Home Birth/Partos en Casa
VHS, bilingual (English and Spanish), 27 minutes.
Individuals $30; Institutions $100.Directed by Dalida Maria Benfield and Salome Chasnoff
At once a documentary of the Chicago Community Midwives and their multicultural community, and an oral history of home birth, Home Birth/Partos en Casa presents multiple perspectives on birthing. It also considers the politics of birthing practices and their effects on culture. In demystifying home birth in terms of its safety and in accurately representing the diversity of women who choose home birth, this tape expands the conversation regarding birthing options. Home Birth/Partos en Casa is also noted for its innovative dual language presentation which does not privilege either language while still making it readable to single language audiences. The video shows how feminist midwifery practice supports women to experience self-determination in birthing, and how feminist video practice supports women to experience self-determination in narrating.
"Alivio Medical Center has a nurse-midwifery service and home visiting program serving Mexican immigrants in the Pilsen neighborhood in Chicago. As coordinator of Maternal/Child Education, I can attest to the fact that their are very few Spanish language videos for pregnant women. In fact, their are none that address alternatives or birth options with the exception of the video HOMEBIRTH/ PARTOS EN CASA: Chicago Community Midwives. The video brings the discussion of childbirth choices to the community level. The video is widely enjoyed and viewed at our clinic. It has allowed the women to better understand services provided by nurse-midwives and several women have chosen homebirths as a result of the video."
–Mary Sommers, coordinator of Maternal/ Child Education, Alivio Medical CenterCompanion essay, "Technologies of Narrating Birthing: Home Birth/Partos en Casa," by Salome Chasnoff.
