Frontline Midwife: My Story of Survival and Keeping Others Safe

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She describes one woman who discharges her ill child requiring life-saving treatment from the makeshift hospital, as she is terrified of her neighbour stealing her cooking pot. To be honest, I thought this would be a book with lots of birth stories (which I love), and Kent’s experiences as a midwife. In this case, I suppose it was somewhat easier in that she was unable to seek consent from her historic patients as she had no way of contacting them. I'm not a midwife but I feel that I learned so much about the places, people and challenges described. After experiencing a bit of a rocky second year, it’s given me the gee up I very much needed to keep going and finish my degree.

So many amazing and heart wrenching experiences that affected her on a personal level, I just wanted to give her a hug. Anna also comes across as smart and funny and there are parts in the books where you will laugh out loud at some of the absurd scenarios she encounters. At 26 years old, not yet a fully trained midwife, she delivered a baby in a tropical storm by the light of a headtorch; the following year, she would be responsible for the female health of 30,000 Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh. Later, she would be responsible for the female health of 30,000 stateless Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh.

I recognised parallels with Life and Death Decisions by Dr Lachlan McIver, a doctor who like Anna finds himself working in medicine in countries with huge issues. well written and compelling in a way that I felt like we were sat down with a cup of tea and she was telling me everything in the book personally to me.

This book distils the relationship between patient safety, professional accountability and emotional capacity to its very essence. Her accounts are not for the faint hearted, and there are very graphic descriptions of what happens when things go wrong. It also put how those who lose babies, be they full term or not have been treat in the UK, and the improvements that still need making and put into action. Thank you for being so being so brave and inspirational, your honesty and authenticity and sharing your highs + lows and make it just a little easier for everyday folk to feel that it’s okay to not be okay. When offering training to these women she is told the only reason they are actually turning up is for the food etc on offer whilst they are there.

Anna Kent has helped women birth babies in war zones, caring for the most vulnerable people in the most vulnerable places in the world. At that point, a tropical storm broke out while Anna sprung into action to deliver baby Moses by the light of a headtorch, battling through horrendous weather conditions. The author really bears her soul, and I imagine that writing this book must be quite must’ve been quite cathartic . Kent exhibits a powerful sense of insight and self-reflection throughout the book, which more than once spills over into undue self-criticism.

As part of her work, she was able to lead the building of a new maternity hospital and this was such an achievement for her. It takes you on an emotional journey that may leave you exploring your own inner world, motivations and choices. For me, this book stimulated lots of questions and reflection on so many levels and left me thoughtful and in awe.Working in ravaged, war torn areas of the World like South Sudan, Haiti, and Bangladesh, Anna is one very brave and special human. I experience her writing as completely authentic - she has seen things that many of us will only ever hear or read about - but she maintains respect and compassion for the women and girls whose lives are made even more precarious as a result of senseless conflicts. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data. This time she has aspirations to set up a birth centre, but she will need the co-operation of the traditions birth assistants to even get the women to enter the birth centre, let alone use it.

A quite matter of fact comment from the other aid worker, James, when he informs Anna, she will be solely dealing with the midwifery aspects of their job.Anna’s first posting is to the South Sudan, and though she feels that she is prepared for what she is going to see and have to deal with she soon realises she isn’t. Like Anna he had a personal reason for being drawn to, and finding solace in, emergency care and alcohol. In Frontline Midwife , Kent shares her extraordinary experiences as a nurse, midwife and mother, illuminating the lives of women that are irreparably affected by compromised access to healthcare. While the subject matter prevents the book from being described as an ‘easy read’, it is accessible, with short, powerful chapters and strong depictions of places and people.