Penny Armstrong & Sheryl Feldman
2nd edition with a new preface by the authors
2006 | paperback | 208 pages | 198x129 mm
childbirth & pregnancy
ISBN 978-1-905177-04-2
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A gripping first-hand account of midwife Penny Armstrong’s journey from student midwife in Glasgow to running her own practice among the Amish in rural Pennsylvania, A Midwife’s Story never fails to enlighten, inform and surprise.
Going far beyond mere biography, Armstrong’s journey of self-discovery is ultimately very moving, and it is the honesty with which she describes the world she discovers which makes this book a classic, and essential reading not just for aspiring midwives but to anyone interested in natural birth.
Penny Armstrong has delivered over 1,000 babies and enjoyed a 25 year career in nurse-midwifery including teaching and practice in home, hospital and birth centers. more
Sheryl Feldman is a writer, teacher, and not-for-profit communications manager. She also co-founded Hedgebrook, a retreat for women writers... more
'A jewel of a book.' Sheila Kitzinger
'A remarkable book, as wonderful abut the Amish as it is about midwifery.' The New York Times
'Penny Armstrong is a symbol of the revival of midwifery on the American continent.' MICHEL ODENT - obstetrician and author
'A Midwife's Story begins with Penny Armstrong's middle-of-the-night realization that she wants to be a midwife; by the time the book is over, Penny Armstrong has delivered more than one thousand babies and experienced a dramatic change in both her daily life and her beliefs. Her midwifery training begins in Glasgow, Scotland, and is as far from ideal as she can imagine. She is shocked by the noisy, bureaucratic environment; by angry, impoverished mothers who try to shove their babies back into the womb to avoid birth; and by inflexible hospital regulations which can endanger the lives of baby and mother. Back in the United States, she works as a midwife among the Amish in rural Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Over the years she finds herself absorbing their values of communal living, love, and assistance and becomes convinced that birthing is an experience that can and should occur in the home. Although she is forthright about her opinions on home births, it is her glorious descriptions of childbirth (and even one death), contrasted with her portrayals of sterile and unsympathetic hospital experiences, that are ultimately persuasive. In their collaboration, Penny Armstrong and Sheryl Feldman have created a loving and generous book that speaks to many people on many issues: childbirth, families, the Amish, marriage, deformity, death, commitment, technology, and respect for the land.' ERICA BAUERMEISTER - 500 Great Books by Women
'Penny Armstrong is a flesh and blood heroine too remarkable for a novelist to have invented. . . . A book that is hard to put down.' GAY COURTER - Author of Midwife
'A charming, gracefully written book... a must for mothers-to-be and a delight for all.' The Kirkus Reviews
To read an extract from A Midwife's Story click here
