Like they did last season, we are happy to have the faculty of the Vanderbilt School of Nursing back to guest blog for us each Monday morning about the previous night’s episode of Season 2 of Call the Midwife, airing on Sundays on NPT and PBS Stations nationwide at 7:00 p.m. Central, March 31-May 19. Check in here every Monday morning for the next six weeks for historical and contemporary context on the show, and some fun discussion. SPOILER ALERT: Some may contain spoilers, so please be aware of that.
By Margaret Buxton MSN CNM
The opening narration of this episode starts with Call the Midwife author Jennifer Worth’s words, “We did not doubt ourselves, because we were not doubted.” And yet – the narrative of this episode takes us on a journey of doubt. The sudden and unexplained death of an infant days after a normal birth is blamed on Cynthia (Bryony Hannah), spiraling her to places of great doubt and pain.
Sudden infant death syndrome is a confounding tragedy that is the leading cause of death for children under 12-months old. Though the statistics of SIDs are well known (including behaviors like smoking that increase risk and breastfeeding that decreases risk it), why it happens is still not well understood. Sometimes, as in the case of the baby in this episode, there is an abnormality at birth, and yet many other times there are no answers. We know more now than they did in East London in the 1950s, but precise explanations continue to elude us. What Cynthia faced is the very human impulse to blame yourself when you don’t have answers. Meeting her in her grief and building up her confidence again was the entire group of midwives and the Sisters.
It reminded me how the midwives I work with at Vanderbilt rally to support each other and the families we serve in these types of impossibly hard situations. The sharing of grief and offering of support is what midwives do well. I remember with perfect clarity when I faced my first loss. As a student midwife, I was particularly vulnerable. What has stayed with me is the way the midwife comforted me. Cynthia found that comfort and support, and no doubt will be a better midwife for it. I know I was.
Margaret Buxton, MSN CNM, is a Certified Nurse-Midwife, Instructor of Nursing, Vanderbilt School of Nursing and Clinical Practice Director, West End Women’s Health Center.
Missed our analysis of the Previous Season’s Episodes? Read them here.
Missed an episode? Watch full episodes on NPT’s “Watch Now” Video Portal here.
Posted in PBS by .
Like they did last season, we are happy to have the faculty of the Vanderbilt School of Nursing back to guest blog for us each Monday morning about the previous night’s episode of Season 2 of Call the Midwife, airing on Sundays on NPT and PBS Stations nationwide at 7:00 p.m. Central, March 31-May 19. Check in here every Monday morning for the next six weeks for historical and contemporary context on the show, and some fun discussion. SPOILER ALERT: Some may contain spoilers, so please be aware of that.
By Michelle Collins PhD, CNM
Are we not all loving that season 2 is here? It’s like reuniting with old friends to see Jenny Lee (Jessica Raine) and the crew again. If I could use one word to summarize the theme of this week’s episode, it would be vulnerability. We saw the all-too familiar scenario of the woman in the abusive relationship; misinterpreting pain for love, abuse for security, and control for protection. Unfortunately, and as too often happens, no good end came from that relationship. The story line involving the Swedish woman whose father offered her up to the sailors on his ship highlighted the strength of a woman at the height of vulnerability, despite the worst exploitation one could imagine. But like the proverbial phoenix, the young woman arose from the ashes to be a survivor. Such strength from such a vulnerable place.
The third example of vulnerability in the episode was much more subtle than the two prior examples. I think we can all agree that laboring and birthing women are perhaps at the height of vulnerability. The perception for them can seem like one’s position to negotiate needs and desires is somewhat limited, unfortunately. Often it is others who dictate “what is best,” as such is often the case when it comes to pain relief options. On that note, I was thrilled to see that nitrous oxide was highlighted this episode. “Gas and air,” as it is called in Britain, has been a mainstay of pain relief for labor and birth for many years in Europe, and more recently in the US at a handful of hospitals (one being Vanderbilt University Medical Center!). As the young midwife in this episode exclaims to Sister Evangelina (Pam Ferris), shortly after the Sister has placed a moratorium on nitrous oxide use, “women want pain relief!”
