From executive producers Ricki Lake and Abby Epstein (The Business of Being Born), this topical new documentary, directed by Brigid Maher, examines a growing shift in the birthing industry: the rise of Caesarean sections. With C-section rates dangerously over 30% in America, are midwives the solution? In recent years, the idea of a “collaborative care” practice where doctors and midwives manage women’s care together has begun to gain traction. Research has demonstrated that collaborative care models produce better outcomes for mother and baby, including fewer C-sections. This moving and urgent film provides an intimate lens into how midwives across the country work within and better the hospital system, redefining how the US looks at the birthing process.
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In 2012, the c-section rate was over 30% in America.
Are midwives the solution to the obstetrics crisis in America?
In 2012, the c-section rate was over 30% in America.
Are midwives the solution to the obstetrics crisis in America?
About one in three babies are born by C-section today, though the World Health Organization recommends that the best outcomes for mothers and babies are achieved when that rate remains below 15%. Additionally, according to the Center for Disease Control, the U.S. has one of the highest infant mortality rates among industrialized countries.
In recent years, the idea of a “collaborative care” practice where doctors and midwives manage women’s care together has begun to gain traction in the U.S. So far, research has demonstrated that collaborative care models produce better outcomes for mother and baby, including fewer C-sections.
For Producer/Director Brigid Maher, the documentary idea comes from a personal experience. Maher had a cesarean birth with her first son. But, when pregnant with her daughter, she couldn’t imagine recovering from another C-section while caring for a newborn and a 4 year old. Maher chose to deliver with a midwifery practice in a Washington, D.C. hospital and had a successful vaginal birth of a 9 pound 10 ounce, healthy, baby girl. In the process, she discovered that many people did not know that the majority of midwives work within the hospital system. Maher realized that this was an unheard story ready to be told.
