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

The Secret Midwife

Life, Death and the Truth about Birth

Published by John Blake Publishing,
801 Wimpole Street,
Marylebone
London W1G 9RE

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First published in hardback in 2020

Hardback ISBN: 978-1-78946-252-4
Ebook ISBN: 978-1-78946-253-1

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of the publisher, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser. British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data.

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

Design by www.envydesign.co.uk

Text copyright The Secret Midwife and Katy Weitz 2020

The right of The Secret Midwife and Katy Weitz to be identified as the authors of this work has been asserted by them in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

Every reasonable effort has been made to trace copyright-holders of material reproduced in this book, but if any have been inadvertently overlooked the publishers would be glad to hear from them.

John Blake Publishing is an imprint of Bonnier Books UK
www.bonnierbooks.co.uk

I dedicate this book to your neighbour and the man who lives at number 34 you know the one, the guy with the loud Honda. To your hairdresser, boss, friends and family. I dedicate it to your favourite celebrity, your husband or wife, your mother and father, your florist, newsagent, and the guy who just strolled past your house ten minutes ago walking his dog.

I dedicate it to your children, their teachers and the workmen at their school fitting a new light above the whiteboard in Class 2B. I dedicate it to the airline pilots who took you for a weeks holiday to Ibiza in 2001, the hotel receptionist who checked you in and the girl from Exeter who lay opposite you by the pool and kept eyeing up your boyfriend on your first day in the sun.

But most of all, I dedicate it to you.

You see, all these people were born every single one of them; we all are. And due to the miracle of life, people will continue to be born until the sun stops shining and the oceans dry up. So without them and without you, mine and the jobs of thousands of other midwives simply wouldnt exist.

So please accept this as a thank-you for giving me the best job in the world.

The events, situations and people in this book are real. For obvious reasons of privacy, confidentiality and to protect peoples identities, I have had to make certain changes. I have altered the identifying features and aspects of some people, departments and NHS Trusts that I have come into contact with over the last eighteen years. I have also had to protect myself.

However, make no mistake that this is a true account of working within NHS Englands midwifery services at a number of NHS Trusts throughout my career to date. This is what really happens behind the closed curtains and locked doors of maternity units throughout the country. This is what its like to be a modern midwife. This is what its like to be me.

THE SECRET MIDWIFE

Thanks to my amazing husband. No matter what we have been through, how dark my days got, or how I began to change, you never stopped loving me. Without you, this adventure would never have happened. I love you.

Thank you to my amazing co-writer Katy Weitz for her ability not just to write and listen, but to piece together the jigsaw that are my memories and then make it into something truly special.

My agent Andrew Lownie also deserves a place on this page. So, Andrew, thank you and best wishes.

My editor Ellie Carr, and the rest of the team at John Blake and Bonnier Books UK. Without their passion and hunger for my story, this book simply wouldnt exist. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

And lastly, but by no means least, I would like to thank the mystery of this universe for giving us love, laughter and wine. Life has taught me that so long as you have at least two of those, you can get through absolutely anything.

I walk into the room and the woman on the bed gives me hard stare.

Well, you cant be the midwife, she snaps irritably.

I am, I say with a smile. Nice to meet you. Im Philippa, but you can call me Pippa.

Pippa? Are you even old enough to be a midwife? she goes on, unconvinced. Okay, deep breath. This one is going to be a little tricky.

I am indeed, I say, picking up the notes on the end of the bed to have a quick scan of where shes at. Its Emilys first baby, shes 4 cms dilated and she seems to be progressing well. So far, so good except she hasnt exactly taken to me. I give her what I hope is my most winning smile.

How old are you? I bet you havent even any children of your own. How can you understand what Im going through?

I may be young, but Ive already delivered tons of babies, so, dont worry, youre in good hands. Youre going to be just fine. Trust me.

The problem is, Im twenty years old and shes scared. Quite rightly. It isnt easy, this childbirthing business, but Im calm, relaxed and professional. I cant change my age. All I can do is try to change her mind. She doesnt know what Im capable of yet, but Im determined to win her round.

Emilys husband Don is sat at her bedside, nervously clutching a water bottle. I introduce myself and he offers a warm smile. Now I start to take Emilys blood pressure and she asks me sharply: Whats that for?

Its a blood-pressure monitor. Im just going to take a look at your blood pressure.

Why?

Just making sure everything is nice and normal not too high, not too low.

Why?

Well, it can make a difference to your labour if your blood pressure is too high. It increases a little during labour, so wed expect it to be higher, but not too high or that could place extra stress on your heart and kidneys. But youre absolutely fine, so no need to worry.

Phew. This is like a police interrogation.

So, this is your first baby, is it? Have you got the babys room ready? I ask, quickly changing the conversation as I put Emily on the monitor to see her babys heartbeat.

Emily sighs and rolls her head away from me.

Yes, its our first. Were nearly there with the house but, my God, its been an uphill struggle!

You can say that again, Don scoffs.

You see, we bought this lovely old farmhouse in June last year. Beautiful place, my dream location, stunning views, loads of room for the dogs to run around we have three Labradors but it needs a lot of work, you know?

I nod and smile. They are obviously very well-off I could never afford a massive house in the country with three dogs but its good to get her talking while I monitor her babys heartbeat. It also gives her less time to snap at me, and a little time to find out about her and her interests. She is talking animatedly about her house troubles, and Im wearing my most interested smile, but, to be honest, the heart trace is not great. We usually like to see a nice, uniform but jagged line kind of like a mountain range with no spaces or big dips. Emilys baby is showing a trace that is far more pronounced than usual. Its not exactly pathological but its not comfortably within the normal parameters either.