a few pix from the gorgeous homebirth i filmed a week ago. happy 1 week bday max! born peacefully in the water…surrounded by love…supported by professional midwives…the gold standard of care. at home in lisbon falls, maine! stay tuned for the film later this year…
Finally! Some prime time morning news coverage on homebirth in Maine! “Homebirths”, featured on CBS affiliate WGME in Portland, Maine and reported by host Diana Ichton (who is about to give birth herself any day now!) features midwife and naturopathic doctor Sarah Ackerly of Northern Sun Family Healthcare and Birth Center and Jessie and Ernie Boda, the couple who’s gorgeous homebirth I filmed early this past Monday! The story was broadcast to an audience most likely not familiar with this choice; who will no doubt benefit from this information.
And did ya hear? Homebirth in Maine is up 60% from last year (Maine State Vital Statistics).
Great news all around!
Check out this interview by video documentarian Bill Anderson where I speak about all things homebirthy. Not being one to not have anything to say…grab a cup of tea and settle in ’cause it runs about 45 minutes!
CAMDEN, MAINE. “At Home in Waldo, Maine” will screen at the Camden Public Library on Tuesday, October 11, from 6:30-8pm.
“At Home in Waldo, Maine” presents the homebirth experience of the Weavers–Melinda, Jerry, Ravi and Gideon–a family living in midcoast Maine. The film observes Melinda’s approaching delivery in context of the Weaver’s daily activities and documents the pre-natal planning and support the family receives from their professional midwives.
The Weavers are (semi) homesteaders, home/internet-based entrepreneurs, homeschoolers–and ro…ck and rollers (their band is Odlaw and their song, “Learn to Love” is featured in this film)!
This 46-minute film is both an intimate document of their experience and an exploration into the relationship between how we live and how we birth.
“At Home in Waldo, Maine” is one of the recent releases from “At Home in Maine”, an online film series about homebirth and midwifery care: www.mainehomebirth.wordpress.com The series is the creation of Belfast-based filmmaker Nicolle Littrell of Woman in the Moon Films.
Following the film, there will be a discussion with Nicolle, the Weavers and Morningstar Midwifery, the professional midwives who assisted the family. Refreshments will also be served.
The event is free and open to the public; however, donations will be accepted to support ongoing work on the “At Home in Maine” series.
Click here to visit the event page on Facebook.
BELFAST, MAINE. “At Home in Maine,” an online documentary film series about homebirth and midwifery care is currently the featured media on Mothering.com, a popular web publication about Natural Parenting and Living.
The film series presents eleven authentic, artistic and intimate portraits of the homebirth experience, representing the diversity of families who are choosing homebirth, the midwives who serve them, the different locations in Maine where homebirths are happening and a variety of homebirth experiences.
“At Home in Maine” is featured on both the Mothering.com homepage and as separate blog post. The blog post features a trailer from one of the new releases in the series, “At Home in Morrill, Maine.”
Mothering.com has a “large and passionate” readership both in the United States and internationally, as described on the website.
“At Home in Maine” is the creation of Nicolle Littrell, a Belfast-based filmmaker, educator and activist. The film series was inspired by Littrell’s own homebirth experience in 2004 where she gave birth to her son in a farmhouse in rural Montville, Maine, assisted by two Certified Professional Midwives.
“Given the publication’s focus on natural parenting and lifestyle choices, I’d say ‘At Home in Maine’ is right at home on Mothering.com,” says Littrell. “When I was pregnant, I looked to Mothering magazine to learn about my choices in childbirth. It’s really exciting to now share a film series I created–that was inspired by my own positive homebirth experience–with Mothering.com’s vibrant online community.”
Homebirth is on the increase in the United States, up by 20% between 2004-2008, states a recent report from the National Centers for Disease Control. Littrell credits the vibrant Natural/Normal Birth Movement on the Internet as to why this increase is occurring. “The Internet has become the prime venue for women to learn about their choices in childbirth. Access to information is key. Through the Internet, women are learning about birth, sharing their wisdom and resources–and creating their own web-based communities. It’s pretty amazing. To me, it feels like a revolution.”
