Educational Media Reviews Online

It would be hard to dispute the idea that Ina May Gaskin is the most famous midwife in the world. Birth Story: Ina May Gaskin and the Farm Midwives chronicles the history of a woman, a community, and a movement. Ms. Gaskin has been interviewed on national television, lectured around the world on midwifery, given a Ted talk, written books, and made instructional videos about child birth. Her mission has long been to call attention to the abundant strength of women to give birth with joy and not fear. Her knowledge comes from personal experience, physician mentors, reading, and talking with other midwives and has earned the respect of the medical field, earning an honorary doctorate from the Facility of Health and Human Sciences at Thames Valley University in England. She is the only midwife to have an obstetric procedure named for her, learned from indigenous midwives in Guatemala.

Ina May lives in an intentional community in rural Tennessee where she established The Farm Clinic to provide midwifery services to members of the community and eventually to other women the surrounding area. The Farm, as the community is known, is the longest existing intentional community founded by Michael Gaskin, Ina May’s husband, the spiritual leader of the group. The spiritual focus of the community is clearly a part of the Farm Clinic’s approach to childbirth and is emphasized in the documentary.

Ms. Gaskin was interviewed by Diane Sawyer about the alarming percentage of women in the United States who have caesarian section births, one in three, with a maternal death ratio almost 5 times as high as it should be. She is an activist for women’s health care and takes her message to the public and to lawmakers. She is joined in her efforts by the midwives in her community and those around the globe. She speaks to audiences of health care providers worldwide confronting the notion that childbirth is a medical problem versus a natural event.

The video combines vintage footage of the caravan that brought the Gaskins to Tennessee, births on the farm, and current footage of births at the clinic and in the homes she visits. We also see footage of Ina May’s speaking engagements. This film is highly recommended for libraries that support midwifery and nursing practice. It has been endorsed by academics in history, nursing, schools of midwifery and popular press. Though the full film is 93 minutes it can be shown in sections to highlight specific issues. The Birth Story educational license comes with unlimited rights to use the film in a classroom, library, or training program, and includes exclusive discussion materials.

Awards

• Winner, Audience Award, Los Angeles Film Festival, 2012