I received an early preview copy of this book from Netgalley in return for an honest review.

I usually read fiction books however I do like books about medical staff, as I find the subject fascinating. As a fan of Call the Midwife, I was eager to read this, and I'm glad that I did.
Leah Hazard writes her memoirs about what is involved in becoming a midwife for the NHS, from her training, to being fully qualified in modern times. She writes about the every day struggles with staff shortages and how this affects staff and patients. The book is gritty, and upsetting in places. Leah writes about the more unusual or tough to deal with cases. She shows the harsh reality that not all births are happy and straightforward occasions.
This book was well written and there was a good balance between the different types of births. I found the book to be interesting and engaging.

Brilliant, good no bars held account of midwifery! I’ve had three children and all three labours different, only the lastmidwife was amazing and made me so relaxed and comfortable. But this book makes u realise they hold so much in their hands and it’s so stressful for them aswell

I would imagine that most mums, midwives, doctors and nurses can relate to this book. The memories are of one midwife throughout her career. It is written with passion, empathy, the odd crying bout and laughter. The author drew you into the story so you could imagine you were there. Such a touching funny and sometimes sad book. Excellent read

This is such an interesting book, easy to pick up and put down again.

Leah Hazard tells the reality of being a midwife, both as a trainee student and a newly qualified midwife. The reality of the demands and stress is disturbing. When she comforts a student who is crying in the changing room who decides she can no longer cope and walks away, that is shocking. When Hazard tells us that is the third midwife that month to quite, it is disturbing.

I preferred the personal tales of patients stories, particularly the horrific encounter with the trafficked girl, which one imagines is all too common but hidden. The chapters on uniforms etc were less engaging.

An insiders view of the reality of the stretched NHS.

Saying that midwives are incredible is an understatement. These women (and sometimes men) are the bringers of life, people that labouring mothers can love more than their partners at some points. But who are they behind the scrubs and the smiles? What do they see every day? Leah Hazard has spent years working as an NHS midwife and this is her story.

I absolutely adored this book, because it was so interesting. Through Leah’s eyes we see snippets of different women as they make their way through labour. From women who are awaiting their first bundles of joy, to teenagers going through it alone, there are a number of stories that made me want to reach through the pages and hug them. Each experience seems to different but so similar at the same time and while this is, as Leah puts it herself, a ‘love letter’ to the women she has helped and her fellow midwives.

While this does have wonderful moments, what stands out is that Leah is not afraid to share the pressure midwives are under. Understaffed, underfunded and often running on empty. Many midwives have walked away, not because they don’t love their jobs but because they are burnt out. Missed breaks, hospitals fit to burst and often not enough beds. It is one of many memoirs from medical professionals I have read in the past few years that I feel should be required reading for those making cuts to NHS services.

I gave this book 5 stars and devoured it in 24 hours, and that includes a nights sleep in-between. Leah Hazard clearly not only has a talent for writing but also a kindness that exudes from the pages of this book. Like many other medical memoirs I am in awe of those who care for us in our hours of need. This is incredibly well written and I urge you to pick it up.

A copy of this book was given to me to review via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

As a recent new mum myself, I really enjoyed this book. It was interesting to read about things some of my experiences from the perspective of a midwife. The stories in the book range from heartbreaking to unbelievable and for me the only downside was not finding out the ending to some of the patients stories, although that just reflects the role of a midwife who works across different departments. It's a great read and really highlights the importance of midwives.

I love memoirs like this and especially when they’re about people working in our wonderful but increasingly struggling NHS. I know a midwife and although she never discusses her patients she does talk about the long hours, the lack of breaks, the staffing problems. In fact she could have wrote this book to listen to her.

An amazing story of the life of a midwife which I loved. I was left wanting to know the outcome of some of the patients but I guess even the midwives don’t even know that in many cases.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC in return for an honest and unbiased opinion. Thanks also to Leah Hazard for telling it as it is.

When I read the description of this book, I knew that I needed to read it. I was curious to see whether it was packed full of lovely birth stories or just featured characters 'playing up' like you see on the television. What I read appeared to be a balanced account of what it is like to be a midwife these days. There is a bit about being a student midwife, a bit about working on labour ward, some antenatal care is covered and quite alot about working in a busy triage unit.

Several personal stories are told in detail. I am sure identities have been protected but they give the reader a sense of the variety of work the midwife faces and challenges such as mental health difficulties and lack of english which may not be considered by the general public.

The part of the book which resonated most with me was the description of the person in tears in the changing room, overly anxious about what she was about to face in her next shift and feeling overwhelmed by this. I was that person once and I can relate absolutely to the way this has been described. Leah goes on to describe that many of her colleagues are medicated for anxiety or depression and that this is considered normal in the service. Some colleagues walk away and never return (that was me) and others bravely battle on. At the end, Leah describes her book as a battle cry - it is in part a plea for the authorities to recognise the ways in which modern maternity care is broken.