The film series can be viewed through Video on Demand (VOD) for rental or digital download.
“‘At Home in Maine’ is a great resource for women and their partners to learn about homebirth, as well as seeing what normal, natural childbirth looks like, which unfortunately, most people in America do not have a picture of. The films are also an excellent educational tool for birth professionals and schools,” says Littrell.
On Tuesday, October 11th, Littrell will screen “At Home in Waldo, Maine,” one of the recent releases from the series, at the Camden Public Library, 6:30-8pm. Refreshments and a discussion with Littrell and the film participants will follow the film.
For more info about “At Home in Maine” visit: mainehomebirth.wordpress.com or contact Nicolle Littrell at Woman in the Moon Films.
I’m entering Week 4 of this campaign and have a long way to go to meet my September 15 fund-raising goal! I remain hopeful!
If you have been thinking of supporting this project and can swing it NOW is the time to go for it! Whether it’s $5, $25, $250 (or more if you’re feeling generous) it all counts towards reaching this goal!
And if you know someone that would be interested in supporting this project, please PLEASE spread the word in your own circles!
Meeting this funding goal is critical to sustaining work on this project! “At Home in Maine” is a part of a vibrant online movement to educate women and their families about their choices in childbirth! Every woman deserves that information!
Click here to go to At Home in Maine on Kickstarter! Many thanks to all who have supported this project so far!
Another way to support this project is to rent/buy films in the At Home in Maine series. Four films are available through Video on Demand (with more to come) via this website: At Home in Waldo, Maine, At Home in Winthrop, At Home in Orland #2 and At Home in Morrill.
Looking forward to filming more births and creating more films for this series!
Peace,
Nicolle
August 8, 2011. As some of you may have noticed, “At Home in Maine” is undergoing some changes. I’ve spruced up the look of the website a bit (got to love that paisley!) but more significantly, I am in the process of transitioning the “At Home in Maine” series to Video on Demand (VOD). Soon, all the films will be available to watch via rental or purchase (as a digital download). So far, “At Home in Winthrop”, “At Home in Waldo” and “At Home in Orland (#2)” are all viewable through VOD. In the coming weeks, more films in the “At Home in Maine” series will be available via VOD.
It is a big change and one that I took a lot of time to research and consider. I found a great new online distribution service, “filmDIY” that is making this possible. Education, information and inspiration are important goals of this project–and accessibility is a key value. However, I have to make a living, too! I’m graduating from my Master’s Program at U Maine in a few weeks! So, far I have created 11 films for this series–mostly with out-of-pocket resources. I want to keep doing the work I’m so passionate about and sustain the “At Home in Maine” project. Revenue from VOD will generate resources to keep adding to this body of work–presenting more diverse representation of families choosing homebirths, midwives, locations in Maine and a variety of homebirth experiences. The prime goal of “At Home in Maine” is to help educate women and their partners about the choice to have a homebirth–with the intention of increasing access to information about this choice. The recent CDC report about the 20% increase in homebirth credits the “subculture of white women” as responsible for this increase. I’d say much of this has to do with the Internet–and the vibrant online Natural Birth Movement, which is making it easier for women to share their stories and learn about their choices in childbirth. “At Home in Maine” is part of that Movement, which aims to transform the way birth is seen and done (especially in the US). To help “normalize” the choice to have a homebirth.
The “At Home in Maine” films make a great gift for expectant parents and an excellent educational tool for childbirth educators and doulas to present what homebirth looks like–and just as important, what normal, natural, vaginal birth looks like. The films make an excellent addition midwives’ lending libraries. And to midwifery and nursing schools and women/gender/cultural studies program collections, as well! At $4/4 days for rentals and $14 per film (be in touch if you want to purchase the whole series, I offer “bundle” discounts), I’m working at maintaining a balance between accessibility and affordability. Digital downloads can be burned to disc–or even uploaded to your own secure servers and/or video-sharing platforms (for academic/educational use only–meaning not available to the general public).
