL sketch will seem… more like horrifyingly misunderstood and unsupportive. Maybe I’m doing SNL an injustice, though. Perhaps this piece was intended to be a glaring satire that is critical of the massive shortcomings of the current obstetric model, but that is certainly not how it was received by the general public. Indie Birth does a lot of work involving the importance of birth media. As part of their work as not only midwives, but also activists, they provide images and stories that help to bring others into the birth space. In part, this is done because it is something that has been increasingly lost in our culture as birth became taboo. In the past, you may have been present at several births before your own first pregnancy and first experience giving birth. As Margo Nelson recently said on an episode of the Indie Birth podcast, “there’s a way to [share birth media] that is for the highest good.” (Check out that podcast episode here). So BuzzFeed, why not write an article about the #IGUncensorbirth petition, or talk to Indie Birth about the work they did behind the scenes to make the importance of real birth media understood (by a team of people who had no vested interest in birth rights and were not parents themselves)? Let’s redirect the attention to positive birth stories! Let’s build a generation of well-informed, unafraid, powerful birthing persons! Want to see real birth media? (Click here for my list of Instagram accounts to follow). Don’t believe me that you can give birth in a hospital, but that it doesn’t have to be like that? Check out this photo of Emily @mamasaurusssrex, cool as a cucumber, catching her own baby in a hospital setting: Still think I’m overreacting? (Check out this article about the abuse of women in labor, which is just the tip of the iceberg). Birth in love! Not Fear!
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