"I have always been fond of children and as I was growing up I was a willing babysitter of any little creature who needed company, help or protection. It was natural for me then professionally as a chiropractor to be interested in children. I ran a process-oriented practice that included the body mind and emotions equally in healing. However I was completely taken by surprise when a woman with a chronic whiplash neck injury spontaneously remembered her birth as I was gently holding her head at the end of a session. Over a period of a few years, there were other unexpected and amazing memories that seemed to surface from the very tissue essence of my patients, and I became more intrigued by the phenomena of body memory.
At the same time it seemed natural that my practice should be filled with babies and children. Over the years I developed my practice into work with attachment therapy with mothers and babies to support them to deepen their connection and overcome stresses and traumas that interfered with that connection. In 2000 I opened a nonprofit public clinic (Beginnings Inc.), took on interns and developed a public outreach program. The film What Babies Want is part of that outreach. It started out to be a short educational video and ended up with a creative life of its own, becoming an award winning documentary film, with Best Documentary, Audience Choice and Special Recognition from various film festivals. It has been shown in many countries and in many theaters as well as in homes, offices and in a variety of centers for healthy birth. I have since written a book and am developing a What Babies Want Parenting Series TM of films and books."
"I've always been motivated by balance, fairness, sensitivity and the personal empowerment of individuals. Yet, I've noted that American culture fails us in many of these, and childbirth is especially problematic. As I've observed how traumatized women and babies often are at birth, I was troubled by the lack of control by, or respect for, the mother's wishes, which has been too common. I've also been concerned about the exclusion or minimization of the father's role at one of the most important events in his life. I knew a great deal of improvement was needed, and I wanted to contribute to it.
As an independent filmmaker interested in health subjects, cutting edge topics and social issues, when the opportunity to film a waterbirth presented itself, I happily took it. The things I learned in the course of filming amazed me, and I knew I had to make a film for expectant parents and healthcare providers, to teach them what I'd learned. That led to expanding the filming of just one waterbirth, initially for curiosity, to producing an in-depth feature documentary, and to following the story to France and Russia to film with the world's leading waterbirth pioneers. Ultimately, by bringing this vital information out, WATER BABY catalyzed the waterbirth method in the USA, and the families who have experienced waterbirth have been greatly enriched by it."
