Not really what I expected however that’s what this book is all about.
A real insight into midwifery working for the NHS.
The real day to day care of not only the nice bits of being a midwife ( which is what I had expected to read) of newborns coming into the world but the harsh reality of the struggles, challenges and specialised individual care the ladies need.
An eye opener and a definite read if this is the career you wish to choose.

REVIEW: Overdue by Amity Reed @amity.reed

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

“For every 30 midwives trained, 29 leave”

“Mother’s are the resistance. Underground, invisible, forgotten. But I’d like to invite you to think, for just a moment, about where we’d be without them”

I gave birth to my son in 2008 and the experience is etched in my memory. I wish I could say the strongest memories were the first time I saw my baby boy, heard his cry and became a mummy but it isn’t. I remember the fear, the condescending attitude of medical professionals, physical and mental trauma and a deep loss of identity. But I had a healthy baby boy so this was an acceptable price to pay.

Reed (a midwife) writes with refreshing honesty about her personal experiences, frustrations and hope for women during pregnancy, labour and motherhood. This reminded me of Adam Kay’s This is Going to Hurt with a little less comedic back bone (although there are some very funny parts). She is extremely passionate about protecting the rights and wellbeing of women during the process and giving back a voice to women everywhere who appear to be viewed as nothing more than a vessel for delivering babies. A passion so strong it impacts all aspects of her life both positive and negative and there are some brave personal stories included. Tear were shed on a number of occasions.

I resonated so much with her words and it lead me to review and discuss amongst friends my own experience, which I have to say was extremely therapeutic.

This book will not only be of interest to anyone working within Obstetrics but anyone who has given birth, plans to in the future or wishes to support and understand someone that has.

Thank you to @netgalley and @pinterandmartin for this copy! This book is out now and I implore you to read it.

Overdue by Amity Reed is a review of the challenges of being a midwife in the UK. This is a realistic account of the successes and challenges faced by midwives working in the NHS system. This book follows her journey through many situations, where she faced with gut wrenching birth stories as well as, positive birth stories. Also presented, are the challenges faced by working on the birthing wards, including lack of staff, lack of budget, lack of supplies, and increased work responsibilities. Not only does Amity Reed present the difficulties or deficiencies in this system, but also, some solutions to the presented problems. I recommend this book to anyone working in the fields of maternal fetal medicine.

Overdue, by midwife and journalist Amity Reed, takes a hard look at the NHS and the ways its policies, while well meaning, have failed mothers in England.

Amity Reed was raised in Texas and, as an American used to the USA’s arcane system of health insurance, was initially amazed by the NHS. The extra fees Americans are used to being charged after health insurance has paid for some of the cost do not exist under the NHS. After the births of her two children and a bout with post partum depression, Amity trains to be a midwife. She anticipates that Better Births, a report promoting midwives as primary caregivers during a woman's pregnancy and postnatal care, will make a positive difference in her field. Over the next several years, she grapples with disappointment as she sees the reality of hospital care. Midwives are overworked and so unable to provide the care they know is need. Prejudices are shown to the poor and foreign. Burnout is common, Reed suffers from it herself.

In conclusion, Reed lays out the changes she would like to see made to the practice of midwifery. These are well thought out and thoroughly explained. I hope they are put to use. 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Pinter & Martin and Amity Reed for this ARC.

This book really opened my eyes to the NHS, and midwifes. Not as common in the US, as in London, I learned a lot about midwives. The good and the bad, like every profession.