I am a nurse-midwife and years ago another midwife recommended this book to me as true incidents in a British midwife’s practice. Loved it! And then lo and behold it became a TV series. Wikipedia says: "Call the Midwife: A True Story of the East End in the 1950s, is a memoir by Jennifer Worth, and the first in a trilogy of books describing her work as a district nurse and midwife in the East End of London during the 1950s"
Ex-British midwife here. Really enjoyed this article. The camaraderie and tea (so much tea!) bit still exists, and the support, but it's interesting to see how much the times really have changed. Women have more complex pregnancies now due to factors like higher body weight and attendant diseases such as diabetes and high blood pressure, women being older first time mothers, more women are having second babies after having had a c-section for their first etc. And the reams of documentation now...oh, for a simpler life!
I’m a retired nurse-midwife as well. Call the Midwife is a historically accurate account of healthcare. Statistically there are also excellent outcomes for mothers and babies with nurse midwifery care. In America, Mary Breckenridge, a nurse-midwife, provided similar services on horseback to families of the Appalachian mountains in Kentucky. Many lives were saved and improved because of her ingenuity. .
I loved this! I enjoy all your writing and art but this piece, even though I've never watched an episode, prompted me to tell you so. You hit the truth so hard I felt it and yelled a resounding YES! I'm filled with longing for better things, ways, days. Thank you for your eloquent expression.
You nailed it! And I read your note about local banks. I lived for a while in a small town that had many downsides to it but banking was not one of them. The local banks are invested in their community and want you to succeed. It was such a breath of fresh air to deal with them.
I can get behind this! My first birth was a traumatic (and unnecessary) c-section. Five years later, a VBAC in the hospital. Then two years later, an HBAC (home birth after cesarean) at home. I wanted the epidural and all the drugs and it made everything worse! Delivering at home was the best decision we made, and while we learned something from every birth and all my kids are doing well, the energy/sense of safety/peace of mind of the third birth when compared with the second and first was huge. Pregnant women are the only healthy women in a hospital. Everyone else is sick or injured.
In the current NHS with trolleys too often occupied on corridors, joined up political thinking and forward long-term strategic plannimg to coin a cliché with Social Care and Ministry thereof, is about 50 years overdue. Sadly the box tickets are on the highest wages and recruitment on the ground suffers from low wages, exhausting hours, lack of adequate training and poor inspection and quality control inefficient and inept quangoism dictated to by badly designed and not fit for purpose software and hardware in many instances. Profit craming from creeping private outsourcing also limits rollout and production of some pharmaceuticals that fail to be approved by NICR, yet would save the NHS vast amounts in future budgets if rolled out in a safe and effective way. No joined up thinking, no attraction for young people as new recruits in the Social Care and Domiciliary Sectors.
I am a nurse-midwife and years ago another midwife recommended this book to me as true incidents in a British midwife’s practice. Loved it! And then lo and behold it became a TV series. Wikipedia says: "Call the Midwife: A True Story of the East End in the 1950s, is a memoir by Jennifer Worth, and the first in a trilogy of books describing her work as a district nurse and midwife in the East End of London during the 1950s"
Ex-British midwife here. Really enjoyed this article. The camaraderie and tea (so much tea!) bit still exists, and the support, but it's interesting to see how much the times really have changed. Women have more complex pregnancies now due to factors like higher body weight and attendant diseases such as diabetes and high blood pressure, women being older first time mothers, more women are having second babies after having had a c-section for their first etc. And the reams of documentation now...oh, for a simpler life!
I’m a retired nurse-midwife as well. Call the Midwife is a historically accurate account of healthcare. Statistically there are also excellent outcomes for mothers and babies with nurse midwifery care. In America, Mary Breckenridge, a nurse-midwife, provided similar services on horseback to families of the Appalachian mountains in Kentucky. Many lives were saved and improved because of her ingenuity. .
Fantastic. I am a big midwife fan…I esp love your candles in the darkness painting 🙏🙌💖
This was such a wonderful and welcome treat to open today!
I loved this! I enjoy all your writing and art but this piece, even though I've never watched an episode, prompted me to tell you so. You hit the truth so hard I felt it and yelled a resounding YES! I'm filled with longing for better things, ways, days. Thank you for your eloquent expression.
You nailed it! And I read your note about local banks. I lived for a while in a small town that had many downsides to it but banking was not one of them. The local banks are invested in their community and want you to succeed. It was such a breath of fresh air to deal with them.
I can get behind this! My first birth was a traumatic (and unnecessary) c-section. Five years later, a VBAC in the hospital. Then two years later, an HBAC (home birth after cesarean) at home. I wanted the epidural and all the drugs and it made everything worse! Delivering at home was the best decision we made, and while we learned something from every birth and all my kids are doing well, the energy/sense of safety/peace of mind of the third birth when compared with the second and first was huge. Pregnant women are the only healthy women in a hospital. Everyone else is sick or injured.
In the current NHS with trolleys too often occupied on corridors, joined up political thinking and forward long-term strategic plannimg to coin a cliché with Social Care and Ministry thereof, is about 50 years overdue. Sadly the box tickets are on the highest wages and recruitment on the ground suffers from low wages, exhausting hours, lack of adequate training and poor inspection and quality control inefficient and inept quangoism dictated to by badly designed and not fit for purpose software and hardware in many instances. Profit craming from creeping private outsourcing also limits rollout and production of some pharmaceuticals that fail to be approved by NICR, yet would save the NHS vast amounts in future budgets if rolled out in a safe and effective way. No joined up thinking, no attraction for young people as new recruits in the Social Care and Domiciliary Sectors.
...box tickers...
...creaming... NICE..
Thank you for this today!!