All My Babies

All My Babies: A Midwife's Own Story is a 1953 educational film written, directed and produced by George C. Stoney for the Georgia Department of Public Health. The film was intended to educate "granny midwives" in the Southern United States and promote collaboration between traditional midwifery and the modern health system. It follows the work of Mary Francis Hill Coley (1900–66), a prominent African American midwife from Albany, Georgia. Lauded for its groundbreaking depiction of childbirth and midwifery, All My Babies was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry in 2002 for its cultural, historical, and aesthetic significance.

All My Babies
Directed by	George C. Stoney
Written by	George C. Stoney
Produced by	George C. Stoney
Starring	Mary Francis Hill Coley
Distributed by	Georgia Department of Public Health
Release date	1953 (1953)
Country	United States
Language	English

Plot

All My Babies serves as a training tool for "granny midwives," a term applied to African American lay midwives delivering babies in the rural South.^[1] The film emphasizes the importance of hygiene and prenatal care. A doctor in the film discusses a case of infant death caused by poor sanitary conditions, reinforcing the need for sterility. Mary Coley, referred to as "Miss Mary," exemplifies expert midwifery, guiding two mothers through successful deliveries. One mother has a history of healthy births, while the other, previously affected by miscarriages due to inadequate prenatal care, successfully delivers under Coley's supervision. The film portrays a transitional period where state legal oversights began phasing out lay midwifery (also called direct-entry midwifery) in favor of regulated medical practices.

Production

George C. Stoney, an early documentary filmmaker,^[2] developed an interest in midwifery from his own experiences growing up and his work as a Southern field representative, during which he interacted closely with midwives.^[3] His first collaboration with the Georgia Department of Public Health was Palmour Street, a documentary exploring mental health in Black families. Due to its success, the department determined he was qualified to direct a film on midwives and was initially granted $20,000. The final production cost was $45,000, and filming took place between August 1951 and fall 1952.^[2]

To gain the trust of the Black community, Stoney partnered with local African American Dr. William Mason. Simultaneously, he worked to build rapport with the White community by assuring them the film would not portray an antagonist relationship between Black and White residents. He collaborated with the local press to publish favorable coverage.^[3] Stoney also gained the support of progressive Black pastor, Bishop Noah, who preached to the Church of the Kingdom of God, and where Mary Coley – midwife and star of the film – worshipped. Bishop Noah encouraged his congregation not to fear White people, which helped foster a more open and collaborative filming environment, even among an all-white crew,^[4] and weren't overly suspicious due to Bishop Noah's direction. While the White film crew and cast had a good working relationship, the film's production wasn't devoid of segregation or bias (racial and north–south) between the White community and cast and the crew and Black cast. The southern medical establishment was also uneasy with the film's glorification of the midwife's role in the community.^[4]

Prior to filming, Stoney followed Coley at her appointments to do field research having learned from Palmour Street that it is important to meet the Black community where it was at to create an authentic film and not solely rely on information from experts and books.^[3] Coley advised on the film as well, helping to plan and structure the film's scenes so they were more realistic to her work. While some scenes were scripted, the film is notable for featuring a 15-minute real-time sequence of a live birth, a technique pioneered by filmmakers Pare Lorentz and Robert Flaherty.^[5] The live-birth scene is silent with narratives of the doctors, Coley, and the chorus creating the joyous music with the babies cries upon birth being the emphasis. The score, written by Louis Applebaum and performed by the Musical Art Chorus in Washington, D.C., gives the film a sense of joy during childbirth. Coley also sings throughout the film as she cares for mothers.^[3][2][4][5]

Reception

The film received some public criticism due to its explicit depiction of childbirth; however, it was still screened for avant-garde audiences, notably Cinema 16 and the inaugural Flaherty Film Seminar in 1953.^[3] Despite public discomfort, the film met all the Georgia Department of Public Health's requirements for safe birthing practices and was officially sanctioned for use in medical education because of its detailed birth sequence.^[3] As a result, public screenings were restricted, and the film was shown only in private venues, including the New York showings, to avoid fines or censorship.^[4] Stoney supported these restrictions, believing they would protect the dignity of the films subjects while also reinforcing the films legitimacy as an educational tool.^[4]

Internationally, the film was distributed by organizations such as UNESCO, the World Health Organization, and UNICEF. It was used across various countries and incorporated into medical school curricula.^[4] In addition to training purposes, the film aimed to elevate the status of midwives in the eyes of medical professionals, especially in countries where collaboration between midwives and physicians was still evolving. The film conveyed that the U.S. medical establishment was willing to work alongside midwives, serving as a model for other nations.^[5] However, this progressive portrayal was undercut by the Georgia Department of Public Health, which included a pamphlet stating that the medical profession did not officially endorse midwifery and regarded midwives as a "temporary and unfortunate necessity".^[3][4][5]

Preservation

In 2002, All My Babies was added to the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant." Today, the film is studied for its contributions to documentary filmmaking, public health education, and African American history.^[6] It has been featured in exhibitions such as "Reclaiming Midwives: Stills from All My Babies" at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of African American History and Culture.^[7]

Scholars continue to examine the film's nuanced portrayal of midwifery, race, and health care success, and it remains an important artifact for discussions about medical ethics, racial equity, and documentary storytelling.