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

Product Information

Emilia, a midwife, is caught helping Jewish mothers deliver their babies during the war. She is taken to Auschwitz and is immediately exposed to horrors she couldn't have imagined before. 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. I really enjoyed "The Secret Midwife." I've never read a story quite like this. The characters were compelling and such a tragic story. However, I felt like it was a bit long in places yet also could have used a bit more in others. I liked how she was telling her story to her daughter for the first time. 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.

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

Never, ever discount the effects of a single person doing what they can under extreme circumstances. Ir tāds jēdziens "varoņa ceļojums" (hero's journey) - vairāku soļu ceļš, kuru noiet katrs patiess varonis. Tā vien šķiet, ka visas vecmātes kaut kādā ziņā arī piedzīvo savu "varones ceļojumu" - no sajūsmas līdz pašpaļāvībai, caur izmisuma un depresijas bezdibeni līdz samiernieciskam gurdenumam vecmātes praksē vai ārpus tās.

Multibuys

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. During labour, I said, ‘Let me stay, it will help’. They didn’t allow me, citing the Covid restrictions, so I stayed in the car park, but they called me before the delivery.” The Nottingham couple had a heartbreaking miscarriage before Ankita gave birth to baby Nyra three months ago.

The Secret Midwife by Soraya M. Lane | Goodreads

As a child, Soraya dreamed of becoming an author. Fast forward more than a few years, and Soraya is now living her dream! Soraya describes being an author as "the best career in the world", and she hopes to be writing romance and women's fiction for many years to come. 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. Lane allows readers inside the head of an ordinary person, swept off the streets of her hometown, imprisoned in Auschwitz and forced to deliver babies in such unthinkable conditions. We see the constant battle both the midwife and the birthing mothers fought - shame at experiencing fleeting moments of happiness bombarded with the stark reality of death. The interplay between preservation, the ray of hope, and the daily struggle to survive left me breathless and in tears many times. I appreciated the multi perspectives (tattooist, doctor and prisoner) and thought they brought depth to the story.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw my daughter hopping from one foot to the other, almost bursting with excitement. I washed my hands one last time and it was only then, finally, that she was allowed to give me a hug. 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... 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. MS Lane has taken historical facts and turned them into a heart-breaking and heart-felt story of determination, strength and courage as we learn about the midwife, Emilia in Auschwitz who with the help of Aleksy and Lena saved hundreds of lives, make sure you have a box of tissues while reading.

The Secret Midwife : Lane, Soraya M., Knowelden, Elizabeth The Secret Midwife : Lane, Soraya M., Knowelden, Elizabeth

One of the main characters is Emilia, a midwife from a small town in Poland. Emilia is committed to helping everyone, including delivering Jewish babies and helping to smuggle these babies to safety. Our other main character is Alesky, a doctor, who is trying to keep his town safe from the Nazis by leading them to believe his town is in the midst of a typhus outbreak and helping any injured resistance members. Because of their behavior, Emilia and Alesky end up in Auschwitz. Together, they do what they can to protect and care for as many of their fellow prisoners while risking their own lives. Philippa said: “As I parked I noticed a number of cars in the driveway and, looking through the window, it was obvious there were several adults in the house.

Toys

I started reading the book last night and needed to keep reading, I finished it this evening after work and the first thing I did was tell my mum, and my husband all about it. I loved this honest review of being a midwife. The whole warts and all birds eye view from the coal face. I found the vivid descriptions of the various births/stitches/blood & meconium made me feel like I was in the room. Brilliant loved it The author writes an interesting passage, that needs no commentary, on female genital mutilation and childbirth. In some cases the female genital parts are still present; they have just been stitched together. But at the more extreme end of the mutilation, everything has been taken away: her labia, clitoris, everything. All that’s left is a smooth area and a very small opening for the vagina. I feel terribly sorry for these women because I know it was forced upon them when they were just children. They had no choice in the matter, and the consequence is they will derive no pleasure at all from sex. Which, I suppose, is the whole point. It seems peculiarly cruel. A roller coaster of emotions, it's very realistic & takes you through both the happy endings of giving birth but also the tragic, heart wrenching incidents that can't be helped. It gives an insight to the career itself, how short-staffed & underfunded the NHS are & just how unsupportive the management side can be as well for the midwives. Then, I walked the short distance up the path to our front door. As soon as the door was shut behind me, I took off all my clothes and put them inside a sealed plastic box.