Click here to learn more about The Business of Being Born and to view clips of the movie.
Q: What inspired you and Ricki Lake to make this film?
A: Ricki suggested it to me originally … it seemed like a slim shot at first. I didn’t yet understand that it was a gender topic as well as a health and economic topic … she started from the point of view of a convert while I started as a cynic … In fact, at first I was judgmental of it … But the more I read I became interested … Two years into the filming, I got pregnant …
Q: How did you find these women?
A: Through the midwives ... the women [pregnant women in film] felt so strongly about what they were doing … most were clamoring to participate…
Q: Did you consider interviewing women who were not using midwives?
A: We did. But we did not want people to get bogged down in the politics … that’s already out there. We wanted to show the other side … We wanted to share the story of the midwife’s point of view …
Q: Does Kara [the main midwife in film] use a particular birthing process?
A: [Abby explain that the midwives work closely with each couple.] It all depends on what the couple wants … Midwives need to feel the shape … she intuits what the couple is like and makes suggestions. Some people like to be left alone, while others want to be handled more … it’s a transcendent experience …
Q: Did being pregnant during the filming affect the direction of the film?
A: I felt so lucky because I knew all these people and had so much great information. It was special. Actually, I didn’t think my birth would ever be in the film … My editor had suggested I film it (so I did, knowing it was footage I might not use) … It was a decision we made after the fact … The whole time I had choices … You want to feel like you are making the decisions about your baby …
Q: Where should women go to learn more about midwifery?
A: You need to find someone you can work with … A lot of people don’t realize this, but midwives do everything an OBGYN does (pap smears, etc.) … OBGYNs and doctors often work with midwives. It depends on the woman … Some OBGYNs operate like midwives. My advice is don’t wait until you’re pregnant. Go to a midwife sooner … you have to click with someone … Finding someone who has a philosophy that you’re comfortable with is important … People have misconceptions about midwives, that they’re pushy, when in fact, they’re not at all … Also, midwives can’t operate without an obstetrician … that’s getting harder because obstetricians are leaving the industry.
[Abby goes on to explain that this puts midwives in a precarious position. Also, they remember having been pushed out of the profession because they took away work from doctors historically, so they don’t protest very much.] … So as a result, midwives tend to exist just under the radar …
Q: What drew you to filmmaking after theater?
A: I’ll always love theater. But film is the storytelling medium of our time. You discover things about yourself when you change mediums … I’ve always loved documentaries … I tend to like realism, pure stripped down accidental human drama …
Q: Tell me about your experience working on Eve Ensler’s Vagina Monologues and the subsequent documentary you did with her [Until the Violence Stops]?
A: The film was so rare and unique … I went all around the world, Africa, Croatia, etc., meeting these unbelievable women doing amazing things with no resources … it was a huge growing experience. We normally don’t get to experience the women of the world. It just showed me that we’re all so connected …