Customer Reviews

Labor of Love: A Midwife's Memoir

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

I wish that I could have liked this book. As a homebirth midwife, I really wanted to like it. However, I was bored reading it, found the author's tone very arrogant and the writing style lacking. I liked her in the Business of Being Born, and perhaps with a better editor, this book would have been a better read.

I also didn't like how she made it seem as though midwives who are not Nurse midwives are somehow inferior. That was the vibe I got from this book, she says several times about how she feels that her nursing training was so helpful to her as a midwife. The U.S. is one of very few, if not the only country in the world that has midwives who are also nurses. As a direct entry midwife who also has had experience working in hospitals and in doctor's offices, I can say that my hospital based training was not nearly as helpful as the training I have received under other midwives in out of hospital settings.

A midwife's story, All my Babies, Listen to me Good, or A baby catcher are better choices when reading a midwife's memoir.

The work this midwife does and the importance of her message about homebirth really made me want to like this book. That said, it took me three weeks to read it because I was bored by it and forcing myself to finish it. She is boastful in her references to herself, her writing lacks depth of character - void of all the highs and lows of life that make a book interesting, and the piece reads more like a self-congrats than a memoir. I really wish I could have loved this book because I love midwives and I love homebirth.

This book has the potential to be fantastic. But the stories about homebirths and the business of midwifery are completely eclipsed by the author's arrogance and self-absorption. The entire book consists of the author singing her own praises, while insulting or making passive-aggressive digs at anyone who has ever opposed her viewpoint. What a turn-off.

I thought the book would have been interesting, but the author was incredibly self-centered. It made the book very frustrating.

As other reviewers have said, the overall tone of this book is rampant arrogance covered by a thin veneer of humility. There is a difference between being proud of your work and life choices and continuously caroling about how everyone should be enthralled with you.

Putting aside the arrogance, though, there is also the matter of the author giving misleading to downright inaccurate information. It's bad enough that she's of the opinion that only high-risk pregnancies should end in hospital births, but it's downright scary that someone with a (semi)scientific background would make claims like the risk of having a child with Down's Syndrome is 100% after the age of 40. Or that a chromosomal defect like Trisomy 18 is something one could be a carrier for. And this is someone counseling pregnant women about the possible risks in their pregnancies. I wonder how many more inaccuracies were included that I didn't catch because I'm not familiar with the material. I'm just glad I didn't spend any money on this book. (Kindle freebie)

The "behind the scenes" quality of the book and what it took to become a homebirth midwife with Cara's level of confidence, skill and expertise will be invaluable for years to come to all aspiring midwifes.

I knew in my heart, but did not really understand until reading the memoir that being a homebirth midwife is truly the work of only a chosen few, not many other people are willing give so much of their life in service of others, and not begrudge the enormous personal sacrifices.

I absolutely hated this book! I bought it because I love the idea of non-medical or low medical birth experiences, and because it was an AJN book of the year. It was horrible! The only reason I finished it was because I wanted to write a review and find out if it had any redeeming qualities. Nope! From start to finish, this goes back and forth between singing the praises of the author and defensively discussing her career as a homebirth midwife. The clincher for me, though, was how she went ON AND ON about the parking situations. She kept reiterating that because she does such important work, basic parking laws shouldn't have to apply to her. She's so full of herself. Don't waste your money on this!

I got this book for free on my Kindle. I have always had an interest in midwifery, but when I read negative reviews for this book I was hesitant to try it.

I enjoyed this book. Yes, Muhlhahn comes off a bit full of herself and likes to talk about how wonderful she is as a midwife. However, if you can look past/ignore her self-glorification, I think it's a really interesting book.

I had never read anything about midwifery before, but since I do not have children of my own (yet) I think using a midwife is definitely something I will consider. Muhlhahn is a midwife in NYC, but has taken an interesting path to get to where she is. This book is not just about the practice of midwifery, but it is Muhlhahn's adult life story.

At times she jumps around and I'm not sure who or where she is talking about. Also, she sometimes seems to begin talking about one thing/person, goes off on a tangent, and does not return to the original hook of the section. That was annoying a couple of times.

Overall, I think it is a very honest, from one person's perspective, view of midwifery. Muhlhahn tells it like it is. She also mentions a couple of times a documentary started by Ricki Lake that she participated in called The Business of Being Born. I was fortunate to find it at the library and rent it. I think it is an excellent documentary and gives more insight into midwifery and the author of this book.

"the business of being born" was an amazing movie, and I encourage any pregnant woman to go see it. I think Cara is probably portrayed accurately in the film. What happened to the book? Cara comes across as arrogant boastful, and yes, so obsessed with her own worth that parking rules do not apply. She clearly has a good message to share, but her editors failed her in letting this read the way it does. As a free kindle download it's definitely worth the price. I wouldn't pay to read this though.

To those that say Cara comes across as too smug, self-satisfied, etc etc, I say shoot, of course she's proud of her life choices. She's a homebirthing midwife! That takes some serious guts and hard hard work. I would be very proud too. In this day and age, when midwifery is looked down upon as unsafe and unserious, it's hard enough to be a midwife much less an independent one that is all about homebirths.

The writing isn't the most literary ever, but I didn't care - her voice came through loud and clear, and the story she had to tell was amazing. And, I'm sure I'm not the only one to say this, but I ever do become a midwife, part of the inspiration will come from midwives like you, Cara!