Midwife’s Tale: An Oral History From Handywoman to Professional Midwife

Billie Hunter and Nicky Leap spent several years interviewing dozens of mothers and retired midwives about their experiences of childbirth before the NHS. The result was ‘The Midwife’s Tale’, an oral history of midwifery from the 1910s to the 1950s.
The authors explore the very real poverty of the time; how woman coped with rearing large families; and the lack of knowledge of contraception and abortion. Gripping accounts of women’s experiences are set against an informative background of events in the midwifery profession, particularly the transition from unqualified ‘handywoman’ to professional midwife in the 1930s.