Lady’s Hands, Lions Heart: A Midwife’s Saga

Carol Leonard
Bad Beaver Publishing (2008)
ISBN 9780615195506
Reviewed by Lisa Kisner for Reader Views (1/09)

 

Beginning with her own son’s birth, Carol Leonard recounts her journey into midwifery from her early days assisting a country doctor to running her own practice and battling the medical profession to bring respect to her profession.  She recounts the events of many of the births she attended, showing how each one is unique and special.  Ms. Leonard is unfazed and unafraid of the criticism and opposition she encounters along the way as she helps bring midwifery from a hidden trade to the full-fledged respected profession that it is today.  This book also recounts her compelling, yet tragic love story with an obstetrician she meets early in her career.

Ms. Leonard draws you in instantly with her straightforward accounts of her experiences as a midwife, presenting factual information along with anecdotes about the people and the career she loves.  The stories she tells are written in such a way that I didn’t feel like I was reading a book; I felt as if we were friends discussing her experiences over a cup of coffee.  I found myself eagerly turning the pages, wondering what new birth experience she was about to share with me.  Ms. Leonard’s passion and intuition about midwifery shines through on every page.  She never appears conceited when retelling her story, rather sharing the joy of her profession with others.  I felt that the author downplayed her role in pioneering modern midwifery, as her determination to bring choice to women about their personal birth experience is evident from the beginning.  Intertwined within the moving birth accounts is Ms. Leonard’s personal story of love and loss.  The addition of this very personal story only adds to the powerful narrative.  In fact, I felt that Ms. Leonard’s story would not be whole without it.

I highly recommend “Lady’s Hands, Lions Heart: A Midwife’s Saga” by Carol Leonard to others, not just those interested in midwifery, as this is a wonderfully written account of a woman’s dedication to women, her profession and love.

Make comment on weblog