A feature documentary about the midwife who spent 50 years proving what mothers always knew.
The draft treatment for WHAT THEY KNOW, including the opening script and the theme song. Click either side of the page, swipe, or use the arrow keys.
Dr Robyn Thompson, PhD, OAM, on the finding at the heart of the film: why the first breastfeed decides so much, and what the system does to interrupt it.
It is through her research and observations that she discovered how important it was for this information to reach women during pregnancy, so that they could protect their 3 Golden Hours (the first breastfeed).
Real women, filmed after The Thompson Method. Each one arrived with a different story and left with the same outcome.
A small selection from the women who found Dr Robyn’s method, many of them after the system had already failed them.
This weekend we will reach our one year breastfeeding goal. Never in a million years did I think I would accomplish this goal. I failed to breastfeed my first 3... That was until I saw a video of Dr Robyn talking about the 3 golden hours and forceful breastfeeding techniques. Something inside of me clicked. Dr Robyn’s program changed everything for me. It should be taught in all hospitals around the world.
My pediatrician encouraged me to move to formula and bottles. I had a lactation consultant say my baby was happy to starve... My baby was refusing the breast completely but I wasn’t ready to give up. In less than 24 hours of my rescue session, baby was 100% back on the breast. I cried. My mom cried. The only one who didn’t cry was my baby. He was happy to nurse.
My baby was born premature at 31 weeks, she wasn’t able to latch until her 34th week. She had NG tubes until we left the hospital... we managed to do it, thanks to Dr Robyn’s Method. She is now 6 months... Thriving at 8kgs. I am so proud of my little girl. She’s a little fighter.
I suffered damaged nipples as a result of forceful techniques used by the nurses at my hospital, which was followed by using a nipple shield and supplementing with formula. Thanks to what I’ve learned from Dr Robyn, I’m now almost completely pain free and no longer supplementing with formula... I only wish I had discovered you before having my daughter.
We would have stopped breastfeeding after two weeks if it hadn’t have been for The Thompson Method! ...COVID had just become a thing and people were panic buying so we couldn’t get formula even if I’d wanted to... With the help of Skype calls with Dr Robyn and the beautiful community she has created we managed to feed well past 12 months when he self weaned.
I had an emergency c-section due to complications. Even under these traumatic circumstances, I made sure the midwives respected my wishes... A few midwives came in and tried to forcefully shove my baby to my breast. I politely asked them to back off. It was empowering knowing how to advocate for myself. It has been the most peaceful, joyful and pain-free breastfeeding experience.
I literally spent $1000s on lactation consultants, tongue-tie specialists, paediatricians and no one could help get my son to latch. Dr Robyn has been the only one that could help... If only I had discovered you while I was pregnant, I could have saved myself many tears.
If you would have asked me a few days after my baby girl was born, I would have told you that I would be thankful to make it to 3 months breastfeeding, but here we are going strong at nearly 12 months with no end in sight... We were able to overcome many hurdles including weaning off nipple shields, weaning off of formula and facing the fear of not enough weight gain.
Lyrics and music by Marie Wilson
The golden thread of the film, connecting Dr Robyn’s discovery to every mother it reaches.
There's a map they kept inside,
For thousands of years, they tried.
Not about the money, not about the crown,
But how to turn your life around.
Same story, different place,
Same message, different face.
About how you think and what you believe,
About the power you can't see.
What do they know that we forgot?
What's the thing we all have got?
It's the truth they always knew,
The power's living inside you.
It's the map of who you are,
Burning like a star.
What they know, what they know,
Is that you can grow.
It's the truth that's been inside,
All you gotta do is try.
From the old world to today,
Same message, different way.
About who you are, about your soul,
About becoming whole.
Everything's the same at heart,
You've got the power from the start.
It's written in the way you think,
Just waiting for you to blink.
What do they know that we forgot?
What's the thing we all have got?
It's the truth they always knew,
The power's living inside you.
It's the map of who you are,
Burning like a star.
What they know, what they know,
Is that you can grow.
It's the truth that's been inside,
All you gotta do is try.
The secret was never hidden,
It was always there within.
In the way you think and feel,
The power that is real.
What you believe is what is true,
That's the magic living in you.
So what did all the masters find?
What's the greatest truth of mind?
That the power you're looking for,
Is knocking at your door.
Your belief makes it real,
Your thoughts make you heal.
You are the answer all along,
That's the real, real song.
It's the truth they always knew,
The power's living inside you.
It's the map of who you are,
Burning like a star.
What they know, what they know,
Is that you can grow.
It's the truth that's been inside,
All you gotta do is try.
What they know is you,
What they know is you.
The power's inside,
The power's inside,
The power's inside you,
All you gotta do is try.
“Because a mother and her baby were always meant to be at the centre.”