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

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That night, I drove home from my 12-hour shift, trying to recall all the time I had spent with the Covid-positive couple. Inspired by true accounts of the Polish resistance, author Soraya Lane explores the experiences of those brave doctors, nurses and midwives who were imprisoned in camps during WW2.

The Secret Midwife By Katy Weitz |The Works The Secret Midwife By Katy Weitz |The Works

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. Northern-based Philippa – not her real name – also told how she became so anxious about infecting her family that she was scared to hug her six-year-old daughter. 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. But there is a problem; the system which is supposed to support the midwives and the women they care for is starting to crumble.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. 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. She explained: “On the one hand I had a duty of care to this woman and child. On the other hand, going inside meant taking an unnecessary risk. The story was at times harrowing as you can expect knowing the subject and it was also heart-breaking but I was compelled to keep reading, I really wanted them all to make it to the point of liberation and I really wanted them to be able to try to rebuild their lives I called the woman and asked who was inside. She said it was her mum and dad, aunt, sister and her partner’s sister – people from four households.

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

Reluctantly, Philippa agreed to see the woman and her baby upstairs in a different room – as the child was five days old and needed to have a blood spot to be screened for various illnesses. For several months last year, Philippa worked in the community with minimal PPE. Things came to a head when she caught a new mum violating Covid rules at Christmas time. When she meets Aleksy a Polish doctor and Obstetrician they join forces to work together and then young Lena steps in to help as well and soon they are saving babies and woman at such danger to themselves. Notes on reading The author relates stories of her experience, but it's all very one-note, there is no reflection, no depth, but maybe that's to come. So far the only interesting bits are on how nice the Aluthor finds the travelling community although beyond saying that the men are very respectful (to the nurses at least) and their caravans are very clean, I don't know how this is supposed to change the public perception of them. Even though this book does kind of put me off wanting children, I definitely recommend if you want to read an honest account of the inspiring hard work midwifes do everyday

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The horror of what Emilia sees breaks her heart, but she is determined, especially with the assistance of Alesky and Lena to continue to save others. The feared Doctor Mengele is mentioned in this book, he likes to experiment on pregnant women and twins and tasks them both with alerting him to any pregnancies in the camp. She was wrongly diagnosed with gestational diabetes and then she began suffering from neurological issues. The author did a great job of providing a window into this brutal history, and am empathetic look at what many suffered through. It was a tough but worthwhile read.

The Secret Midwife by Soraya M. Lane | Goodreads

There are numerous, horrible things that occurred during WWII but one that never crossed my mind was unborn babies. Imagine a pregnant woman living in a concentration camp and having your child born into such deplorable conditions, where you have no way to protect or care for them. Some of these pregnant women were promised better conditions and more food if they came forward - only to be studied and experimented on by the infamous Dr. Josef Mengele or other SS physicians.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for an ARC Copy in exchange for an honest review of this book. There were several unexpected twists throughout the story and I became so emotionally invested in the characters and the horrors which they faced.