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3rd out of 27 books
—
5 voters
Labor of Love: A Midwife's Memoir
Single mom, jazz singer, salsa dancer, traveler, and midwife to more than 700 babies, Cara Muhlhahn holds nothing back--in her life or in this memoir. As a teenager, Cara's family home burnt to the ground. That tragedy led her on a journey that would span a variety of countries and cultures. While she was in Morocco, a woman suffered from a fatal injury. Grieving the unnec...more
Hardcover, 272 pages
Published
December 30th 2008
by Kaplan Publishing
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This book came to me somewhat fortuitously, as I got it when I was an intern for Ms years ago, and didn't connect it with the scratchy-voiced, frazzled, and irresistible midwife from "The Business of Being Born" until just last year. The writing is underwhelming, but I don't judge Muhlhahn too harshly; she delivers babies for a living, and she does that really, really well. So an awkward turn-of-phrase and disorganized order to the book were maybe to be expected.
Muhlhahn does tell story after s...more
Muhlhahn does tell story after s...more
I was looking forward to reading this book after being introduced to Cara Muhlhahn in the documentary, The Business of Being Born. Cara's personality comes across as quite dynamic in the documentary and I figured her book would be as interesting as the person. Unfortunately, this is not the case. The writing manages to be both pedestrian and vain. Cara clearly thinks very highly of herself but doesn't give the reader any reason to do likewise. Much of the book is related through dry, self-congra...more
I don't remember where I first heard about this book. Cara Muhlhahn was the midwife featured in the documentary The Business of Being Born. She's a nurse-midwife who specializes in home births. (Disclaimer: No, I'm not pregnant. Thanks for asking.) I don't usually read biographies, but this one was compelling. Muhlhahn discusses her early life and how it developed into a midwifery career. She talks about the joys and triumphs, but she doesn't shy away from the failures, either. In one particular...more
I'll admit up front that my "gold standard" midwife memoir will always be Baby Catcher by Peggy Vincent. That book is one of my all-time favorites. And this one fell well short of that, IMO. Cara was a part of the film "The Business of Being Born" and I really enjoyed that movie and her role therein. And her book has moments of interest. But honestly, it felt more like an average writer's blog compiled into a book. I have absolutely no doubt that she has an amazing practice as a homebirth midwif...more
I got this book for free on my Kindle. I have always had an interest in midwifery, but when I read negative reviews for this book I was hesitant to try it.
I enjoyed this book. Yes, Muhlhahn comes off a bit full of herself and likes to talk about how wonderful she is as a midwife. However, if you can look past/ignore her self-glorification, I think it's a really interesting book.
I had never read anything about midwifery before, but since I do not have children of my own (yet) I think using a mid...more
I enjoyed this book. Yes, Muhlhahn comes off a bit full of herself and likes to talk about how wonderful she is as a midwife. However, if you can look past/ignore her self-glorification, I think it's a really interesting book.
I had never read anything about midwifery before, but since I do not have children of my own (yet) I think using a mid...more
While I am not the homebirth-type myself, I admire women who undertake that route, and appreciate people like Cara Muhlhahn, who help them in their journey.
That said, this book was a fast read, but not a terribly enjoyable one. The tone bothered me, though it was not as preachy as I expected - Mulhahn does not expect or want every woman in the US to start giving birth at home, unless it's something they truly believe in, she just wishes medicine itself took a less clinical approach to the act of...more
That said, this book was a fast read, but not a terribly enjoyable one. The tone bothered me, though it was not as preachy as I expected - Mulhahn does not expect or want every woman in the US to start giving birth at home, unless it's something they truly believe in, she just wishes medicine itself took a less clinical approach to the act of...more
Engaging discussion of her career as a solo-practice (after a few years getting started working in hospital and then free-standing birth center) nurse-midwife helping families with at-home births. Poignant discussion of the one infant death she experienced.
