The Secret Midwife: Life, Death and the Truth about Birth

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London, 1995: When on the fiftieth anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz a news broadcast runs an appeal for information on the identity of a midwife who saved hundreds of lives, Emilia knows it is time to finally tell her story. There are numerous, horrible things that occurred during WWII but one that never crossed my mind was unborn babies. Imagine a pregnant woman living in a concentration camp and having your child born into such deplorable conditions, where you have no way to protect or care for them. Some of these pregnant women were promised better conditions and more food if they came forward - only to be studied and experimented on by the infamous Dr. Josef Mengele or other SS physicians. But there is a problem; the system which is supposed to support the midwives and the women they care for is starting to crumble. Short-staffed, over worked and underappreciated - these crippling conditions are taking their toll on the dedicated staff doing their utmost to uphold our National Health Service, and the consequences are very serious indeed. There were several unexpected twists throughout the story and I became so emotionally invested in the characters and the horrors which they faced.

Secret Midwife reveals NHS pandemic hell as mums forced to Secret Midwife reveals NHS pandemic hell as mums forced to

I really didn't know much about what being a midwife really means. I had no idea of the pressure and strain midwifes face every day. For several months last year, Philippa worked in the community with minimal PPE. Things came to a head when she caught a new mum violating Covid rules at Christmas time. The story was at times harrowing as you can expect knowing the subject and it was also heart-breaking but I was compelled to keep reading, I really wanted them all to make it to the point of liberation and I really wanted them to be able to try to rebuild their lives Short-staffed, over worked and underappreciated - these crippling conditions are taking their toll on the dedicated staff doing their utmost to uphold our National Health Service, and the consequences are very serious indeed.On treating her first Covid-positive expectant mum in March 2020, she said: “As I dressed in my standard-issue PPE, I felt fearful.

The Secret Midwife by Soraya M. Lane | Goodreads

The author did a great job of providing a window into this brutal history, and am empathetic look at what many suffered through. It was a tough but worthwhile read. Now the Secret Midwife has told of the stresses of the pandemic as women were forced to give birth, attend scans and even endure the pain of miscarriage and stillbirth all alone. This was such a powerful, vividly written book. I think that in general, books based on the Holocaust are quite daunting and the amount of research the author has put into writing this books makes it all the more difficult to read although it remained gripping throughout. I've decided not to have children, but every now and then I'll experience something in my life that would make my brain go 'self, you'll make a fantastic mom' but then I'll be 'but do you want to be a mom?' The answer is, it's not a matter of whether I want it or not, it's whether I can afford it or not. Kādas vecmātes (tās, kura bērniem palīdz nākt pasaulē) stāsts par savu profesiju un Lielbritānijas (te gan varētu būt arī citas valsts nosaukums) valsts veselības sistēmu, kas savas jomas entuziastus - strādājošus cilvēkus dzen izmisumā.There Emilia is put to work assisting mothers delivers babies. She meets Doctor Alesky who helps train Emilia to save woman and their babies.

The Secret Midwife - Kindle edition by Lane, Soraya M

Political rant I've seen it on the island. Give someone any kind of job where they will be allowed to employ someone else and they do. They start to build their power base and the more people they have working for them, the higher up the rung they (artificially) move. Socialist governments the world over are famous for this. Then you get the more right wing governments cutting the budgets of any public spending, no matter how necessary, and the admin staff make sure that they are the last to be affected. Best cut those at the front line. And it continues. From the bestselling author of The London Girls comes a story of courage and resilience amidst the horror of Auschwitz—and one woman’s last chance to share it with the world. As a fellow NHS professional (not midwife) I can absolutely believe that this is a true and accurate account of how the whole system works. I know that some trusts are better than others at supporting their staff from first hand experience.

Notes on reading The author relates stories of her experience, but it's all very one-note, there is no reflection, no depth, but maybe that's to come. So far the only interesting bits are on how nice the Aluthor finds the travelling community although beyond saying that the men are very respectful (to the nurses at least) and their caravans are very clean, I don't know how this is supposed to change the public perception of them. The feared Doctor Mengele is mentioned in this book, he likes to experiment on pregnant women and twins and tasks them both with alerting him to any pregnancies in the camp. All staff should have the opportunity to ask for support without worrying about being viewed as not coping These two hero's then come together to do what they can to save lives and treat the women in their care with dignity and respect in the unbelievably terrible circumstances. The second half is far more difficult to read. The intense pressure of working for a business rather than a service, increasing societal issues including litigation of medical professionals and the associated mental health issues related to these negative experiences are real and we should all ‘see life’ through their eyes.