Hard Pushed: A Midwife's Story (Hardback)
Leah Hazard (author)Published: 02/05/2019
By turns moving, astonishing and life-affirming, Leah Hazard’s insightful memoir offers key insights into the highs, lows and labour pains of modern midwifery. Anyone who has watched an episode of Call the Midwife will know that it’s not a job for the faint-hearted and Hazard’s account brings home how much more taxing it has become in an era of NHS cuts and stretched resources. An important and highly readable addition to the medical memoir canon.
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.
Publisher: Cornerstone
ISBN: 9781786331601
Number of pages: 368
Weight: 483 g
Dimensions: 222 x 144 x 34 mm
MEDIA REVIEWS
'…an enjoyable and lively addition to the recent crop of medical memoirs…' - The Times
'Leah Hazard describes the challenges and dedication of those working in the NHS. The stories in Hard Pushed highlight the bravery of our midwives, and the women they care for.' - Christie Watson, author of The Language of Kindness
'Heart-rending, inspiring and funny, Hard Pushed brings alive the world of midwifery in all its complexity and radiates love and respect for women, even in the most frantic and anxiety-ridden moments.' - Professor Lesley Page CBE, former president of the Royal College of Midwives
'A riveting read: heartwarming and heartbreaking.' - Sheena Byrom OBE, midwifery consultant and author of Catching Babies
'Hard Pushed charts a midwife's most personal moments of triumph and devastating loss in a way that expands our understanding and gratitude to them. Leah Hazard's `microdoses' of love are exactly what we need at a time of transforming intensity. It is her capacity to love and give so personally to the many thousands of women she has worked with which imbues this book with its power.' - Julia Samuel, author of Grief Works
'A beautifully written, intimate portrait of the extraordinary work that midwives carry out each and every day.' - Caroline Elton, author of Also Human: The Inner Lives of Doctors
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“A honest and beautifully written book”
I could not put this book down! I absolutely loved reading this book and completed it within a mere three days; it was brilliant.
It was written from Leah's perspective as a midwife and it's honest in how...
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“An inspiring read.”
This true story of NHS Midwife Leah Hazard gives the reader an insight into her world. Her style is easy to read and she never tries to confound you with jargon. Instead she focuses on the human stories of the women... More
“Authentic, awe-inspiring and absorbing.”
Authentic, awe-inspiring and absorbing, this sharing of a midwife’s working life is a must read for everyone. Humorous and poignant it explores what it’s like to be responsible for assisting new life into the world... More
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