we didn't do it at home, but having had one child with a nurse-midwife at birth center and one with physician in hospital, I could appreciate her arguments for the comparative benefits of employing a midwife for the birth. I suppose if you wer...more
we didn't do it at home, but having had one child with a nurse-midwife at birth center and one with physician in hospital, I could appreciate her arguments for the comparative benefits of employing a midwife for the birth. I suppose if you wer...more
Not what I was expecting. It struck me as a very superficial memoir, wherein the author flitted from midwifery process to how she got pregnant to how God or the universe or something thinks she's plenty special but never examined anything in much depth. I wasn't knocked out by the writing style, and there were more than several editing fumbles and typos. I focus on flaws like my dog focuses on his frisbee, to the detriment of everything in the area. The book seems to be sort of a companion piece...more
Not the best memoir I've read, but it's a nice snapshot into the life of a busy, NYC homebirth midwife. There's a lot of "look how awesome I am!" but overall, the Muhlhahn's passion and care for her mamas/babies shines through. Often the home/hospital birth camps are completely polarized to one another, characterizing each other as the spawn of satan. I really liked that while Muhlhahn consistently points out the drawbacks of CYA (cover your ass) medicine, she doesn't necessarily demonize it.
Thi...more
Thi...more
Ih. This was okay. The first half was really not much to do with midwifery at all. When she finally did get to talking about her work it was more interesting. Her attitude comes off as being really rather arrogant and proud of how wonderful she is, which was annoying, but she did have interesting things to say about her work and the current condition of industrialised maternity care. I thought it was ridiculous that she promoted the use of castor oil, though, and subscribed to the notion that if...more
Cara Muhlhahn is an awesome woman, a homebirth midwife who has been working in New York City for over 30 years. Her story is great, but her book was not as great. There were many facts and opinions about the medical community, how she had experienced it and statistics that just seemed to be repeated over and over. I really wanted more FEELING and less of the narrative, which got a little hard to get through at times because it seemed disconnected from the passion that drives her to do her work....more
Of course I enjoyed this memoir written by a homebirth midwife. It was pretty well-written and engaging. But it was also a little self-aggrandizing. I don't think anyone would call Cara Muhlhahn a humble person. There are some typos in the book, one of which is pretty significant: saying that at age 40 the chance of having a baby born with Down's Syndrome is one in one (i.e., 100%!). Actually, it's 1 in 100 (I checked). It's definitely worth a read, but for those more interested in learning abou...more
I was excited to find this book in the library after watching The Business of Being Born and seeing the author in the documentary. I was impressed with how she came across and expected her book to be a fun and informative read. The book fell a bit flat, however. I enjoyed the stories she told, but it seemed to meander all over the place reading more like a stream of consciousness. I felt like she simply scratched the surface of her life as a midwife, the births she attended, etc. It was a very q...more
The author is the NYC homebirth midwife profiled in the film The Business of Being Born, which I've been writing about for work, so I felt I had to read this. I liked the birth stories (of course) best (except for a very sad one which perhaps was not good to read while 8 months pregnant).
Didn't love the "story of her life" stuff at the beginning, and there's one story where she takes a cab b/c her car is dead and then later talks about piling ppl into her car [inaccuracies like that drive me ba...more
Didn't love the "story of her life" stuff at the beginning, and there's one story where she takes a cab b/c her car is dead and then later talks about piling ppl into her car [inaccuracies like that drive me ba...more
Most will recall Cara Muhlhahn from her portrayal in the documentary "The Business of Being Born". I loved her in it and was excited to read her memoir. She seems to be very down-to-earth yet intense and type-A, service to others oriented, energetic with a big heart. She is all those things in the movie, but in the book she gives a very open look into her past, her life, and her tender soul. It's not a book about how to have your best birth or care for your baby, though I believe she coathored o...more
1 like · like · see review
This was a free Kindle book that a friend told me about. Cara was serving as back up to my midwife during my 8th month. This started out feeling very arrogant and
I almost wanted to compare her memoir to Paris Hilton's because there was something
similar in their written voices (or ghost written as the case might be). However I stuck
with it and I enjoyed her story more as it went along. I felt like I got to know her better
and like her better which was the point.
I almost wanted to compare her memoir to Paris Hilton's because there was something
similar in their written voices (or ghost written as the case might be). However I stuck
with it and I enjoyed her story more as it went along. I felt like I got to know her better
and like her better which was the point.
Great book about a homebirth certified nurse midwife in NYC, who is featured in the Discovery Channel documentary "The Business of Being Born. Having always wanted to have my babies at home, I was very interested in the differences described between that and a hospital birth. I wish I had listened to my own desires, rather than those of my husband, my doctors and the insurance company. I will recommend this book to my daughters when they have children.
