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highly recommended |
Baby Catcher 
This is one of the best books I've ever read. I finished it last night and am feeling sad it's over. Peggy Vincent has a rare gift for writing and relating. Each page contains so many tidbits of wisdom, humor, love and down-to-earth practical advice that it's hard not to fall in love with this wonderful, wonderful book.I found myself in tears many times throughout this book. Peggy is truly a remarkable woman it seems and the women of the Bay area (& the world) are better off because of her. Thanks, Peggy, for sharing!
Honest and engaging
Although I am a strong advocate of midwife assisted home birth, I probably wouldn't have bought this book myself. That would have been my loss. My wife had borrowed it from our midwife, and I had run out of things to read, so I decided it would be a good way to pass the time. Mrs. Vincent's story is not only the story of herself, but it is the story of midwifery in the late 20th century in general. The early portion of the story, chronicling her time as a nursing student in the early 60s when natural childbirth was not at all accepted, serves as a pretty good summation of the things that my wife hated about our first daughter's hospital birth, and the reason we chose to have our second at home. In short, the ideological conflict between midwifery and hospital birth is this: Mrs. Vincent and those like her believe each labour should be treated as normal unless some serious complication presents itself. Obstetricians see labour as an inherently dangerous medical condition requiring their intervention. We follow the author through her career as she becomes a certified nurse midwife, gets privileges at a prestigious Bay Area hospital, and develops relationships with patients and doctors along the way. This also gives us a fascinating and humorous glimpse at the way American culture has changed over the last 40 years. For whatever reason, home birth seems to attract a greater percentage of unusual people than one might find in a random sample of the population. They're all here: people who have pets at their birth, recovering drug addicts, hippies making the transition to suburban yuppie life, families with complicated emotional dynamics. The stories of individual births are great, and many are very uplifting, but the book as a whole is something of a downer. This is due to the time of its writing. In the early 90s, after many years of phenomenal gains, home birth had a dark period as the ability of midwives to secure malpractice insurance was severely constrained. Mrs. Vincent's own story provides a particularly tragic example of this. Thankfully, the situation has improved - a point she makes in a brief epilogue. The book also has a few helpful appendices indicating what supplies one ought to have at a homebirth, cost studies of midwife assisted vs. physician assisted birth and so on.
Baby Catcher is a Fascinating Look at Midwives...
Have you wished for a less-sterile, more hopeful birth experience? Peggy Vincent's stories of "catching" babies will fill that void. She reminds you that birth is a uniquely feminine experience, and that no matter what or where a woman chooses to labor, instinct and human nature often run counter to the (often male) medical establishment. This book has stories of wonder, of grace, of sorrow, and of hope. The characters will stay with you long after you've read the last page. The dire circumstances of midwives and their careers in the United States will leave you concerned about the birthing options American women will have in the future. I strongly encourage anyone interested in babies or birth to read this book---and if you want to be a nurse, it's a must-read!
Amazing
I am a nursing student planning to enter the field of midwifery. This book spoke directly to me. I felt as if I was there with Ms. Vincent as she experienced multiple miracles (daily)! She took an honest look at the wonders and trials associated with her chosen field. This book has served as great fuel to my fire for birth attended by midwives.
A fun read and thought-provoking
I found this book to be an enjoyable read, although sad in some places and upsetting in others. I enjoyed the author's tone and writing style, and was fascinated by her journey from wet-behind-the-ears nurse to confident and caring midwife.The author has a definite point of view -- that home can be a safe place to have your baby -- and if you disagree strongly with that idea, then this is probably NOT a book you would enjoy. But if you're willing to accept the idea that home births might be okay, at least for some people,
and if you can recognize that hospitals and doctors, although skilled & well intentioned, are not perfect,
and if you enjoy birth stories,
then I'd recomend giving this book a try. For what it's worth, I read this book when I was pregnant with my first child (who was born in a hospital, with a midwife "catching").
reviews: 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, page 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20
Books I Bought for My Kindle
baby catcher, baby, catcher
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