See you in the a.m.!

Brunkswick, Maine.  “At Home in Northeast Harbor, Maine” and “At Home in Maine, Part III” will kick-off the film festival “Celebrate Midwives and Birth” at the Frontier Cafe’ in Brunswick, Maine, Saturday, November 19th.  The screenings begin bright and early at 9:15a.m.  And you can get that morning cup o’ joe and a breakfast treat right there at the Frontier Cafe’!

The film festival is co-sponsored by an impressive list of Maine-based birth/midwifery organizations including Birthwise Midwifery School in Bridgton (one of 10 accredited direct-entry midwifery programs in the US) BirthRoots in Portland, Red Tent Midwifery, Open Circle Midwifery in Portland and Northern Sun Family Healthcare and Birth Center in Topsham.  Normal birth and midwifery care are alive and well in Maine!!

The list of other films being shown includes the popular “The Business of Being Born,” “Home Delivery,” and Christie Turlington Burns’s new film about the maternal mortality crisis, “No Woman, No Cry.”  There will also be a “Moms and Midwives” panel discussion about normal birth, choices in childbirth and midwifery care.

For more info, visit the “Celebrate Midwives and Birth” blog or go to the Facebook event page!

Major pat on the back to Tiffany Carter, a midwifery student at Birthwise who has organized this exciting event!  Good work Tiffany!!

Hope to see you there!

Nicolle Littrell, filmmaker, educator, birth activist and director of Woman in the Moon Films will be producing “I am a Midwife” with MANA.  Production will commence at this year’s conference, where Nicolle will be interviewing midwives, Friday-Sunday.

For details and to submit your info to be considered for an interview go to:  mana.org/IAmAMidwife.html

And/or the Facebook “Event” page!

It’s a exciting opportunity to promote a cause I’m sure is near and dear to your heart–as well as your own practices!  You get to be the star!

Feel free to contact Nicolle at wmninthemoon@gmail.com if you have questions.

Hope to see you at the conference!

“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.

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?

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 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