A true memoir by a Canadian/English midwife about her work in the NHS. Her book shows us just how underfunded, understaffed, under waged and under resourced midwives are. They are perhaps the least recognised area of nursing for its strains and difficulties that come from being there at the time of birth - literally your babies’ lives are in their hands - and they are overworked. There aren’t enough beds now that just about every birth is in a hospital.
Home births are now a rarity (except perhaps in very rural areas of Scotland where getting to a hospital is tricky). And yet, given the right circumstances, and assuming that the birth is not expected to be difficult, a home birth can be much less traumatic for all, including the baby. The next best thing is what was offered when I was pregnant. The GP ward. Where you are quiet and attended by your GP and a midwife rather than the high tech version. And you can easily move into the high tech version if needed. Giving birth can be hazardous for some and unexpected occurrences happen quickly. Which bis where the poor midwife is on hand - hopefully, to sort the issue out.
Though I did appreciate the high tech version when I had to have epidurals and caesareans.
I found this a genuine and moving book. I know a young midwife and met her several times as she was training, and know how hard it was for her and what long hours she worked.
Leah told her story in a very accessible style. Her words were clear and not flowery - but compassionate and truthful.
I wish there were more than 5 stars to give!

This is a fascinating read that takes you into the world of midwifery as experienced in the UK National Health Service. The book is essentially a series of insights into the day to day events of one midwife (the author Leah Hazard) from her training days through to her current role. During that time she takes the reader through a series of highs and lows from various perspectives and emotions. At times we are inevitably exposed to the political aspects around the funding of the health service, but this does not detract from the fact that our medical teams are doing an excellent job with less than optimal resources.
This book is suitable for all readers of any age or gender and has given me an insight into this challenging world of the midwife. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This novel invites the reader into the world of midwifery as seen through a modern midwife's eyes. I read it as a registered midwife and can say that although there are differences in practice, the overall storyline of the novel takes the reader on a journey through the challenges and pressures we are experiencing as a profession today. This short novel moves at a fast pace and is threaded through with well written (fictionalised) anecdotes. There are laugh out loud moments amongst the all too familiar details of complex care and highly pressurised workplaces. I am not sure what the experience of reading this novel would be like for a reader who is not a qualified midwife but hopefully they will read it with an open mind and come to appreciate the person under the uniform.

Enjoyable story of life as a midwife in the NHS.
Full of personal anecdotes and reminiscences which remind you the book is based on somebody's real life experiences. The book is an easy and enjoyable read with moments of sadness and humour.

An inside look at the working of a maternity hospital, from the perspective of a midwife.

Having had the privilege to work on a maternity unit briefly as part of my medical training, I recognise a lot of what Leah Hazard is saying in this. She has a humorous take on the struggles and realities of work within the NHS at present. I could tell how much she cares for her patients and understand the difficulty of being seen as too soft for the system. I hope people pick it up, read and get to see the human side of those caring for us when we need them, for whatever reason.

Really enjoyed this. Fortunate timing reading it now as my wife is due to give birth next month! Very well written, and engaging. I don't do many non-fiction as usually prefer crime crime fiction for 90% of my reading, but this was well worth stepping out of my comfort zone for.

Hard Pushed is a sensitive, thought-provoking and honest memoir. Leah trains as a midwife after having her own children and she is thrown in at the deep end, dealing with everything from stillbirths, FGM and human trafficking to a hippy named Star resisting any medical intervention during labour. After reading this book, you'll be very aware of the kinds of pressures midwives work under and why so many of them are sadly, but understandably, leaving the profession.

Importantly, it shines a bright light on the challenges facing every single hardworking employee of the NHS which is under-resourced, to put it mildly. This book is one of many voices imploring not only the powers that be but we the people to fight for the NHS before the system well and truly crumbles.

If you enjoy the TV and book series Call the Midwife, you'll find this memoir of what it's like to work as a midwife in the UK today just as compelling.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC.

A fantastic memoir, I loved it.

I love medical memoirs. I really loved this one! There were still more different scenarios in here, even though I've read a number of midwife memoirs before.