It is not new that women want access to all safe options when it comes to pain relief. This was as true in 1950′s east London as it is today. I know this may come as a shock to some, but not every woman wants epidural anesthesia for labor. In the 2006 Listening to Women II survey conducted by Childbirth Connection, 14% of the women surveyed gave birth without the use of pain medications or anesthesia – by choice. Additionally, an overwhelming number of women in the survey desired to have more safe pain relief options made available to them. The American College of Nurse-Midwives, in 2009, published a position statement advocating for the widespread availability of nitrous oxide. In the same vein as the young midwife in the episode who exclaimed “women want pain relief!” modern midwives know that women “still” want pain relief, and it’s just the right thing to do to make sure that all safe options are available to them. For women who choose and obtain relief from the use of “gas and air,” they enthusiastically join their voices to the woman who birthed her baby in this episode using nitrous oxide who said “I’ll be spreading the news about that gas…”
Michelle Collins PhD, CNM, is an Associate Professor of Nursing, Director Nurse-Midwifery Program, at Vanderbilt University School of Nursing
Missed our analysis of the Previous Season’s Episodes? Read them here.
Posted in NPT PBS Programming by .
Here are the schedule updates and “NPT Favorites” for the final week of our March Membership Drive, March 18-23, 2013
March 18, 2012
7:00 p.m. ANTIQUES ROADSHOW
8:00 p.m. RICK STEVES’ EUROPE TRAVEL SKILLS
11:00 p.m. DROP 7 FOODS, FEEL BETTER FASTER WITH JJ VIRGIN
March 19, 2013
7:00 p.m. ALBERT KING WITH STEVIE RAY VAUGHAN
8:30 p.m. UNLEASH THE POWER OF THE FEMALE BRAIN WITH DR. AMEN
11:00 p.m. CELTIC THUNDER MYTHOLOGY
March 20, 2013
7:00 p.m. AARON NEVILLE: DOO WOP: MY STORY
8:30 p.m. IL DIVO: LIVE IN LONDON
11:00 p.m. UNLEASH THE POWER OF THE FEMALE BRAIN WITH DR. AMEN
March 21, 2013
11:00 p.m. ALBERT KING WITH STEVIE RAY VAUGHAN
March 23, 2013
7:00 p.m. OSCAR HAMMERSTEIN II: OUT OF MY DREAMS replaces LAWRENCE WELK
8:30 p.m. AARON NEVILLE: DOO WOP: MY STORY replaces CELEBRATING THE MUSIC OF JOHNNY CASH: WE WALK THE LINE
10:00 p.m. RICK STEVES’ EUROPE TRAVEL SKILLS
Ann Marie Tharpe
Supporters of NPT and fans of the hit show Downton Abbey gathered in the elegant confines of the Mansion at Cheekwood Botanical Garden & Museum of Art on Saturday, March 2 to celebrate public broadcasting and bid farewell to the third season. The 140 guests came dressed in their Downton best, many in formal or period-wear, to sip on Pink Gin cocktails and treat their taste buds with food by Kristen Winston. Among those attending the event, glamorously designed — with a dash of whimsy — by Hugh Howser and Anita Hogin of H3, were Mayor Karl Dean and Anne Davis, U.S. Representative Marsha Blackburn, Colleen and Ted Welch, Margaret Ann Robinson, Susan Simons, Kate Grayken, Clare Armistead, NPT Board Member Susannah Scott-Barnes, Cathy and Martin Brown, NPT Board Chair Richard Warren and wife Cathy, Charlie and Mary Cook, Edie Bass, Fran Hardcastle, and many others.
Jim Hoke and the Hot Three supplied the evening’s music, Phillip Chadwick the floral design and Vickie Turner’s VPT Ventures offered up the champagne, chardonnay and pinot grigio.
Organizers figured if everyone was going to take the time to get dressed so exquisitely, a costume contest was certainly in order. A kilted Rob McCluskie waltzed out with a “Free Bates” tote bag for his win in the male category, while Susan Byrd now has all three seasons of Downton Abbey on DVD to watch for her best female category win. In the honorable mention category for most authentic costume, the evening, and a Downton Abbey engagement calendar, belonged to Susan Simons.
