Resources and Toolkit
Celebrate Babies Week Resources!
Video and Documentaries
Host a viewing party and interactive discussion. From 2 - 200 people it's a great way to (even virtually) Celebrate Babies!:
Babies Movie: A look at one year in the life of four babies from around the world, from Mongolia to Namibia to San Francisco to Tokyo.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1020938/
Catching Babies (2011): Catching Babies is a feature length, documentary film that follows four women as they discover the art of midwifery at Maternidad la Luz Birth Clinic and Midwifery School on the US-Mexico border in El Paso Texas. https://www.imdb.com/video/vi394570777
CHOCOLATE MILK: THE DOCUMENTARY is an exploration of the racial divide in breastfeeding. Told through the narratives of three African American women: a new mother, a midwife and a WIC lactation educator, the film seeks to answer the longstanding question of why more African American women are not breastfeeding. By creating an engaging narrative centered around the challenges of breastfeeding, Chocolate Milk will spark public discussion on how communities can better support black mothers.
http://www.chocolatemilkdoc.com/film
Birth In America For Black Mothers – A Documentary “the AMERICAN dream”: Black women in the US are at especially high risk; they are nearly 4 times more likely to die of pregnancy-related complications compared to European American. Women of color are less likely to go into pregnancy in good health because of a lack of access to primary health care services. They are also less likely to have access to adequate maternal health care services. Black women are by far the largest demographic to suffer these outcomes, it has been this way for decades and yet they are seldom able to make their voices heard. It’s time for change. Through the documentary “the AMERICAN dream” the women tell their own stories: they know what is wrong, they share their hopes, they share their fears, and they share about their American dream, related to maternal health in the US. It is time to listen. http://kindredmedia.org/2016/07/18927/
Love Life the Virus: A mother’s fight to survive COVID and see her newborn baby. How the coronavirus hit one immigrant family, their struggle to be reunited, and the community that rallied around them. https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/film/love-life-the-virus/
No Small Matter: is a feature-length documentary film and national engagement campaign that brings public attention to this vital question by sharing powerful stories and stunning truths about the human capacity for early intelligence and the potential for quality early care and education to benefit America’s social and economic future. https://www.nosmallmatter.com/
Note: Did you know that when viewing an informational video or series for educational purposes from Netflix you can do so at no cost!? This is wonderful news as you plan your Celebrate Babies Week! events.
Michigan Specific Social Action Articles
Thriving Babies Start with Strong Moms: Right Start 2020: https://mlpp.org/thriving-babies-start-with-strong-moms-right-start-2020/?fbclid=IwAR0tVut82ll9yco2tP35sOk3cSHO05ySqPQ8h6ucV2M3axKITsu2fUSpkjg
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS), under the advisement of the Maternal Infant Strategy Group (MISG) and in partnership with all maternal infant health stakeholders of Michigan, introduce the Mother Infant Health and Equity Improvement Plan: https://www.michigan.gov/documents/infantmortality/FINAL_MIHEIP_665052_7.pdf
Urban Michigan initiatives recognize racism as major factor in infant and maternal mortality https://www.secondwavemedia.com/features/urbaninfantmortality030819.aspx