From my email.

I am on the mailing list for the Business of Being Born Movie- I sure hope that comes to a theater near me, but if not, I might have to restart Netflix just so I can see it!

Anyway, this is the latest on the movie, The Business of Being Born.

Dear Elena,
We just returned from a fantastic weekend in Chicago, where The Business of Being Born&played at the Music Box Theater. (Photo of us in the lobby on the right.) Big thanks to Julie Lambert from ICAN and Colette Bernhard from the Coalition for Illinois Midwifery for organizing the benefit reception and to midwife Amy Willen for helping us with the Q&As at the theater.

As some of you may know, the laws in Illinois are particularly unfriendly to midwives. We learned that there is only one independent practice of Certified Nurse-Midwives (CNMs) who attend both home and hospital births in the Chicago area. It was shocking to us that there are only THREE midwives who can legally attend a homebirth in Chicago! Of course, there are many Certified Professional Midwives (CPMs) attending homebirths across the state, but they are forced to practice illegally because Illinois is one of the 10 states that does not offer them licensure. The Big Push is trying to change that! On a positive note, we learned that two weeks ago Illinois lawmakers repealed the statewide ban on freestanding birth centers! We sure hope they open a birth center in Chicago soon…

In other “political” news, ACOG (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists) recently released a statement which reinforces their opposition to home birth. We felt the line: “Childbirth decisions should not be dictated or influenced by what’s fashionable, trendy, or the latest cause célèbre” might be a reference to BOBB. It’s interesting to contrast the ACOG statement to a 2005 study by the British Medical Journal which collected data from more than 5000 women planning home births with Certified Professional Midwives in the U.S. and Canada, and found that outcomes for mothers and babies were the same as for low-risk mothers giving birth in hospitals, but with a fraction of the interventions. It’s also interesting to compare the ACOG statement with the joint statement on home birth made by the UK’s Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and the Royal College of Midwives in April 2007 which opens by saying, “there is ample evidence showing that labouring at home increases a woman’s likelihood of a birth that is both satisfying and safe.” We at BOBB do not endorse one type of birth over another, but we do feel strongly that women deserve to have access to all the available information.

This week, BOBB opens in Palm Desert, Tulsa, Omaha, and next week in Seattle. Also this Wednesday, Feb 20th, Director Abby Epstein will attend the screening in Huntington, NY. Please spread the word! You can download promotional flyers to print or email below for Palm Desert, Tulsa and Omaha.

Warmest,

Ricki, Abby, Amy and the BOBB Team

Please browse my eBay items!
Visit my new Amazon Store!

Stumble It!