Photovoice, Birth Time, & Building Your Village Event

WOMB hosted an evening of enrichment on Friday September 19th, 2025 that featured a photovoice exhibit of stories from local women accessing maternity care throughout the north country, a screening of the documentary Birth Time exploring the systemic challenges we face globally, and a local panel disucssion around how to "build your village" as you enter and navigate every season of motherhood.

WOMB welcomed more than 30 community members to the Evening of Events, which included the Photovoice Exhibit, Nursing Nook accommodations and tours, and opportunities for connection and reflection. At least 25 attendees remained for dinner, documentary screening, dessert, and a community discussion focused on reimagining how we bring life into the world—centering dignity, empowerment, and collective responsibility in the maternity care experience!

Learn More about Photovoice

Learn More about Birth Time

WHAT PEOPLE SAID

It helped me understand the meaning of motherhood more deeply.

There were multiple views or struggles on birth but especially during the panel talk it all connected well with just the idea of coming together to make change.

There needs to be more funding and legislation that provides more choice in how a woman is able to give birth.

There is a lot of work to be done in regard to allowing women to take their experiences, choices and maternal healthcare into their own hands/design.

I expected to feel as though the message was all about choosing home birth over hospital birth and that is not at all what I felt, heard or saw. I think you all did an excellent job focusing on the woman herself and that she should have choice in her experience. You also drove home that all methods of birth/healthcare etc are OK.

I felt included, supported and celebrated

In 2017, I had to drive (be driven while in active labor in the back seat) 2 hours south to access a free standing birth center for my first child due to living situations...I went on to being transformed by two beautiful homebirths in the north country of NH in 2020 and 2022. - Kailene Jones, MPH Founding Board Member of WOMB & Mother of 1 birth center birthed baby and 2 homebirthed babies

Imagine having resources to expand community-based midwifery models across all regions of NH, creating a foundation for equitable, accessible, and person-centered care. - A vision of Julie Bosak, Director of NH Perinatal Quality Collaborative and NNEPQIN

“Pregnancy & childbirth (vaginal AND Cesarean) are the height of the human experience.”-remarked Natalie Vallarie—a mother who experienced three high-risk pregnancies/c-section births and nurse manager of Androscoggin Valley Hospital’s Valley Birthplace

Together, these conversations and reflections point toward a systemic transformation based on holistic equity, collaboration, continuity, informed choice, and the collective strength of the ‘village’.