The event culminated with a high-spirited live auction expertly administered by Stephen Aleman of McLemore Auctions, that resulted in one guest scoring a Viking River Cruise from Budapest to Nuremburg.
We’ve posted a few pics here after the jump. For more by photographer Susan Adcock, see our photo gallery on our Facebook page. If you were there, be sure to tag yourself and share with your friends. You look smashing, after all, and should be proud!
Posted in Downton Abbey by .
From left, Demetria Kalodimos, Beth Curley, Mayor Karl Dean. Photo Courtesy of John Jackson.
As previously announced, NPT president and CEO Beth Curley received The Nashy Award last week for Outstanding Contributions to the Growth of the Nashville Film and Cultural Community. The award was presented by Nashville Mayor Karl Dean at the annual Nashville Film/Television Town Meeting at the Belcourt Theatre on February 19. Prior to Dean’s comments and presentation, comments were made by Demetria Kalodimos, master of ceremonies and WSMV anchor, Richard Warren, NPT board chair, and via a video statement, Sally Jo Fifer, president and CEO of The Independent Television Service (ITVS).
Kalodimos was wonderful and well prepared, even throwing in the little known tidbit that one of Beth’s favorite films is Uncle Buck, while Warren honed in on Beth’s leadership skills and foresight in creating a creative campus and arts center in our building on Rains Avenue, now home to the Nashville Film Festival, Tennessee Repertory Theatre, Nashville Shakespeare Festival, Book’em and the NATAS Midsouth Chapter. Fifer talked about Beth’s role on the ITVS board and her unflinching commitment to independent film on public television. Dean took the opportunity to talk about Nashville’s vibrant television and film community, and make a few well-intentioned jokes about the television show “Nashville,” before turning his focus on Beth.
Of all his comments about Beth and NPT’s accomplishments in the community, the one we were most proud of was his praise for our NPT Reports: Children’s Health Crisis series and project. Now in its fourth year, the project has been both a labor of love and imperative for us. It’s won numerous Emmys and other awards that we are honored to have received, but people talking about it and creating a dialogue around it are what excites us the most. For it’s those discussions that get the needle moving. That Dean chose to focus on it, in a packed theater of film and television professionals, was both humbling and triumphant.
We’re not done with the project. In the last three years we focused on infant mortality, obesity, mental health, sexual health, prevention and creating a culture of health. In June, we’ll look at the role of families, and particularly of fathers, in a child’s healthy development. All of the documentaries, hosted by Kimberly Williams-Paisley, are available to stream for free on our website video portal.
The Nashville Film/Television Town Meeting, produced by FilmNashville and now in its 10th year, included representatives from 23 film offices, organizations and schools, all gathering to discuss the state of Nashville’s film community. We congratulate all the organizations that attended on the work they do to keep film, television and storytelling vibrant in Nashville. It was Beth that best summed up their value in her acceptance speech:
“We can’t take any of this granted. And by ‘this’ I don’t just mean public television. I mean independent filmmaking, and ultimately, every organization in this room. We all need each other, and need to work together, if independent film and storytelling is to continue to thrive in this community.”
More pictures after the jump.
Posted in awards by .
In what organizers are fairly certain is unprecedented, puppets are going to take over the Nashville Public Television pledge set on Sunday, March 3 from 7-10 p.m., during the broadcasts of “An Evening with Jerry Lewis: Live from Las Vegas” and “Brit Floyd.” The puppets, from Nashville Public Library’s Wishing Chair Productions and stars of the Nashville International Puppet Festival, will spend time on the phone bank and share screen time with the human hosts.
“Puppets have always been well represented and respected on NPT,” says Aesop, he of the orange fabric skin and hipster mustache. “Several of us in the puppet community thought it was time we gave back and volunteered to man, or rather puppet, the phones. Plus, we understand that Janet Ivey and Lelan Statom are co-hosting, and I have a beef to settle with Statom. I’m still wringing myself out from that rain he didn’t tell me was coming a few weeks ago. Felt and water don’t mix, you know.“
In addition to the traditional thank-you gifts of DVDs and show tickets that viewers who call in can claim for their support, there will also be some unique gift opportunities around the popular Nashville International Puppet Festival, taking place in and around the Nashville Public Library, June 21-23, 2013.
