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A Movie Review: 40 Weeks (#40WeeksMovie)

Me at Six Months In With My Second Pregnancy


I have been provided compensation in exchange for my honest opinion about the film reviewed below.   

Someone has done what many moms have been looking for, asking for and hoping for. The have made a realistic, enjoyable documentary about pregnancy.

Pregnancy lasts nearly ten months.

People always refer to pregnancy as lasting nine months. However, the truth is, it lasts nearly 10.  
I think that people don't advertise it because pregnancy already has a bit of an image problem, even with the constant baby bump watching that people do for Hollywood starlets.  The truth is pregnancy remains a mystical, magical, uncomfortable thing.  Everybody loves the resulting babies, but not everybody loves the process of getting them here.

Still, the truth is a full term of gestation is 40 weeks and if you’re like me with my first child, it can last even longer. With each pregnancy, but especially the first, you are filled with questions along the journey.  While your physician is the primary source for your questions he/she doesn’t have time to address all of your questions during your fifteen minute visits. And sometimes you forget those questions because you spend a decent amount of time during the visit half naked and getting examined. 

You are also mindful that this is the most important thing that you will ever do with your life. The magnitude of the responsibility can be all consuming and you sometimes forget to ask your doctor questions.  

Also, not all of the questions are truly “medical”. Indeed, sometimes you want to understand things like just “how huge are my breasts going to get?!” At the end of the day, what you want to know is, “Is this normal?!” Like one woman says, “you Google every weird thing.” For questions like that, you don’t need a physician. You need something else.   

There are books. There are numerous websites and blogs. There are newsletters. Indeed, there is no shortage of information about pregnancy and childbirth. Even with these resources, there has been a void. For the truly lucky moms, they have a girlfriend or sister who can help. Still they may not share everything because they are moms now and they are busy!

Well, pregnant ladies and those considering pregnancy, that void has been filled by a new documentary film called, “40 Weeks” produced by Big Belli LLC.  Whether it's your first pregnancy or third, pregnancy is an evolution into motherhood. While every woman's pregnancy is unique, there are similarities. And this movie does a great job of showing what the evolution is like.

This film does a great job of giving a realistic view of what pregnancy is like. They used real women not models or actresses. So, it's very relatable. I recommend the movie for women who are pregnant, those who might become pregnant and for those who love them. Sometimes it can be hard to articulate what you're feeling and what you need while you're pregnant. However, the women in the film are brutally honest and "keep it real". Husbands and partners might learn some great tips about how not to annoy their pregnant wives and partners. That alone makes this movie worth its weight in gold!

After watching this documentary husbands and partners will understand why the pregnant women they love cannot eat sushi, deli meats or eggs over easy. They will understand their level of anxiety. And they will appreciate their changing bodies.

You can have confidence in the information shared in the film too. The female producer (LOVE saying that) did her due diligence. To ensure the accuracy of the health care information in the movie she partnered with the Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses, the world's largest nursing authority dedicated to the health of women and babies, HealthyWomen.org, the nation’s leading independent health information source for women, and the March of Dimes.

The producer also should be credited for embracing the full spectrum of mothers. They covered every demographic group and lifestyle. They embraced the first time mom, the "repeater" mom, the mom of twins, the married mom, the abandoned mom, and the sperm donor mom. If you are a woman, this movie is designed for you. The film does a great job of incorporating the humorous and the humbling and the facts and the funny tales. Along with the moms are the explanations of physicians about why moms crave what they crave, experience what they experience and want what they want.

Perhaps because it was conceived by a couple of parents, a husband and wife team (Christopher Henze and Dominique Debroux) the film does a great job of showing how pregnancy changes a couple as well. They also developed a cool way for people to share in the experience. Please see below.

Screening the movie
  • Big Belli is partnering with Gathr to bring screenings to theaters across the country. Gathr’s Theatrical On Demand® is a new and exciting online crowd-sourcing approach that is rapidly changing film distribution. 
  • With Gathr, it’s easy to become a 40 Weeks Champion and hold a screening in your area. Just go to https://www.40weeksthemovie.com/about-movie/find-screening/ and sign up to hold a screening or be notified if one is coming to your area. Big Belli and Gathr will support you in reaching out to your friends, family and community to create a successful event.
  • Gathr screenings can only happen if a minimum number of people reserve tickets before a screening request expires. On every screening page you'll find an update that shows you the number of current reservations, the number of additional reservations needed to tip the screening, as well as how much time remains before that screening request expires. When enough people reserve tickets to a screening before time expires, the screening takes place. If the minimum number of reservations is not met, the screening does not take place and nobody is charged.

40 Weeks, Movie Official Trailer - Directed by Christopher Henze




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