January 28, 2011. Belfast, Maine. Woman in the Moon Films is releasing a second new film to add to the At Home in Maine film series, “At Home in Orland (#2).” This film features the second homebirth of the Bates/Cotier family–Valerie, Todd, Austin, Cooper and Penelope. Valerie and Todd had a homebirth with their second child, Cooper, in November of 2008. I was lucky enough to film that one, too! That birth is featured in two other films in this series, “At Home in Orland” and “At Home in Maine Part III.”
Andrea Mietkiewicz and Evelyn Conrad of Clear Light Holistic Midwifery of Old Town, Maine assisted this family in both homebirths.
This birth provides an interesting counterpart to “At Home in Waldo”; Valerie had a VERY fast labor with her third child, Penelope, who made her quick entrance outside of the womb into the water, in the birth tub. Though Penelope’s birth was normal, Valerie experienced some heavy postpartum bleeding–this film addresses how midwives are trained to deal with this complication. I continue to be amazed at the depth and breadth of women’s wisdom–both mothers and midwives.
I feel really blessed to have had the opportunity to film both of Valerie’s homebirths. Both she and Andrea have become good friends of mine throughout the past few years and I am grateful for their trust in me and support of this project. Thank you!
The film runs 20 minutes long; please take some time to check it out and offer your input. You will also see supplementary commentary, provided by Andrea, regarding how midwives address postpartum bleeding. Enjoy and share!
womaninthemoonfilms.com 