AJAs 2024 Finalists
A bundle of trauma, a patchwork of healing
| Slug/Label | A bundle of trauma, a patchwork of healing |
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| Date Aired or Published | May 12, 2024 |
| Media outlet where first aired or published: | CBC Radio - Atlantic |
| Name of Program: | Atlantic Voice |
| If co-produced, list partner: | |
| Location: | Halifax / St. John's |
| List awards, grants: | |
| Running time (TV/Radio): | 26:10 |
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Short explanation of the story and how it developed: All humans arrive via birth… but how often do we, as a society, talk openly and comfortably about what women go through for babies to enter the world? Carole Rankin has thought a lot about this question. Carole’s second pregnancy ended in a chaotic and traumatic experience… and although she didn’t know it at the time, that scene was the conception of Connecting Threads, a project that would inspire women around the world to share details of their own pregnancy and birth as a way to bring awareness to perinatal mental health. Carole — a hobby sewer — put out a call for bits of fabric, and for the stories related to the fabric, and women from different backgrounds and generations answered the call with generous, honest and rich stories. Producer Caroline Hillier followed Carol through the process of using the fabric to make a quilt, and through Carol's pregnancies. As a production point, Caroline asked the women to read their written stories, and then edited them as a layered montage with production to show the emotion and sometimes chaos related to birth trauma. The montage showcased the voices behind the stories that reflected women from different backgrounds and generations. After it aired, women got in touch to say they hadn't heard of birth trauma, but after hearing the story, now know they actually experienced birth trauma… they just didn’t have a word for it. While the theme was serious and sensitive, this doc told the story with heart and humanity, using new perspectives that provided hope, and even little bits of humour. |
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Resources of the newsroom (money and time) available to complete the story: Caroline gathered interviews and scenes for 3 days, and then wrote and mixed the doc over 3 more days. 6 days in total. |
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