This book should be read and carefully considered by anyone who is interested but especially by anyone who is considering working for the NHS in maternity services. Thank you to Netgalley for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I adore books about midwifery, whilst it isn't a profession I could get into it was always something I dreamt of doing, so living vicariously through books is how I get my midwifery kicks now! I was not disappointed at all with this gem. I would never even guess that it was fiction, it was so honest and raw and REAL. This book is an amazing insight into the crazy lives of midwives, the good, the bad and the downright EMOTIONAL. I absolutely adored this book.

Great read. It gave a real understanding of a day in the life of a midwife. Emotional and uplifting read. Brought back so many memorise of that special time for me.

Another stunning read. I requested this book after loving Chrissy’s tale as a nurse and read through this book quickly as I was so pulled into the different dramas and real life stories. Tender and well written I fully recommend

While many of us watched Call The Midwife and have seen a variety of books from former nurses and doctors, this hits home because it feels more real. This might be mistaken for a real life story as it mixes the good, the bad and the ugly of working as a nurse in the NHS.
The whole set of emotions surrounding giving birth are offered in this writing. This is the best way to find out what giving birth is like for a variety of people, from different backgrounds, different ages and with different views on life.
I enjoyed this read, but wonder if it will put off young nurses wanting to train as a midwife. I'll certainly seek out this writer and read more of her work.

One of the things I most enjoy about medical/clinical memoirs is identifying the characteristics of each professional through their writing style. Leigh Hazard is so obviously a midwife; her writing is straightforward, practical, woman-centred and meters out emotion carefully. Sentimentality is not allowed to get in the way although the idea of her building a tiny cairn in her heart from the memories of lost babies and (sometimes) mothers undid me.

I adored this book! I loved the honesty mixed in with humour as it gave the book less of a medical feel, despite being the main theme. Even though I gave birth to my daughter five years ago, reading this book brought back all of the memories as though it was yesterday. There was an incident in the boo which was so like my labour in the sense that the fine line between healthy and concerned, was in fact very jaded. I didn't realise at the time just how close to death i was, until I came face to face with the reality of it via a woman in this book. Leah Hazard is right, midwives don't get enough credit but I hope that that drastically changes after the release of 'Hard Pushed' (clever title by the way!). I wish we were able to find out what happened to a couple of the women who were sped away in emergency, not because I'm nosy....(okay partly), but because I hope that they got their happy ending. As weird as this sounds, the calming nature of Midwife Hazard's words in this book kept my tears from turning into a flood, instead keeping them as a little river.

Heartbreaking, honest, and omg my ovaries - i certainly wasn't 'hard pushed' to read this!

(full review to follow on blog closer to publication date)

Moving, insightful, brilliantly written and another important reminder that if we’re not careful we are going to lose our beloved NHS and all the incredible people who give so much to be part of it. And if you’ve had a baby recently enough to still remember what labour and birth were like then you might catch a glimpse of yourself amongst these pages. An excellent read.

I had been really looking forward to reading this book as I love any kind of medical story, especially ones about birth and midwifery!

Ultimately I was a little disappointed. Although I really enjoyed reading the stories of the author and some of the stories made me laugh and cry, I felt like I was left without knowing 'what happened in the end' which I hated, as I always wanted some conclusion.

I also found that the stories were too focused on the medical aspects and not the human aspect, which I also would have like to read more about - the emotion and the reactions rather than whether the heart rate was stable or not.

Having said that, I did enjoy the book and I did finish it, happily and quickly - so perhaps it just wasn't quite what I wanted but still a well written and entertaining memoir.

What a wonderful book. Fast-paced reflecting the hectic life on a maternity ward, it gives a clear depiction of the pressures these wonderful people work under and yet remain calm, compassionate and caring to their patients. Having only ever been on the receiving end of a midwife's ministrations, this book is an excellent revelation of all the effort -physical and emotional - that goes into the care you receive .

An amazing insight into the ups and downs of the life of a midwife. Also a look at the strength of character and determination each one of us has inside. Heartbreaking and Uplifting at the same time a great book, perfect for lovers of medical memoirs.

I love books like this at the moment. Ones that expose what it's like to do a certain job and follow a certain career path. Not just the good bits but the tough bits too. In fact I would love to write one about the realities of teaching.
The an anecdotes and stories were joyfull and heartbreaking in equal measure. I wished it was possible to find out if some patients got a happy ending or not.
I felt for the author at times, its not easy working in a job where the government simply don't care and I can relate to the stress the author felt. It saddened me a bit at times. Long live the nhs. 5/5 stars

Hard Pushed: A Midwife’s Story
by Leah Hazard
What a wonderful memoir by a midwife, a mixture of early days in the profession along with reflections after working for a few years. Her care for the patient comes across clearly in her engaging stories. Gritty and heartbreaking at times, but without the gratuitous language of This is Going to Hurt. I hope her book will do as well as Adam Kay’s, but fear it won’t – after all, will many men read about women having babies as a book by a male junior doctor?
I highly recommend this account, which makes me all the more grateful for the NHS but alarmed for its future.