Documentary backdrop image for Contraction (2023)

Documentary backdrop image for Contraction (2023)

202311 minPGdoc-short

Maternal Health

Contraction

202311 minPGdoc-short

10.35 p.m. marks the beginning of a night shift at the University Hospital in Zurich, where a midwife supports mothers and their newborns.

Maternal Health

Genres

Director

Christof Bruggmann

Synopsis

10.35 p.m. marks the beginning of a night shift at the University Hospital in Zurich, where a midwife supports mothers and their newborns.

People

Christof Bruggmanndirector

Synopsis

At the University Hospital in Zurich, a midwife begins her night shift at 10.35 p.m. She cares for mothers and their newborns during a demanding 11-minute period. The midwife provides support tailored to each mother and baby, addressing their unique needs. The documentary captures the intensity of her work and the emotional connections formed in the delivery room. Each moment reflects the challenges and joys of childbirth in a hospital setting.

Comments

What are people saying?

Play More Like This

Home Births Are on the Rise as U.S. Hospitals Are Overwhelmed By Coronavirus (2020)

Home Births Are on the Rise as U.S. Hospitals Are Overwhelmed By Coronavirus

At 38 weeks pregnant, Christina Capitao and Sean Rivera leave Brooklyn to stay with family, packing essential supplies like Lysol for safety during the pandemic.

Home Births Are on the Rise as U.S. Hospitals Are Overwhelmed By Coronavirus

The World's Most Dangerous Place To Give Birth (2016)

The World's Most Dangerous Place To Give Birth

More maternal deaths occur in South Sudan than anywhere else on the planet, making it the most dangerous place to give birth.

The World's Most Dangerous Place To Give Birth

Bringing Midwifery Back to Black Mothers (2021)

Bringing Midwifery Back to Black Mothers

Black women in the United States face significantly higher maternal mortality rates than white women, prompting midwives to collaborate with obstetricians to improve care.

Bringing Midwifery Back to Black Mothers

Inside the Chaotic Belford Hospital Maternity Ward (2025)

Inside the Chaotic Belford Hospital Maternity Ward

Midwife Pam supports expectant mother Laura, who faces anxiety about childbirth after a difficult previous experience, in the remote highlands of Scotland.

Inside the Chaotic Belford Hospital Maternity Ward

Life and death with a coronavirus ambulance volunteer in Milan (2020)

Life and death with a coronavirus ambulance volunteer in Milan

Matteo volunteers for ambulance services in Milan while managing family life during COVID-19.

Life and death with a coronavirus ambulance volunteer in Milan

In A Day At Romford's Queen's Hospital (2019)

In A Day At Romford's Queen's Hospital

Shola, a 49-year-old woman, gives birth to triplets at Queen's Hospital in Romford, where more than 50% of first-time mothers are over 30.

In A Day At Romford's Queen's Hospital

Dangerous Birth Battle of a 10lb Baby (2026)

Dangerous Birth Battle of a 10lb Baby

NHS teams in four British hospitals address a range of medical challenges, including a difficult labor complicated by Group B Strep and a child with a head injury.

Dangerous Birth Battle of a 10lb Baby

Risked Her Life To Become A Mother (2026)

Risked Her Life To Become A Mother

In four British hospitals, fixed-rig cameras document the personal stories of patients facing life-changing medical emergencies, from high-risk maternity cases to trauma injuries.

Risked Her Life To Become A Mother

The Complication From Her First Birth Returns (2026)

The Complication From Her First Birth Returns

Fixed-rig cameras in four UK hospitals capture the personal experiences of patients facing various medical challenges, including a mother's anxious second labor.

The Complication From Her First Birth Returns

How Midwives Perform Remote Births in Ben Nevis (2025)

How Midwives Perform Remote Births in Ben Nevis

Midwives support remote births near Ben Nevis, facing challenges in harsh Scottish weather.

How Midwives Perform Remote Births in Ben Nevis

A Pregnant Trans Man Faced His Greatest Fear During Childbirth (2026)

A Pregnant Trans Man Faced His Greatest Fear During Childbirth

A transgender father navigates the complexities of childbirth while confronting his greatest fears, alongside stories of unconventional relationships.

A Pregnant Trans Man Faced His Greatest Fear During Childbirth

Segawa's Dystonia: The Baby Who Changed Colours (2019)

Segawa's Dystonia: The Baby Who Changed Colours

Isabel's skin turns grey shortly after birth, prompting her parents to seek urgent medical attention for her alarming condition.

Segawa's Dystonia: The Baby Who Changed Colours

Explore Contraction

Browse more like this

Inside the Chaotic Belford Hospital Maternity Ward (2025)

Inside the Chaotic Belford Hospital Maternity Ward

Midwife Pam supports expectant mother Laura, who faces anxiety about childbirth after a difficult previous experience, in the remote highlands of Scotland.

Inside the Chaotic Belford Hospital Maternity Ward

No digital watch option in your country

In A Day At Romford's Queen's Hospital (2019)

In A Day At Romford's Queen's Hospital

Shola, a 49-year-old woman, gives birth to triplets at Queen's Hospital in Romford, where more than 50% of first-time mothers are over 30.

In A Day At Romford's Queen's Hospital

No digital watch option in your country

How Midwives Perform Remote Births in Ben Nevis (2025)

How Midwives Perform Remote Births in Ben Nevis

Midwives support remote births near Ben Nevis, facing challenges in harsh Scottish weather.

How Midwives Perform Remote Births in Ben Nevis

No digital watch option in your country

Segawa's Dystonia: The Baby Who Changed Colours (2019)

Segawa's Dystonia: The Baby Who Changed Colours

Isabel's skin turns grey shortly after birth, prompting her parents to seek urgent medical attention for her alarming condition.

Segawa's Dystonia: The Baby Who Changed Colours

No digital watch option in your country

The Birth Reborn (2013)

The Birth Reborn

2013•1h31m•★6.7TMDB

Cesarean deliveries have increased significantly, raising concerns about unnecessary medical interventions during childbirth worldwide.

The Birth Reborn

One Born Every Minute (2011)

One Born Every Minute

2011•45m•★6.1TMDB

Cameras capture the experiences of expectant mothers and hospital staff at Riverside Methodist Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, during childbirth.

One Born Every Minute

One Born Every Minute (2010)

One Born Every Minute

2010•68h•★6.1TMDB

Experience the raw reality of childbirth in a bustling UK labor ward.

One Born Every Minute

Motherland (2017)

Motherland

2017•1h34m•★6.4TMDB

One of the world's busiest maternity wards operates at the Philippine General Hospital, where mothers face daily struggles with limited healthcare resources.

Window Water Baby Moving (1959)

Window Water Baby Moving

1959•13m•★6.9TMDB

A woman gives birth in a bathtub, with close-ups of her face, her pregnant belly, and hands tying off the umbilical cord.

Window Water Baby Moving

The Birth Reborn 3 (2018)

The Birth Reborn 3

2018•1h12m•★9.0TMDB

In São Paulo, Brazil, mothers and midwives recount their childbirth experiences, focusing on maternal rights and midwifery practices in a supportive setting.

The Birth Reborn 3

Night patrol (2020)

Night patrol

2020•45m•★8.0TMDB

Police teams in Mainz respond to a range of unusual missions each night, addressing crimes and deaths while managing complex situations.

Browse more by Christof Bruggmann

View all films →

Mamele, Mamele, tuck me in (2023)

Mamele, Mamele, tuck me in

2023

Is this your film?

If you made this film or hold the rights to it, we'd like to talk. We can license it and pay you a share of what it earns.

License it with us →