The author didn't decide to train as a midwife straight out of school. She was inspired initially by a video of birth in a health education class at school. But it was years later, when she was married and the couple decided to start a family when the idea resurfaced again. They live in Scotland. I've read midwife memoirs before but those were midwives in the USA and New Zealand, and doing missionary work in Africa, so it's nice to read about a midwife's experiences closer to my home.

She tells of her first shift on the labour ward as a student midwife. Actually being with women having babies. Straight away she's thrown in at the deep end, these didn't sound like what she had been lead to believe, that she would be seeing mostly 'normal births'. So many things can and do happen.

This book was so good. Addictive reading which kept me awake until the small hours! It was interesting, sensitive, emotional, and sometimes humorous.

Her dad encouraged her to write down her stories of her experiences as a midwife. So glad she did, it was a fabulous read.

A fantastic memoir, I loved it.

A thought provoking, joyful and sometimes recasting read. I recommend this book if you enjoy a look behind the scenes at nature’s greatest miracle and also the struggles that the medical professionals face on a daily basis

I really enjoyed this book, it was honest, straight to the point, funny and also a little sad.
It was like she had opened a door to their world and what happens behind the scenes and it reinforced just how lucky we are.
The memories were funny as well as sad but not in a depressing way but rather a this does also happen which does make you reflect without lecturing.
It was a pleasant read and one that I finish in one sitting. Thank you for sharing.

I really enjoyed this book - after the increasing number of industry insight books from the past few years this has definitely filled a gap a market that was previously dedicated to male doctors and lawyers. So interesting to get an insight into the life of a midwife and the difficulties they currently face in the NHS. I would recommend it to anyone!

I’ma go out on a limb here and say that if you’re pregnant perhaps you might want to give Hard Pushed a miss until you’ve squeezed out your tiny human. BUT! If you want to know what happens behind the scenes and the more traumatic events, then pull up a chair and strap on in. You’re in for quite a ride.

Now that I’ve got that out of the way, never before has a book made me cross my legs quite so quickly and then squirm around wondering how on earth a baby actually comes out of that tiny space.

This book follows Leah Hazard through her journey from student to fully fledged midwife and, oh boy, is it a roller-coaster of emotions. Enter a hopeful mother-of-two who’s decided to change her career and go back to school. After all, you’ve been through it twice so technically you should have a rough idea about what’s to come. *insert womp womp sound here*

The book is set up in two ways: first you’ll be given notes on a certain topic and then you’ll get a story to explain it more. You’ll meet people like Star, who just wants things to go her way, and people like Pei who’ve been trafficked and will leave you in despair about what other humans are capable of doing to each other.

Lastly, this is a candid look into how much strain our beloved NHS is currently in. Whilst this only focuses on the art of midwifery, it’s a cry for help before the system we’ve all come to rely on crumbles before us.

My main takeaway from this book? Midwives are humans, too. Stop being dicks to them. Oh and there’s a glossary at the back. Dazzle your mates with your newly boosted vocab.

The latest in the current trend for medical memoirs, Hard Pushed is a compelling and emotionally engaging account of what it's like to be an NHS midwife. This is an important book which emphasises the value of midwives and explores the reasons why so many of them are leaving the profession. It's no spoiler to say that they are indeed 'hard pushed'.

By turns shocking, amusing and sad, Leah Hazard's narrative is so vivid that it's guaranteed to stay in your head long after the book is finished. I'm glad I've read it, even if some of the content was upsetting. Not limited to the topic of safely delivering babies, other topics are included, such as people trafficking, FGM, depression, anxiety and interpreting. There is so much involved in being a midwife, particularly in under-resourced NHS hospitals in today's diverse society. It's a constant challenge to provide decent care for babies and parents. The strain on midwives' mental health is considerable too and I admit I never considered that before.

I liked the author's writing style. It was easy to read and she even provides a glossary at the end. Her love for the patients and her dedication to the role are evident. I suppose that having had children myself increased my interest in this book and also desensitised me to some of the gruesome details. Different readers may have different reactions. There was the potential for birth 'horror stories' to dominate, but to Hazard's credit she includes as many easy births as difficult ones. 

