Midwife's Tale: An Oral History From Handywoman to Professional Midwife

Following in the wake of Call the Midwife, the BBC's most successful drama series in a decade, this is an updated second edition of The Midwife's Tale. This title was a best-seller for the Scarlet Press when originally published in 1993, and secondhand copies are now sought after.

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Billie Hunter and Nicky Leap spent several years interviewing dozens of mothers and retired midwives about their experiences of childbirth before the NHS. The result was The Midwife's Tale, an oral history of midwifery from the 1910s to the 1950s. The authors explore the very real poverty of the time; how woman coped with rearing large families; and the lack of knowledge of contraception and abortion. Gripping accounts of women's experiences are set against an informative background of events in the midwifery profession, particularly the transition from unqualified 'handywoman' to professional midwife in the 1930s.