“I think Jerry Lewis would approve of this zaniness,” says NPT pledge producer Linda Wei. “Most of our viewers understand the necessity of our pledge drives, and have gotten fairly used to how they work. So when the puppets called and asked to help, and weren’t even concerned with what the donated food was going to be that night, we were more than happy to have them. I’m excited. And scared.”
Check out the promo here:
Learn more about Nashville Public Library’s Wishing Chair Productions here.
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The latest documentary in our Emmy Award Winning TENNESSEE CIVIL WAR 150 series, LOOKING OVER JORDAN: AFRICAN-AMERICANS AND THE WAR, premieres this Thursday, February 21 at 7:30 p.m., with a rebroadcast on Thursday, February 28 at 9:00 p.m.
About the documentary:
The Civil War began as a means of preserving the Union. But to nearly four million African Americans, it held a much more personal promise. As Northern armies swept south, self-emancipated slaves sought refuge behind Union lines. Determined to claim basic human rights, former slaves turned soldiers helped defeat their oppressors. But the road to freedom would be a rocky one. Despite continued oppression and violence, African Americans worked tirelessly to rebuild families torn apart by slavery, to educate themselves, and to claim their rightful place as American Citizens.
Through in-depth interviews with Civil War scholars, historical reenactments, and moving songs of faith and hope that made life bearable, LOOKING OVER JORDAN: AFRICAN-AMERICANS AND THE WAR highlights the African American experience in Tennessee during and after the war. It is co-produced by series producer Ed Jones and LaTonya Turner. Musical Score by the team of Joey Hodge and Joe DelMerico (HD Productions).
Begun in 2011, TENNESSEE CIVIL WAR 150 focuses on several areas of life in Tennessee, including the role of women, rivers & railways, music, the African-American experience and the Battle of Shiloh. Previous docs can be watched in their entirety on the “Watch Now” section of our website.
Posted in Civil War by .
President and CEO to be honored for her contribution to film community
Beth Curley, president and CEO of Nashville Public Television (NPT), will receive The Nashy Award — given to an individual each year for his or her Outstanding Contributions to the Growth of the Nashville Film Community — at the annual Nashville Film/Television Town Meeting at the Belcourt Theatre on February 19 at 7:00 p.m. Mayor Karl Dean will present the award to Curley. Also scheduled to comment about Curley’s accomplishments are Richard Warren, NPT board chair, and Sally Jo Fifer, president and CEO of The Independent Television Service (ITVS), who is sending a video statement in advance. A reception is to follow.
The Nashville Film/Television Town Meeting, produced by FilmNashville and now in its 10th year, will include representatives from 23 film offices, organizations and schools, all gathering to discuss the state of Nashville’s film community. The event is free and open to the public. For a full list of participating organizations, and for information about FilmNashville and the meeting, please visit FilmNashville.org.
Past Nashy Award recipients include John Cherry, creator of the Ernest movie franchise; Jim Ridley, editor and principal film writer for the Nashville Scene; Coke Sams, writer/producer/director of numerous film and television works; Armanda Costanza, founder of AC Inc, one of the premiere camera equipment houses in the entire USA and launched here in Nashville; and Glen Trew, founder of Trew Audio.
Feb 13
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Scarritt-Bennett and NPT Partner on Screening and Discussion about ELL Graduation Challenges
Scarritt-Bennett Center and Nashville Public Television (NPT) invite the community to a free screening of the NPT “American Graduate: Let’s Make it Happen” documentary NPT Reports: Translating the Dream on Friday, February 22 at 7:00 p.m. at Scarritt-Bennett Center’s Fondren Hall. The screening is open-to-the-public and will be followed by a panel discussion led by the documentary’s producer LaTonya Turner. RSVPs are encouraged online at http://conta.cc/X3ONgK, by calling (615) 340-7557 or by emailing programs@scarrittbennett.org.
The program is part of a continuing partnership between the two organizations to take engaging original documentaries and present them in an intimate and welcoming setting meant to encourage community conversations.
Scarritt-Bennett Center is located at 1008 19th Ave S in Nashville, zip code 37212. Complimentary parking available in SBC Parking Lots accessible from 18th Ave S. Lot A is the closest to this building.
