The Secrets of Midwives by Sally Hepworth

The Secrets of Midwives by Sally Hepworth
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 1 day

Pages - 320

Publisher - Pan

Source - possibly a gift?

Blurb from Goodreads

A novel about three generations of midwives (a woman, her mother, and her grandmother) and the secrets they keep that push them apart and ultimately bind them together

THE SECRETS OF MIDWIVES tells the story of three generations of women devoted to delivering new life into the world—and the secrets they keep that threaten to change their own lives forever. Neva Bradley, a third-generation midwife, is determined to keep the details surrounding her own pregnancy—including the identity of the baby’s father— hidden from her family and co-workers for as long as possible. Her mother, Grace, finds it impossible to let this secret rest. For Floss, Neva’s grandmother and a retired midwife, Neva’s situation thrusts her back 60 years in time to a secret that eerily mirrors her granddaughter’s—a secret which, if revealed, will have life-changing consequences for them all. Will these women reveal their secrets and deal with the inevitable consequences? Or are some secrets best kept hidden?


My Review

Meet Neva, Grace (Neva's mum) and Floss (Grace's mum) three generations and all of them are midwives. They could not be more different, in personality, in their approach to their job, in their lives and how they interact with each other. Neva is private, contained, calls Grace Grace instead of mum, closer to her dad. Grace is very much loud, about and in among everything and Floss, Floss is 80 and goes with the flow. Family is everything, we all have secrets and some secrets threaten everything we have, know and love.

When Neva announces her pregnancy but states there is no father Grace will stop at nothing to know who is the dad and make sure Neva's baby has a father. Floss finds her granddaughter facing some of the issues she did and bringing back some memories she would much rather leave in the past.

In among all of that we have some glimpses of the actual job of midwives and at least one scene was really heart wrenching, I held my breath whilst reading it. The author creates a fabulous story with family dynamics, friendship, love, secrets, relationships, work ethics and actions and consequences. The women in the story are so different but have similarities and have a strong family unit despite being at arms length. I sank into the story pretty much from the first chapter and couldn't wait to see where it was going. 4/5 for me this time, this is my first time reading this author but it won't be my last!

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Hard Pushed by Leah Hazard

Hard Pushed: A Midwife’s Story by Leah Hazard
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 1 day

Pages - 304

Publisher - Cornerstone digital

Source - ARC (Netgalley)

Blurb from Goodreads

No sleep for twenty hours. No food for ten. And a ward full of soon-to-be mothers… Welcome to the life of a midwife.

Life on the NHS front line, working within a system at breaking point, is more extreme than you could ever imagine. From the bloody to the beautiful, from moments of utter vulnerability to remarkable displays of strength, from camaraderie to raw desperation, from heart-wrenching grief to the pure, perfect joy of a new-born baby, midwife Leah Hazard has seen it all.

Through her eyes, we meet Eleanor, whose wife is a walking miracle of modern medicine, their baby a feat of reproductive science; Crystal, pregnant at just fifteen, the precarious, flickering life within her threatening to come far too soon; Star, birthing in a room heady with essential oils and love until an enemy intrudes and Pei Hsuan, who has carried her tale of exploitation and endurance thousands of miles to somehow find herself at the open door of Leah’s ward.

Moving, compassionate and intensely candid, Hard Pushed is a love letter to new mothers and to Leah’s fellow midwives – there for us at some of the most challenging, empowering and defining moments of our lives.



My Review

I generally love reading these true account type books from workers within health settings. I think it gives us, members of the public and professionals working in care to see the other side of the coin. Hazzard takes us through her career both as a student starting out and as a qualified midwife, working with people from all walks of life, different colleagues and the joys and horrors encountered helping bring babies into the world.

I read the kindle version of this, there is a list of words/terms used within the book that readers will find helpful especially if not familiar with midwifery. If reading on the kindle it may be worth checking them out before starting the book so you don't have to flip back and forth. Hazzard gives an honest look into her day to day duties and how different one birth can be to another. Different aspects of her job, the joy, the fears, the sheer volume and crises midwives of today have to face.

I loved reading her passion for what she does, it comes across pretty much throughout every encounter. I learned a few things too and whilst I have always respected midwives for what they do I didn't realise how much their job entailed and if possible have an even greater respect now. Being with and assisting another person bring a child into the world is an amazing thing and sometimes we forget or ignore all the potentials that can go wrong. The book gives insight into it all and I have always said women who gave birth should have a gold star, I am thinking two or more now! The human body is an amazing thing and stories like this bring home just how fantastic and wonderful it can be. An emotive read and an eye opener of yet another service that is working under the strain of cuts from the government, more demands than often they can cope with and yet the staff continue to give 100 percent because what else can you do when working with people. 4.5/5 for me this time, the book is out to buy from May 2nd, ebook and tree book format.

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