Hard Pushed: A Midwife’s Story

by Leah Hazard

Leah Hazard (Narrator)

Random House presents the audiobook edition of Hard Pushed by Leah Hazard.

THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER
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You haven't slept for twenty hours, haven't eaten for ten, and you're in charge of twenty heavily pregnant women at midnight.

Welcome to the life of a midwife.

Life on the NHS front line is tougher than you could imagine. Marathon shifts, endless birth complications, staffing shortages, pushy families, panicking mothers – and that's a quiet Thursday afternoon.

But the strength and camaraderie of the women working under such intense pressure is a beautiful thing. Together, they must withstand one of the world's most difficult job, one that produces moments of pure, absolute joy and –terrible, heart-wrenching grief.

Through the experienced eyes of Leah Hazard, we meet women from all walks of life: the scared fifteen-year-old whose baby could be months premature, the same-sex couple whose child will be a miracle of modern medicine, the woman giving birth in a room drenched in essential oils and love, and the mother-to-be whose tale of exploitation and endurance has carried her thousands of miles to Leah’s ward.

Moving, compassionate and intensely candid, Hard Pushed is a love letter to new mothers and to Leah’s fellow midwives – there for us at some of the most challenging, empowering and defining moments of our lives.
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'The stories in Hard Pushed highlight the bravery of our midwives, and the women they care for.' CHRISTIE WATSON, author of The Language of Kindness

'Heart-rending, inspiring and funny, Hard Pushed brings alive the world of midwifery in all its complexity and radiates love and respect for women.' PROFESSOR LESLEY PAGE CBE, former president of the Royal College of Midwives

'It is Leah Hazard's capacity to love and give so personally to the many thousands of women she has worked with which imbues this book with its power.' JULIA SAMUEL, author of Grief Works

'Not only powerful but well written too . . . a worthwhile addition to a genre fast becoming as crowded as a busy maternity unit.' DAILY EXPRESS

'A riveting read: heartwarming and heartbreaking' SHEENA BYROM OBE, midwifery consultant and author ofCatching Babies

'A beautifully written, intimate portrait of the extraordinary work that midwives carry out each and every day.' CAROLINE ELTON, author of Also Human: The Inner Lives of Doctors

• ISBN10: 1473569052
• ISBN13: 9781473569058
• Publish Date: 2 May 2019
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: Cornerstone
• Imprint: Cornerstone Digital
• Edition: Unabridged edition
• Format: Audiobook (WAV)
• Duration: 8 hours and 9 minutes
• Language: English

Reviews

[stressedrach]

This was a well written memoir of a midwife and everything she faces on a day to day basis, working really long hours, training and helping women bring their miracle into the world safely, but this is not just a memoir of the good, obviously with being a midwife there are sad outcomes too.
I couldn’t put the book down, it gave me so many different emotions but it is real life, what really happens on the maternity wards.
I enjoyed reading Hard Pushed, it gives a true account on what it is like to be a midwife working in an NHS setting. They really are hard pushed.

I have had 3 children, all three I had complications and my children would not even be here without the quick thinking and kindness of the midwives who were with me throughout my labours. So it was obvious I would like to read this and see it from the midwives side of things.