Film aids revival of home birth

Sabrina McIntyre of Herndon said she felt cheated by the experience of her first childbirth: 29 exhausting hours of labor, followed by a Caesarian delivery.

The second time around, Mrs. McIntyre decided on a home delivery with a midwife. She and her husband, Bill, said the event was infinitely more personal and satisfying.

“It was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen,” said Mr. McIntyre.

He said the “extremely intimate” setting for the birth was vital to everyone’s experience.

“Plus, from a husband’s perspective, there’s way better food and sleeping accommodations.”

The couple’s desire to help others enjoy the same experience is what led them to arrange a special screening of a new documentary, “The Business of Being Born,” at 6 p.m. tomorrow at the Arlington Cinema and Drafthouse.

The Northern Virginia chapter of the International Caesarean Awareness Network (ICAN) is sponsoring the screening.

The executive producer is former talk-show host Ricki Lake, who had her own home-birth experience. The film, she said, is “potentially more than just a movie; it could become a movement.”

Miss Lake said she chose home birth because she “wanted to do it on my own terms, and I wanted to have the right environment.”

“I had a great, transformative birth experience,” she added.

The film, which chronicles women’s natural birth experiences and the process of midwifery, doesn’t debut until January, but already has won acclaim at festivals including New York’s prestigious Tribeca Film Festival.

The screening tomorrow will be followed by a question-and-answer session with medical personnel and women who have given birth at home.

Both the movie and the midwifery movement it portrays have gained support through the grass-roots efforts of couples like the McIntyres.

“Midwifery isn’t for everyone,” Mrs. McIntyre said. “This is just about women getting the information they need to make smart and healthy decisions for them and their babies.”