A great insight into the highs and lows of midwifery. Also, a sad reminder of how terrible staffing and toxic environments can not only affect the health of patients but also of healtchare professionals.

The Secret Midwife | Soraya M. Lane | 9781662504068 | NetGalley The Secret Midwife | Soraya M. Lane | 9781662504068 | NetGalley

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. The dual timeline narrative isn’t easy to read, the Holocaust was brutal and inhumane and nothing is left out. Even worse was the treatment of young innocent teenage girls, pregnant women and newborn babies.She wasn’t the first midwife on her unit to be diagnosed with stress and depression – in fact Philippa says around 10 % of the midwives in her hospital have taken stress-related leave. 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.

The Secret Midwife by Soraya M. Lane | Goodreads

She believes chronic underfunding has led to constant staff shortages which leaves the midwives unsupported and overworked. Bad management practices have compounded the problem, making staff alienated and fearful. Strongest supporter, best friend, expert, cheerleader and chief photographer . . . Before, during and after labour the role of a midwife is second to none. The Secret Midwife reveals the highs and lows on the frontline of the maternity unit, from the mother who tries to give herself a DIY caesarean to the baby born into witness protection, and from surprise infants that arrive down toilets to ones that turn up in the lift. In FGM cases, doctors prefer to take the lead because it’s harder for the birthing mother to push out the baby, and they will often need medical intervention. If the doctors are male, however, that can be problematic with the husbands. We do try and facilitate requests but there is only so much that can be done if there are no female doctors attending on the day. Occasionally, we have to be quite stern and tell the father that either he lets a doctor do his job or he needs to leave. It is quite maddening at times to see how people will put religious belief above medical necessity. Strongest advocate, best friend, expert, cheerleader and chief photographer . . . Before, during and after labour the role of a midwife is second to none.The Secret Midwifereveals the highs and lows on the frontline of the maternity unit, from the mother who tries to give herself a DIY caesarean to the baby born into witness protection, and from surprise infants that arrive down toilets to ones that turn up in the lift.Soraya loves spending her days thinking up characters for books, and her home is a constant source of inspiration. She lives with her own real life hero and two sons on a small farm in New Zealand, surrounded by animals and with an office overlooking a field where their horses graze. Had I been careful enough? Had I made sure the mask was pressed tightly around my face? I couldn’t afford to take any chances. It is definitely not an easy read, with incredible detail and intensity- but OH how it explains the horrors of living and dying during those times! Then, I sprayed the handles of the door and the box and ran upstairs to the shower, careful not to touch a single thing on my way up.