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…
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!
Calling all birth-anistas and the like! And early birds…films start screening at 9:15am! Luckily there will be good coffee and delicious snacks on hand from the Frontier Cafe’ to make all the more worthwhile!
See you in the a.m.!
“At Home in Maine, Part 3” is the third in a series of films that looks at a 2008 campaign to license Certified Professional Midwives (CPMs) in Maine. I produced this film in 2009. The film highlights “other views” on licensure, including opponents of the bill, namely the Maine Medical Association (MMA) and also diverse perspectives from members of Maine’s professional homebirth midwifery community.
The narrative features another homebirth story, the first homebirth of Valerie and Todd, a couple who live in Orland, Maine. Their second homebirth (with their third child) is featured in “At home in Orland #2.” Their first homebirth is also featured in the film short “At Home in Orland.”
As “At Home in Maine, Part 3” details, though the bill for licensure was not passed, unprecedented legislation legalizing CPM’s use of a short list of meds at birth was signed into law. The film offers a unique look into the complex dynamics surrounding the licensure process and underscores the safety of homebirth, the professionalism and training of CPMs–and the importance of these practitioners having legal access to anti-hemorrhagics, such as pitocin and methergine (the new bill did not grant access to the latter) and other meds at births.
This film is available for rental ($4/14) or purchase as a digital download ($14) and runs 45 minutes. Click here to go to the film page.
On November 19, “At Home in Maine, Part 3” will screen at the Frontier Cafe’ in Brunswick, as part of the film festival “Celebrate Midwives and Birth: A View Across Cultures”, sponsored by Birthwise Midwifery School, based out of Bridgton, Maine. Birthwise is one of 10 or so accredited institution-based direct-entry midwifery programs in the United States. “At Home in Northeast Harbor, Maine” and several other popular films such as “The Business of Being Born”, “No Woman, No Cry” and “Home Delivery” will be also be screened as part of the program.
Stay tuned for more details!
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.
“At Home in Maine” is the featured video on Mothering.com for the next week! And the trailer for “At Home in Morrill, Maine” is featured in their blog section.
So exciting!
It’s amazing to think that when I was pregnant I looked to Mothering.com to learn more about my choices in childbirth and now I’m sharing At Home in Maine–which was inspired by my own positive homebirth experience–with the Mothering.com community!
I’m grateful for the opportunity.
I think “At Home in Maine” is right at home on Mothering.com–wouldn’t you agree?
Only 5 days left to meet the funding goal with the At Home in Maine Kickstarter campaign! There has been a strong influx of support over the past 2 days and I’m feeling jazzed! In fact, they’ve been the most abundant 2 days in the entire run! Thanks so much to all who have supported this project!
Can the goal of $8,000 and change be met in the next 5 days? I’m feeling like it’s possible!
If you have been considering pledging to this campaign won’t you please do so today? And please please spread the word to anyone and everyone you think might have an interest in supporting this project–it’s about homebirth, it’s about midwives…about choices in childbirth, about access to information about those choices. It’s about women and their families…and normal, natural birth!
Let’s harness the power of our networks on the Internet and bring this baby home (to use a phrase)!
Let let countdown begin! 5, 4, 3, 2….
Love,
Nicolle
this past saturday, i witnessed another miracle: i filmed the birth of a baby born at home to two loving parents, assisted by a team of midwives and friends. two of his brothers met him moments after he emerged from his mother’s womb (the third, a toddler, slept on). it was an intense and challenging labor, but with loving and professional support and care–and a lot of hard work–this mother brought her baby into the world outside the womb.
this summer i had the honor of stepping into this family’s world and filming other facets of their life. our first endeavor: a family excursion where we went on a whale watch. other intimate and joyful events and moments were documented. i did this entirely with out-of-pocket resources. i hope to be able to transform this story into a film. a film that will be a part of the “at home in maine” series. a new film that will help educate women and their families about the choice to have a homebirth and receive midwifery care.
to do that, i need additional resources. funds that will support the time and materials it takes to transform footage into a film. i intend for this one to be the first of four more films that will be produced over this next year.
i’ve got two weeks to go with this kickstarter campaign–and a long way to reach my funding goal. i will not receive any funds unless the entire funding goal is reached. i need some angels here! won’t you please be a part of my miracle and pledge to this project today? miracles do happen. i filmed one early saturday morning…
thanks to all who supported this project in week 4!
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
womaninthemoonfilms.com 