Please spread the word about this series! I also have launched a Kickstarter campaign, as well, to generate more resources to sustain the work I’m so very passionate about! Over the next few months, I will also be screening films from the series in various communities. The screenings in Belfast in April and Brunswick in July were sold-out shows! Won’t you consider please supporting my work with “At Home in Maine”–via renting/purchasing films, donating to the Kickstarter campaign, scheduling a screening–or just spreading the word about this work?
A sincere “thank you” to those that have done so already–in ways large and small!
Hope you’re having a great August!
Peas and carrots,
Nicolle
I just launched a Kickstarter campaign for At Home in Maine! My goal: to raise $10,000 by September 15, 2011 to create four more films for the AHIM series! That means more families, more midwives, more locations and more authentic and diverse portraits of the homebirth experience–to help educate, inform and inspire! I’m already in production on the next film! By the summer of 2012, I hope to have 15 films that comprise the AHIM series.
Here’s an opportunity to support a worthwhile project and receive some great rewards!
Click here to learn more about this project and donate!
Please share and re-post!
BRUNSWICK, MAINE. It is the eve of solstice, June 2010. Jenn and James Currier stand on a quite neighborhood street engaged in what appears to be a slow, swaying dance. In fact, Jenn is having a contraction; labor is the rhythm she moves to. Later that evening, in the dining room of her home, she will give birth to her son Robbie in a birth tub supported by her husband, her mother, her doula and her professional midwives, Sarah Ackerly ND, CPM and Josie Skavdahl ND, CPM of Northern Sun Family Healthcare and Birth Center.
This story is presented in a new documentary film, “At Home in Winthrop, Maine” by Belfast, Maine–based filmmaker Nicolle Littrell and will have it’s premiere screening at the Frontier Café on Wednesday, July 27th from 6:30-8pm.
A discussion with Littrell, the Curriers, Ackerly and Skavdahl will follow the screening. Admission is by suggested donation: $5 for individuals and $10 for families.
The film is part of “At Home in Maine”, a documentary film series and educational resource about the choice to have a homebirth and receive professional midwifery care in Maine. To learn more about At Home in Maine visit: www.mainehomebirth.wordpress.com
The premiere of “At Home in Winthrop” is part of a weeklong celebration of events centered on the opening of a new birth center at Northern Sun Family Healthcare, one of two freestanding birth centers in Maine and staffed by CPMs. For info about Northern Family Sun Healthcare visit: www.northernsunfamilyhealthcare.com
For more information about the screening and to see a trailer for “At Home in Maine” visit: www.explorefrontier.com
Click here to go to the event page on Facebook!
BRUNSWICK, MAINE. It is the eve of solstice, June 2010. Jenn and James Currier stand on a quite neighborhood street engaged in what appears to be a slow, swaying dance. In fact, Jenn is having a contraction; labor is the rhythm she moves to. Later that evening, in the dining room of her home, she will give birth to her son Robbie in a birth tub supported by her husband, her mother, her doula and her professional midwives, Sarah Ackerly ND, CPM and Josie Skavdahl ND, CPM of Northern Sun Family Healthcare and Birth Center.
This story is presented in a new documentary film, “At Home in Winthrop, Maine” by Belfast, Maine–based filmmaker Nicolle Littrell and will have it’s premiere screening at the Frontier Café on Wednesday, July 27th from 6:30-8pm.
A discussion with Littrell, the Curriers, Ackerly and Skavdahl will follow the screening. Admission is by suggested donation: $5 for individuals and $10 for families.
The film is part of “At Home in Maine”, a film series and educational resource about the choice to have a homebirth and receive professional midwifery care in Maine. To learn more about At Home in Maine visit: www.mainehomebirth.wordpress.com
The premiere of “At Home in Winthrop” is part of a weeklong celebration of events centered on the opening of a new birth center at Northern Sun Family Healthcare, one of two freestanding birth centers in Maine and staffed by CPMs. For info about Northern Family Sun Healthcare visit: www.northernsunfamilyhealthcare.com
For more information about the screening and to see a trailer for “At Home in Maine” visit: www.explorefrontier.com
womaninthemoonfilms.com 