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Monologues from the Labour Room

Last year I visited Israel and met some wonderful midwives. Many had come from other countries to settle in Israel and it was a truly international group that attended the workshops that I presented.

One of the midwives, Leslie Wolff, mentioned that she had made a film about the experiences of midwives working in hospitals. She said it was a play, performed by four women and that they had presented it, to great acclaim, at the Midwifery Today Conference that had recently been held in Germany. Naturally I was curious, so she offered to send me a copy on DVD.

This arrived during my holiday break and I have now had a moment to view it. Called “Working under restraint: Monologues from the Delivery Room” it is a series of short scenes, spoken as monologues by midwives and mothers about birth in hospitals. Two of the actors are midwives and two are “real” actors, who play a variety of roles. All the familiar feelings of midwives are included: their beliefs in women; prayers for lovely natural births; desires to be able to practice true midwifery; frustrations with the system; constraints on their practice and lack of appreciation by the hospital administration. There are wonderful snatches dealing with doctors and their unreasonable demands, stifling protocols, and the dreaded epidural. Towards the end there is a wonderful birth story, acted out with a truth and honesty that will resonate with women and midwives everywhere. The segment on “Eyes” I found particularly moving - the descriptions of what can be read in the various people’s eyes around a labouring woman is revealing and full of insight.

These women tell an universal story. Midwives and women everywhere know these lines, have heard them, sometimes on a daily basis where they work. Women have been told these things in labour, in countless delivery rooms across the world.

This film will be a wonderful talking point for midwives, a great discussion starter and invaluable in preparing students for the realities of hospital life. I loved it and am delighted that we can bring it to a wider audience. It will be in the next catalogue, due out in 3 weeks. It will also be available on-line through our extensive mail-order range. I’ll keep you posted.

Posted by andrea at January 17, 2005 12:32 PM