In summary, this is a wonderful and gripping book which will bring tears to your eyes and give you a new appreciation for midwives.

Thank you kindly to the publisher Random House UK for the advance copy via NetGalley. This book will be published under the Hutchinson imprint on the 2nd May.

NB. Review to be published on my blog on 26/04/2019.

A reasonable book, and probably very interesting for anyone looking at training to be a midwife, but unfortunately it comes on the back of Adam Kay’s infinitely superior ‘This is going to hurt’. While the tones of the two books are clearly designed to be different, this one just doesn’t cover the woes of the NHS any where near as eloquently. I was left feeling a bit like I’d voyeuristically nosed about in other people’s lives.

I received an early preview copy of this book from Netgalley in return for an honest review.

I usually read fiction books however I do like books about medical staff, as I find the subject fascinating. As a fan of Call the Midwife, I was eager to read this, and I'm glad that I did.
Leah Hazard writes her memoirs about what is involved in becoming a midwife for the NHS, from her training, to being fully qualified in modern times. She writes about the every day struggles with staff shortages and how this affects staff and patients. The book is gritty, and upsetting in places. Leah writes about the more unusual or tough to deal with cases. She shows the harsh reality that not all births are happy and straightforward occasions.
This book was well written and there was a good balance between the different types of births. I found the book to be interesting and engaging.

Brilliant, good no bars held account of midwifery! I’ve had three children and all three labours different, only the lastmidwife was amazing and made me so relaxed and comfortable. But this book makes u realise they hold so much in their hands and it’s so stressful for them aswell

I would imagine that most mums, midwives, doctors and nurses can relate to this book. The memories are of one midwife throughout her career. It is written with passion, empathy, the odd crying bout and laughter. The author drew you into the story so you could imagine you were there. Such a touching funny and sometimes sad book. Excellent read

This is such an interesting book, easy to pick up and put down again.

Leah Hazard tells the reality of being a midwife, both as a trainee student and a newly qualified midwife. The reality of the demands and stress is disturbing. When she comforts a student who is crying in the changing room who decides she can no longer cope and walks away, that is shocking. When Hazard tells us that is the third midwife that month to quite, it is disturbing.

I preferred the personal tales of patients stories, particularly the horrific encounter with the trafficked girl, which one imagines is all too common but hidden. The chapters on uniforms etc were less engaging.

An insiders view of the reality of the stretched NHS.

I love memoirs like this and especially when they’re about people working in our wonderful but increasingly struggling NHS. I know a midwife and although she never discusses her patients she does talk about the long hours, the lack of breaks, the staffing problems. In fact she could have wrote this book to listen to her.

An amazing story of the life of a midwife which I loved. I was left wanting to know the outcome of some of the patients but I guess even the midwives don’t even know that in many cases.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC in return for an honest and unbiased opinion. Thanks also to Leah Hazard for telling it as it is.

When I read the description of this book, I knew that I needed to read it. I was curious to see whether it was packed full of lovely birth stories or just featured characters 'playing up' like you see on the television. What I read appeared to be a balanced account of what it is like to be a midwife these days. There is a bit about being a student midwife, a bit about working on labour ward, some antenatal care is covered and quite alot about working in a busy triage unit.

Several personal stories are told in detail. I am sure identities have been protected but they give the reader a sense of the variety of work the midwife faces and challenges such as mental health difficulties and lack of english which may not be considered by the general public.

The part of the book which resonated most with me was the description of the person in tears in the changing room, overly anxious about what she was about to face in her next shift and feeling overwhelmed by this. I was that person once and I can relate absolutely to the way this has been described. Leah goes on to describe that many of her colleagues are medicated for anxiety or depression and that this is considered normal in the service. Some colleagues walk away and never return (that was me) and others bravely battle on. At the end, Leah describes her book as a battle cry - it is in part a plea for the authorities to recognise the ways in which modern maternity care is broken.

This book should be read and carefully considered by anyone who is interested but especially by anyone who is considering working for the NHS in maternity services. Thank you to Netgalley for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.