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The Midwife: A Memoir of Birth, Joy, and Hard Times, by Jennifer Worth Find this book in our catalog

Jennifer Worth practiced midwifery in some of the poorest sections of London in the 1950s, providing services to women, many of whom could not or would not otherwise seek medical care in a hospital. Deliveries were done at home, often in a questionable environment, made safer and cleaner through the work of the sturdy, tenacious midwife. Worth examines not just the history of the practice of midwifery in the 20th century, but also the social conditions that made this such a necessary medical service for women in order to spare their health and ensure the safe delivery of their children. Along the way, she reveals something of life in Nonnatus House, with the Midwives of St. Raymund Nonnatus, a mixture of nuns and laywomen, whose professionalism and dedication added a stabilizing force to the lives of the women in the surrounding London neighborhoods.
She opens the door to some very colorful and memorable characters – both pregnant women using the services of the midwives and the women practicing midwifery, making this a book that is at once entertaining and sometimes harrowing.

Submitted by D. L. S.

Labels: Jennifer Worth, London - 1950s, Midwife, midwifery, social conditions - London