A healthy and very funny pregnancy comedy.

I told Ilana Glazer that “Babes” features her funniest and most affectionate performance to date, and not only was she moved, but the audience applauded. It’s a pregnancy comedy that wants to take its own approach in the tradition of “Knocked Up,” but acknowledges that many pregnancy stories have their challenges, regarding hormones and diets. We all acknowledge that stages of that have transitioned over time, and new young mothers try to keep their unborn child as healthy as possible.

Speaking from my perspective, when my sister was pregnant, I always knew pregnant women couldn’t drink or smoke, but I never knew they couldn’t have deli meats, as they could contain bacteria. And I knew that when she had her angry or rude moments, it was the hormones kicking in. And as Seth Rogen said in “Knocked Up,” “F you, hormones!.” There are things I do know about the 8-month period, and things I don’t, so even I acknowledge that the best I can.

Pamela Adlon (“King of the Hill”) makes her directorial debut with a honest, sometimes silly, sometimes typical, but always funny and warmhearted attitude. For those of you who liked or disliked Jerry Seinfeld’s directorial debut of “Unfrosted,” and I still hate that movie, I’m telling you this: now that’s how a comedy star can direct a movie.

Glazer co-writes, co-produces, and stars as Eden, a mid-30s woman, whose best friend Dawn (Michelle Buteau) has just given birth to her second child. On the subway ride home, she meets a background actor in Scorsese picture named Claude (Stephan James), whom she sleeps with. A few things. She had her period, but she’s pregnant. And also the young man unexpectedly dies. So, she’s now on her own with his baby.

Meanwhile, Dawn is struggling with motherhood and work, and I can imagine her husband Marty (Hasan Minhaj) is feeling the same way. And yet, somehow, they’re both able to overcome the challenges. Or at least, try to.

And being a first time pregnant woman, Eden likes to treat her delivery day like her prom, and still has the spirit of a teenager. This might be problematic for Dawn for reasons I don’t want to give away, but are either funny or consistent. It all depends on the very moment in the film.

Glazer has a three-year-old child and likes to see what young motherhood can give to her, and definitely give advice to future pregnant women as well. I also remember that she explored pregnancy in the horror movie “False Positive,” which she admits can be a reflection on how the process can be scary. In “Babes,” she shows the comedic approach with a vibrancy that wins you over.

And she also has fine support from Buteau, who knows comedy and seriousness when she sees it here. Minhaj also has his moments, regarding his perspective on parenting. Oliver Platt has a charming cameo as Eden’s estranged father who has his own messages about how lousy dads can make their kids into resourceful adults. And John Carroll Lynch feels like a Farrelly Brothers character in an independent movie as the main doctor, who seems like a fun guy to get to know.

Even though some gags wear out their welcome, there are still enough laughs and heart to make you appreciate the genre in the independent circuit. For those of you who would comment and suggest I’m overselling “Babes,” my response is: “I laughed at lot. What can I tell you?”