As a step toward our goal of educating women about their choices and options during the childbearing years, Birth Matters Virginia solicited short videos about evidence-based maternity and delivery care. With our nation ranking 41st in maternal mortality and our cesarean rate surpassing 30%, it is more important than ever for women to be educated about their options.
We were pleased to have received nearly 40 informative and thoughtful videos on topics ranging from personal birth journeys, the role a doula plays, midwifery care, cesarean sections, birthing in the Amish culture, birth in Ireland, and more. Each video carried a message of the understanding that change needs to occur in our culture related to pregnancy and birth for the well-being of both mothers and babies.
The choice was not easy for our panel of judges (which included women from varied backgrounds, all mothers, all interested in change, some working in the field of birth professionally and some not). We also were honored to have Ricki Lake and Abby Epstein from the Business of Being Born and internationally recognized and respected author and doctor, Sarah Buckley join us in the judging. Each film had so much heart and all contest entries were obviously made with wonderful intentions as well as good information backing the spirit of the project. However, in the end, we choose with confidence.
First Place: Prevent Cesarean Surgery by Ragan Cohen (California)
Second Place: The Nature of Natural Birth by Laura Alvarez (Wisconsin)
Honorable Mention: Misconception by Becky Carey (Virginia) To see a list of other finalists, click here. To all of those of you who made a film and submitted it to us, we are extremely grateful for your time and effort. Each film was unique and as has been said, made with the best of intentions. The films are a part of the necessary and ongoing discussion we must have in order for pregnancy and birth to be viewed and treated as the normal process of a woman’s life that it is. Thérèse Hak-Kuhn Executive Director BMV Thérèse Hak-Kuhn
The goal of Birth Matters Virginia is to encourage and support evidence based maternity care in order to educate not just women who are considering pregnancy or already are pregnant but all people, young, old, female and male. We feel by sponsoring this video contest, we have exposed an enormously diverse population of people by flooding YouTube with positive and informative birth documentaries. We encourage everyone to watch the videos, tell your friends, your family, all of your connections about the films and encourage them to go to YouTube to view them. Refer women, professionals who work with pregnant women and mothers to the Birth Matters Virginia website www.birthmattersva.org for excellent resources and research to support the healthiest and safest way of birth.
We believe that all of our efforts, yours and ours are making a difference in this world and we are grateful for the opportunity to be a part of the change.
With gratitude
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