Baby Catcher: Chronicles of a Modern Midwife

Written by Peggy Vincent

Narrated by Coleen Marlo

An inspiring collection of birth stories by a charming midwife.

Each time she knelt to "catch" another wriggling baby-nearly three thousand times during her remarkable career-California midwife Peggy Vincent paid homage to the moment when pain bows to joy and the world makes way for one more. With every birth, she encounters another woman-turned-goddess: Catherine rides out her labor in a car careening down a mountain road. Sofia spends hers trying to keep her hyper doctor-father from burning down the house. Susannah gives birth so quietly that neither husband nor midwife notice until there's a baby in the room.

More than a collection of birth stories, however, Baby Catcher is a provocative account of the difficulties that midwives face in the United States. With vivid portraits of courage, perseverance, and love, this is an impassioned call to rethink technological hospital births in favor of more individualized and profound experiences in which mothers and fathers take center stage in the timeless drama of birth.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tantor Media, Inc
• Release date: Jul 24, 2019
• ISBN: 9781630152963

Peggy Vincent

Peggy Vincent became a licensed midwife specializing in home births in 1980, after fifteen years as a delivery room nurse, ten years as a natural childbirth teacher, and three years as the director of the first alternative birth center in the East Bay. Five years later, she became the first completely independent nurse midwife to be granted hospital privileges in the Berkeley area. Vincent lives in Oakland, California, with her husband and teenage son. Visit her online at BabyCatcher.net.

Reviews for Baby Catcher

[MariaMontgomery · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Brilliantly written book from a real life midwife who started out when midwives were still looked upon with suspicion in the US.

[Holly Rusch · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Peggy’s story is so important and so inspiring. Reading this book in print years ago inspired me to begin my training as first a doula and then a Certified Professional Midwife. Listening on audiobook has blessed me as I now can identify with so much of her story. I hope you’re encouraged and maybe even awed by the miracle of childbirth as portrayed in this beautiful story.

[wealhtheowwylfing · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The story of one woman's time spent as a nurse and as a midwife. Vincent has an engaging, friendly voice; I felt like we were friends within a chapter. The ways of thinking about and serving pregnant women have changed a huge amount since the 1960s, and Vincent documents it all from the front-line. The stories she tells are moving and sometimes hilarious, and the history she documents is fascinating.

[greeniezona · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I don't remember where I heard about this book, but I put it on my paperbackswap wishlist and finally scored a copy. It spent a few weeks perched on the corner of our kitchen table, but once I finally picked it up, I couldn't put it down.

I inhaled this book over the course of two days in April, staying up late at night to read, every once in a while stopping to re-read stories aloud to Andrew. Absolutely fascinating, this is a memoir encompassing the legal, societal, and hospital politics of the modern midwife movement, the story of one midwife and the impacts her work had on her family, and a collection of birth stories, told from the midwife's perspective. You'd think I would have had my fill of birth stories by now, but apparently I can't get enough. And seeing these from the point of view of the midwife is fascinating -- even Ida May's book and its collection of birth stories was almost entirely mother-perspective.

Of course, the author, a midwife, has reason to be biased, but after reading this the whole medical establishment anti-midwife attitude seems even more ludicrous and self-serving. And that's saying something, as I was leaning fairly heavily that way before I ever opened this particular book.

Highly recommended to all mommas and other birth junkies.

[thcforpain · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book is absolutely amazing. I did not want this book to end so I slowed down my reading hoping to drag it out. The book was a great insight into the beauty of a women being able to bring a person into this world the way god intended. I felt at times as I was there with Peggy the descriptions of the labor and births so perfect, loving and at time hilarious. Each birth to her during the time of her private practice was special in its own way and her ability to remember each of them. I have learned how special midwives are since "Doctors have lost sight of what normal labor looks like and how women really behave when artificial barriers are removed". It was hilarious when she would take the placentas to her kids school. Interesting was the "primal need of women to find a close, dark, protected space in which to bring safely bring forth their babies. Rejecting the prepared king size bed". I did get annoyed and upset with her when she kicked a goose so hard that it beak over tail went 15 feet above the lake vibrating her leg all the way to her hip then laughed about it.
unlike how doctors think "childbirth is normal until proven otherwise"

[julierh · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

what an excellent book! anyone who is interested in midwifery and/or natural birth would like this funny and fascinating book. additionally, anyone who is going to have a baby should read this. since we are so inundated with terrifying "birth as emergency" accounts in our culture, it is nice to expose yourself to positive birth stories for balance and this book certainly contains many that illustrate how birth can be very normal and positive.

[busyreadin · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is an easy, funny read, giving us a glimpse into the life of a midwife in 1980 California. It shows childbirth in all of it's painful, awkward, embarrassing, and wonderful moments.

[andafiro · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

(Adding this to my library now though I read it some time ago--this title just now showed up as a recommendation and I want to confirm that yes, it's a good recommendation. ;-)

[lilac_lily01 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Peggy Vincent is a licensed midwife who specializes in home births. In "Baby Catcher" she shares some of her most memorable experiences as a midwife. This is the second book about midwifery that I have read -the first one being "Labor of Love" by Cara Muhlhahn. And this one was even better than the first. Peggy writes in a very entertaining and honest way. The chapters give glimpses into her daily midwifery practice, and help you realize what kind of dedication and compassion it takes to be successful in the business of home births. Vincent also manages to relay the importance of seeing giving birth as something normal and not a disease that necessarily needs to be medically treated. Nevertheless she doesn't pass any judgement on women that choose to go the medical route. In the final pages Vincent included a summary with some words of wisdom, an overview of the contents of a well stocked home birth kit, a recommended reading list, as well as midwifery economics and safety studies. I loved every page of this book and it certainly got me motivated to pursue this career path some more!

[deliberatelife · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I love autobiographies of midwives, and now being pregnant with my third child, it was time to find another. This exceptional tale of one woman's entry into midwifery and her subsequent falling out of it did not leave me disappointed. Filled with stories of eccentric and beautiful parents and births, such as the very young Muslim couple who practically delivered their baby themselves, to delivering a baby on board a leaky boat in the midst of a monsoon, each chapter is a new and unbelievable true adventure.This book also highlights the constant struggle that midwives face for acceptance, recognition, and legal rights. Understand what midwives face every day, and how much support their families give so that women can have the right to give birth at home.

[alaiacona_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Each of the stories is lovingly told and riveting. I thought Vincent's reflections on the malpractice suit brought against her were fascinating.

[maggirayne · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book will always be one of my favourites. It is laugh out loud funny and touches your heart, too.