by Carrie Felter These are my hours, let them be hard. This is the sentiment of an immersive documentary about birth that gives the power of the process back to the birth giver. It is an emboldening display of one person’s birth journey and how it fits into the larger conversation about this universal experience.  Birth workers Carey Glenn (CPM, LM) and Emily Graham of Rooted Birth Midwifery created a film which documents the birth of Graham’s fourth child. Fulfilling the roles of both birth giver and birth worker, the two highlight the sacredness of the act and set the focus of the film on the person giving birth rather than the provider. For most of the film Graham is the only one who appears on screen while only glimpses of her support system are seen, putting her at the center of the experience.  The pair acknowledges that not everyone can choose or predict where they give birth which is why Graham recognizes “the intent of the film isn’t a how to, it’s not a statement to anybody else about what they should do or how they should birth…it’s a very personal experience”. The emphasis of the film is an examination of the autonomy and community of the occasion rather than definitive advocacy for home births.  This film places the ownership of the birth on the family. The role of the birth worker is to have the privilege to “get to know a family so well that you’re able to provide the care that they want” says Graham. This is what existed within the film which is why Graham was able to have the birth she wanted. Not all relationships between parents and birth workers are perfect matches. For birth workers, Graham advises “be true to yourself. If it’s not comfortable then you can remove yourself as the provider. You don’t have to do something you’re not comfortable with but it’s also not appropriate to force someone to accept care that’s inappropriate for them”. Throughout the film Glenn uses her role as midwife to be present in the background but does not take control of the birth. She is there if she is needed but does not interject herself into the process when she is not wanted.  Birth work is exhaustive, especially when the caregiver is forming personal and in-depth relationships with each of their clients.  Having a high trust…

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