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'Birth is for P*ssies' Review

Genre: Comedy. Drama. Short.

Director: Hannah Shealy. Celine Sutter.

The Verdict: A Must-See


Bringing children into this world is an experience that is wonderful, beautiful, painful, and frightening. As a man, I will never bear this wonder. At most, we gentlemen fill the task (usually poorly) of being present and supportive for our pregnant partners when it’s go time. 


Thankfully, the profession of doulas exists, and these important professionals swoop in as emotional and informational advocates in a sea of other underappreciated birth professionals to be a bedrock for women ready to give birth. Hannah Shealy’s comedic short exposes that very value as Maya (Shealy) steps up as a doula-in-training when her peers need her. The set-up of being thrust into a task you are not totally prepared for is comedic in any context, but is messier and more shocking when you get the call to help a woman prepare for birth that you have never met. 


Birth is for Pussies is, on the surface, describing and illustrating the pain and struggle of childbirth. The doula’s job is essential as an extra set of hands to hold up and an extra pair of ears to listen to the new mothers. It is also a testament to rising to the occasion, living your ethics, and walking the walk. It is designed to make you uncomfortable at the beginning and, poetically, hold you warmly at the end.

 
 
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