Baby Catcher: Chronicles of a Modern MidwifeSimon and Schuster, 2002 M04 16 - 336 pages An inspiring collection of birth stories by a charming midwife. Each time she knelt to “catch” another wriggling baby—nearly three thousand times during her remarkable career—California midwife Peggy Vincent paid homage to the moment when pain bows to joy and the world makes way for one more. With every birth, she encounters another woman-turned-goddess: Catherine rides out her labor in a car careening down a mountain road. Sofia spends hers trying to keep her hyper doctor-father from burning down the house. Susannah gives birth so quietly that neither husband nor midwife notice until there's a baby in the room. More than a collection of birth stories, however, Baby Catcher is a provocative account of the difficulties that midwives face in the United States. With vivid portraits of courage, perseverance, and love, this is an impassioned call to rethink technological hospital births in favor of more individualized and profound experiences in which mothers and fathers take center stage in the timeless drama of birth. |
From inside the book
Results 1-5 of 25
Page 8
... Roed. Many of them honored me further by asking me to deliver their babies. I appreciate the women who have attended my strength training class at the Oakland Hills Club.They laughed at my stories, advised me 8 • ACKNOWLEDGMENTS.
... Roed. Many of them honored me further by asking me to deliver their babies. I appreciate the women who have attended my strength training class at the Oakland Hills Club.They laughed at my stories, advised me 8 • ACKNOWLEDGMENTS.
Page 9
Chronicles of a Modern Midwife Peggy Vincent. the Oakland Hills Club.They laughed at my stories, advised me what to wear when I met my agent, and took me to lunch at Oakland's Garibaldi's restaurant to celebrate the sale of Baby Catcher ...
Chronicles of a Modern Midwife Peggy Vincent. the Oakland Hills Club.They laughed at my stories, advised me what to wear when I met my agent, and took me to lunch at Oakland's Garibaldi's restaurant to celebrate the sale of Baby Catcher ...
Page 27
... laughed, a harsh barking sound.Then he lit a cigarette and turned back into the bedroom, yanking the girl-child along behind him. “That my momma's boyfriend,” said Princess Ann. I licked my dry lips, checked the baby, and fled back to ...
... laughed, a harsh barking sound.Then he lit a cigarette and turned back into the bedroom, yanking the girl-child along behind him. “That my momma's boyfriend,” said Princess Ann. I licked my dry lips, checked the baby, and fled back to ...
Page 36
... laughed and said,“I think we're going to be having a baby real soon, and it's gonna be on her terms.” Again I thought of Zelda. Her terms. Her terms that had not been honored. Suddenly Mrs. Purdue reared back and looked straight into my ...
... laughed and said,“I think we're going to be having a baby real soon, and it's gonna be on her terms.” Again I thought of Zelda. Her terms. Her terms that had not been honored. Suddenly Mrs. Purdue reared back and looked straight into my ...
Page 43
... laughed.“Steve, trust me, you've got our total attention. No one's gonna listen to me till you fill in the facts.” “Well, so I picked her up and ran out of the apartment. It was rainin' like hell, and I had my slippers on, I remember. I ...
... laughed.“Steve, trust me, you've got our total attention. No one's gonna listen to me till you fill in the facts.” “Well, so I picked her up and ran out of the apartment. It was rainin' like hell, and I had my slippers on, I remember. I ...
Contents
15 | |
47 | |
The Wine of Astonishment | 81 |
Not Only With Our Lips But in Our Lives | 123 |
Who Walketh Upon The Wings of The Wind | 159 |
Devices And Desires | 231 |
The Measure of My Days | 261 |
Epilogue | 323 |
Pearls of Wisdom | 327 |
Home Birth Supplies | 328 |
Studies on Midwifery Safety | 330 |
Statistics on the Economics of Midwifery | 332 |
Resources | 333 |
Sandis Famous Caramels | 335 |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
arms asked baby baby’s baby’s head bedroom began belly beside body breath called changed child close comes contraction cord delivered delivery didn’t doctor door eyes face feel feet felt finally fingers five floor four front girl glanced hair hands head heard held holding home birth hospital husband it’s keep knew labor later legs light living looked midwife midwifery minutes months mother moved Naeema never night nodded nurse okay once pain passed Patty Peggy placenta pregnant pulled pushed rest Sandi seen shoulder side smiled soon sound started stay steps stood stopped sure talking thing thought told took trying turned voice waiting walked watched weeks whole woman women wondered
Popular passages
Page 231 - Almighty and most merciful Father ; We have erred, and strayed from thy ways like lost sheep. We have followed too much the devices and desires of our own hearts. We have offended against thy holy laws. We have left undone those things which we ought to have done ; And we have done those things which we ought not to have done; And there is no health in us.
Page 159 - Who layeth the beams of his chambers in the waters : who maketh the clouds his chariot ; who walketh upon the wings of the wind...
Page 123 - ... for thine inestimable love in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ ; for the means of grace, and for the hope of glory. And, we beseech thee, give us that due sense of all thy mercies, that our hearts may be unfeignedly thankful, and that we show forth thy praise, not only with our lips, but in our lives ; by giving up ourselves to thy service, and by walking before thee in holiness and righteousness all our days...
Page 261 - Lord, make me to know mine end, And the measure of my days, what it is ; That I may know how frail I am.
Page 47 - Let the words of my mouth, and the meditations of my heart, be always acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my Redeemer...
Page 81 - Thou hast given a banner to them that fear thee, that it may be displayed because of the truth.
Page 32 - Marta said as she sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed.
Page 330 - Cesarean Section Rates in LowRisk Private Patients Managed by Certified Nurse-Midwives and Obstetricians.
Page 116 - As a firm believer in the adage that a camel is a horse designed by a committee, I have the tolerance of an irritated gnat when it comes to the negotiations typical of such official groups.
Page 85 - We nurses had suspicions about that latest gimmick in a decade full of gimmicks, but in the interest of keeping new mothers happy, we tried to accommodate them. We developed a system that worked sort of okay, some of the time, for some of the babies.