I don't think I would recommend this book, at least not the first half. It's another one of those memoirs that badly needs to be edited. The writing is not great but worse than that, Muhlhahn just goes on and on about how gifted and wonderful she is. BORING! She's not only the best nursing student, she's also a talented singer. She's not only inclined to be a hard-worker, she also blah blah blah. All of that could have been left out.
The second half is much better, with details of her own home bi...more
The second half is much better, with details of her own home bi...more
Aug 04, 2009
Janelle
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Anyone who is thinking of becoming pregnant and wants to learn about the possibility of homebirth!
Recommended to Janelle by:
Ricki Lake!!
This book was amazing. I was inspired by Cara after seeing her in the documentary, "The Business of Being Born." Her journey to becoming a homebirth midwife is filled with heartbreak, success and being demonized by her fellow midwives and doctors. She fails, she triumphs and she was a Moonie for awhile! 700 babies born and lived, 1 baby died (very traumatic for Cara) and all the moms felt well cared for and empowered!
I read about this book partly because my cousin chose to have home births with her 2 daughters, and I never really understood why. This book helps enlighten those of us who have been brought up to understand the hospital as the sole method of care. While I don't think this book convinced me that that would be my choice for childbirth, it did give me some insight as the benefits and decisions mothers make in choosing to have a baby at home.
I'm giving this 2 stars, because for me it was just okay. I was expecting more birth stories, but instead there was a lot of personal details on Cara Muhlhahn. She does describe the politically hostile climate that midwifery finds itself in (still) in the medical community, and I hope by bringing attention to the fact that midwives are competent caregivers who are more than qualified to attend birthing women, she will be able to at least be able to shift public opinion.
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I was so excited to read this book, because I've always had an interest in midwifery. However, I was thoroughly disappointed by the author's lack of writing skills and coherence, as well as her plainly shown over-inflated ego and obvious problems with people who are "overweight." I wish I had spent my time reading something else, even though this book has led me to thinking more about having a home birth in the future.
This was a very interesting book. I have a friend who had both her kids at home au natural, and she says she would not have it any other way, so it was pretty cool to read a midwife's story about all her home deliveries. It was a little sporadic, she kept jumping around all over the place, but the big picture of it was good. I enjoyed it, and give kudos to all the mamas that can do it au natural!!
So I was hoping this would be more like Baby Catcher with tales about birthing moms, but it was more like the journy of Cara "I am woman hear me roar" Muhlhahn. Not that she isn't an amazing person with wonderful clinical skill, I just wasn't expecting it to be all about her. Should have taken a cue from the part of the title were it says "a midwife's memoir"
This book was quite awful. I understand that she is a wonderful mid-wife, but she is a terrible writer. This book isn't so much a memoir of a midwife (which I assume would be filled with birth stories) but more like the ramblings of a women who eventually ended up a midwife, after joining the Moonies cult, having an abortion, forcing her 28 year old boyfriend to impregnant her when she was 37 and oh yeah, let me advertize my practice and push the documentry I was featured in.
The only birth stor...more
The only birth stor...more
This wasn't the best written book, but the author is a midwife by profession and not a writer, so I can let it slide. The content was excellent, though. I wish I was brave enough to have a home birth with a midwife someday, but I think I'm too much of a wuss. I absolutely hate the idea of all that medication that goes into the mother's body going into such a tiny little baby body as well.
My favorite part of this autobiography was the "about the author" section at the end. Wasn't the whole book about the author?
This was very readable, and as informative as most books focused on child birth but with a greater entertainment value. Double the fun for a pregnant fan of biographies.
This was very readable, and as informative as most books focused on child birth but with a greater entertainment value. Double the fun for a pregnant fan of biographies.
I bought this book on Friday 5/1 at Bluestockings. I'm trying to read non-fiction and memoir about natural birth professionals to psyche myself up for doula training this July. The account of Cara's own birth was amazing. This was a really quick read, but it totally did what I wanted it to do.
I'm a little disappointed with this book. I wanted to hear more of the stories about the women she worked with and their deliveries and less about the author's life, particularly the parts that had nothing to do with midwifery. Also, and here's my newest pet peeve, I found two typographical errors. How lazy!
Compelling and interesting read about the life of a modern homebirth midwife. She is a great storyteller and I enjoyed reading about how she came to midwifery and her personal vision for the care of mother and baby. And she wasn't afraid to talk about the difficult things.
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May 03, 2011 02:11pm