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 42
Page 21
... sounds changed again as she began to grunt and moan. A feral smell invaded the room. Puzzled, I watched while she squatted lower, pressing her hands on her thighs as sweat dripped from her chin and ran in glistening trickles down her ...
... sounds changed again as she began to grunt and moan. A feral smell invaded the room. Puzzled, I watched while she squatted lower, pressing her hands on her thighs as sweat dripped from her chin and ran in glistening trickles down her ...
Page 23
... sounds from beneath the cushioned mask. She kicked and bucked with every ounce of her strength but succeeded only in rattling the delivery table till I feared the bolts would shake loose. She couldn't keep it up forever, but her face ...
... sounds from beneath the cushioned mask. She kicked and bucked with every ounce of her strength but succeeded only in rattling the delivery table till I feared the bolts would shake loose. She couldn't keep it up forever, but her face ...
Page 27
... 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 the safe predictability of ...
... 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 the safe predictability of ...
Page 29
... sound. Bang! went the first set of double doors. Bangity-bang-bang went the second set. Then,Wham!The delivery room door slammed against the tiled wall, and Jerry skittered into the room. Jerry's blue jeans, Kingston Trio T-shirt, and ...
... sound. Bang! went the first set of double doors. Bangity-bang-bang went the second set. Then,Wham!The delivery room door slammed against the tiled wall, and Jerry skittered into the room. Jerry's blue jeans, Kingston Trio T-shirt, and ...
Page 31
... sound. Should I knock? How do you knock on a curtain? What if I found her on a bedpan expelling her enema? Oh, Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, help me get through this shift. Let her not deliver till I'm off duty. Let me get back to Dallas and ...
... sound. Should I knock? How do you knock on a curtain? What if I found her on a bedpan expelling her enema? Oh, Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, help me get through this shift. Let her not deliver till I'm off duty. Let me get back to Dallas and ...
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 |
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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.