Editing All My Babies (section)

== Production ==
{{More footnotes needed|section|date=September 2019}}
[[George C. Stoney]], an early documentary filmmaker,<ref name=":0" /> 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.<ref name="nytimes" /> 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.<ref name=":0" />

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.<ref name="nytimes" /> Stoney also gained the support of progressive Black pastor, Bishop Noah, who preached to the [[Friends of Man|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,<ref name="Ostherr" /> 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.<ref name="Ostherr" />

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.<ref name="nytimes" /> 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 J. Flaherty|Robert Flaherty]].<ref name="Jackson" /> 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.<ref name="nytimes">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/15/arts/television/george-c-stoney-documentarian-dies-at-96.html|title=George C. Stoney, Documentarian, Dies at 96|last=Vitello|first=Paul|access-date=2018-08-09|language=en}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://www.loc.gov/programs/static/national-film-preservation-board/documents/all_babies.pdf|title=All My Babies: A Midwife's Own Story|last=Glick|first=Joshua|website=Library of Congress|access-date=August 9, 2018}}</ref><ref name="Ostherr">{{Cite book |last=Ostherr |first=Kirsten |title=Medical Visions: Producing the Patient Through Film, Television, and Imaging Technologies |title-link=Medical Visions: Producing the Patient through Film, Television, and Imaging Technologies |date=2013-04-11 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=9780199737246 |language=en}}</ref><ref name="Jackson">{{Cite web|url=http://www.der.org/resources/study-guides/production-of-all-my-babies-lynne-jackson.pdf|title=The Production of George Stoney's Film "All My Babies: A Midwife's Own Story" (1952)|last=Jackson|first=Lynne|date=1987|publisher=Film History, vol. 1, no. 4|pages=367–392|pmid=12879506 |access-date=August 9, 2018}}</ref>