Ricki Lake Attends the Screening of The Business of Being Born at Brookdale.

Brookdale’s Department of OB/GYN has 18 midwives, who, together with the staff of attending physicians, care for expectant mothers and deliver their babies.  Catherine Tangsly, Director of Midwifery not only provides care to her patients, she is also a budding star on the silver screen.  As a result of her experiences as a midwife, Catherine was chosen to participate in the filming of the recently released documentary THE BUSINESS OF BEING BORN, directed by Abby Epstein and produced by Ricki Lake.

On Monday, January 7th, a fund-raising, advanced screening of the film that premiered in the 2007 Tribeca Film Festival and officially opened in NYC on January 9th was held in Brookdale’s Sonja and Dr. Alvin I. Kahn Auditorium. Over 150 people had the opportunity to preview this important documentary, including Ricki Lake herself, who was in attendance to answer questions at the conclusion of the documentary. The filmmakers have allowed local screenings to help raise awareness on the topic of midwifery and to support local birth organizations. All proceeds from this advance screening will benefit Brookdale’s Labor, Delivery and Recovery Suite.

  In collaboration with filmmaker Abby Epstein, Ricki Lake set off to produce a documentary that portrays intimate birth stories of home deliveries with the assistance of midwives.  The film includes statistics and a historical background of midwifery and facts about the maternity care system in the United States.  The film’s fundamental question is: should most births be viewed as a natural life process, or should every delivery be treated as a potential medical emergency?

After the film ended, Dr. Mark Spitzer, Chairman of OB, presented a plaque to Ms. Tangsly to acknowledge Brookdale’s midwives and their dedication to their patients.  After a question and answer session with Ricki Lake and Abby Epstein, the producer and director were treated to a tour of the Labor, Delivery and Recovery Suite.  What a treat for the staff and patients to receive a visit from these two celebrities.