About “NPT Reports: Translating the Dream”
According the Tennessee Department of Education 2011 Report Card , the graduation rate for among English Language Learners (ELL) students in the state in was 70%, compared to 85% for all students. In Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS), even fewer ELL students graduate: 64%.*
In “NPT Reports: Translating the Dream,” NPT takes an in-depth look at the graduation rate among ELL and immigrant students in Tennessee; the challenges they face that can prevent them from graduating on time; how schools and teachers are trying to address this increasingly demanding need; and how all of us are impacted when students drop out of school. The half-hour documentary, produced and narrated by veteran journalist LaTonya Turner, introduces the viewer to students whose stories exemplify some of the reasons that prevent ELL and immigrant students from achieving at the same level as other students. For some, the main challenge is learning a new language: MNPS has the highest percentage of ELL students of any school district in Tennessee, with more than 135 languages spoken among MNPS students.
Also discussed in the documentary is the challenge of “unschooled” ELL students, a reference to those students who have not had formal education until arriving in this country—mainly due to being refugees. Social and cultural factors also create obstacles for immigrant students, even those who are not ELL. And undocumented students face additional hurdles and disincentives that result from not having access to similar benefits that come with legal citizenship.
“While many factors contribute to the wide gap in graduation rates,” says Turner, “educators we spoke to point to the state’s new method of calculating grad rates.”
In 2011, the formula for a student to graduate on time and earn a regular diploma switched from a requirement of 5 years and up to age 22, to 4 years and up to age 18, a change NPT dissects in its second American Graduate” Let’s Make it Happen” documentary, NPT Reports: Graduation by the Numbers, which premiered in January 2013.
Posted in immigrants NASHVILLE Next Door Neighbors Screenings by .
Grammy-Winning Singer-Songwriter Wins for Narration of Civil War Doc on Women
Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Mary Chapin Carpenter has added an Emmy Award to her accolades. Carpenter picked up an Emmy at the Midsouth Regional Emmy Awards ceremony on Saturday, January 26 for her narration on the Nashville Public Television (NPT) documentary, No Going Back: Women and the War, part of the station’s “Tennessee Civil War 150” series. Joining Carpenter in winning statuettes were the program’s co-producers and writers, Greta Requierme and Ed Jones, and executive producer and NPT president and CEO Beth Curley.
No Going Back: Women and the War, which premiered on NPT in February 2012, explores how the lives of women, and their roles in society, changed during and after the Civil War. The episode was the third in the series, which also included its predecessors Secession and Music of the Civil War, and subsequent documentaries, Crisis of Faith, also a regional Emmy winner, and Shiloh: The Devil’s Own Day. The series coincides with the Sesquicentennial anniversary of the Civil War. Its next installment, Looking Over Jordan, premieres on February 28, 2013. For more information, please visit wnpt.org/civilwar.
“We knew Mary Chapin was a terrific storyteller from her songwriting, but we were blown away with the warmth of her delivery and the compassion, and sincerity she was able to convey,” said Requierme. “She delivered with upmost respect the story of these Civil War-era women who faced the hardships of daily life during wartime on their own, and forged a new way of life for all women as a result.”
Five-time Grammy Award winner and two-time Country Music Association (CMA) Female Vocalist Of The Year, Carpenter’s Gold, Platinum and Multi-Platinum albums have yielded a bounty of self-penned hits including “Never Had it So Good,” “He Thinks He’ll Keep Her,” “Down at the Twist and Shout,” “I Feel Lucky,” “I Take My Chances,” “Shut Up and Kiss Me” and “Tender When I Want to Be.” Her songs have also been recorded by such diverse artists as Joan Baez, Wynonna, Maura O’Connell, Mary Black, Cyndi Lauper, Dianne Reeves, Betty Buckley, Tony Rice and Trisha Yearwood. Her latest record, Ashes and Roses, came out in 2012. For more information, please visit marychapincarpenter.com.
“Tennessee Civil War 150,” a joint production between NPT and The Renaissance Center, is made possible in part by The Tennessee National Heritage Area, the Tennessee Dept. of Education and the Tennessee Sesquicentennial Commission.
Posted in Civil War by .
