Bundles of Joy

by Linda Fairley

The second book from Sunday Times bestselling author Linda Fairley. 'No matter how many babies I deliver, each and every one is a miracle, connecting me to the world like nothing else, reminding me that we are all equal in the beginning, and in the end. It's a great leveller, childbirth.' It's January 1972 and times have changed since Linda first stepped onto a maternity ward four years earlier. Gone are the starched skirts and steaming milk kitchens of the 1960s; these are the exhilarating days of disposable equipment and new technology. The Pill will soon be free to all women, and more and more fathers are daring to brave the delivery room. At the newly-opened Ashton maternity unit the midwives' spirits are high, and, in spite of the dark cloud of laundry strikes on the horizon, there's the scent of a new era on the cold winter wind. But one thing has stayed the same - the babies keep coming. Year after year, Linda faithfully helps the women of Greater Manchester through their most vulnerable and emotional hours, whether it is by giving calm instructions over the phone to a panicking husband, delivering a baby unexpectedly in a hospital lift, or by dashing headlong to the rescue of a snowed-in mum-to-be. As 25-year-old Linda becomes a mother herself she understands, more than ever, what a precious gift it is to bring children into the world, and she holds each new baby just that little bit tighter. As the years roll by Linda finds herself delivering the babies of mothers and fathers she helped to bring into the world decades earlier - making her something of a local celebrity. Through the highs and lows, through the modernisations that transform the hospital and the world outside, Linda's passion for midwifery burns as bright as ever. With 42 years of experience Linda is one of Britain's longest-serving midwives, and reaching the retirement age in 2008 didn't stop her doing the job she loves. Although she has seen generations of women give birth and delivered more than 2,000 babies, she treats every new arrival like the new miracle it is.

Genres: Memoir, Nonfiction, Medical, Biography, History, Autobiography

308 pages, Paperback

First published October 25, 2012

Reviews

[Fiona MacDonald · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful and emotional rollercoaster of a ride through Linda Fairley's 40 years working as a midwife in Manchester (and even meeting and working with Harold Shipman for a brief period!) Her stories were beautiful and hugely entertaining whilst also pulling on my heartstrings more than once. An admirable lady and a fascinating book.

[laura hely · Rating 2 out of 5]

Another disappointment

Again, Linda Fairley spent so much more time on her personal life than she does on her time with patients. I would have liked more detail on what she did in the an ten al clinic, what sort of prenatal classes were taught to foster "natural" childbirth before epidurals became the rage. While catching babies is thrilling and emotionally moving every time. I never delivered babies, but have attended thousands of births. Waiting for the baby to come, after all my equipment set up, I would go to the mother's side and help coach her through her labor and delivery. My heart would be in my throat each time a baby was born. But labor and delivery are just the last hours of a journey that had started months before. I would have particularly enjoyed more about her community time, what did she teach the parents to prepare them for a home birth, and help them understand that can develop that would cause them to have to change plans and have a hospital birth. Linda did not seem as involved with her patients' emotions as her own

[Alice · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it as much as the first one. If you love Channel 4's One Born Every Minute, these books are a must.

[Pink Pages · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved reading this book! I thoroughly enjoyed it, and was immersed in reading all the birth stories.

[Shirley Revill · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this book. One of those books that you read many times through the years. Easy to read but very hard to put down.

[Orinoco Womble (tidy bag and all) · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm afraid I didn't warm to Fairley any more this time than I did in her first book. At first I thought her first book had been released under a different title because I seemed to have read it before, but then I realised that the first few chapters are c/p of anecdotes that appeared in that first volume--one assumes it was to pad this one out with a few more pages.

Fairley repeatedly says that she's so glad her job is "real"; apparently the successful businesswomen she deals with were in dreamland? "I didn't judge [business]women like Monica"--not much she doesn't. That's why she used up so many pages talking about how rigid, difficult and demanding Monica was, only to compare herself favourably due to her own "lack of ambition". And I guess that's why mentioning all her own accolades repeatedly is so important to her. Look what she did with no ambition, that sort of style. She also says that the anti-Thatcher riots were "a totally different world from the one I inhabited, which "cushioned her from the Recession." Not so very real, then, compared to those struggling to make ends meet. Apparently her first two marriages broke up because of this total absorption in herself: my job, my friends, my interests, my identity as a midwife. She sends the "love of her life" down the pub instead of interacting with him, and then wonders why they drifted apart. "I realised I didn't need him." Yeah, because it's all about me, always. She repeats the pattern with Husband Two, living a separate life, never discussing her work with him or even bothering to cultivate a common interest. He should be all about what she wants! Apparently she didn't even try, just retreated into yet more "real" work. Oddly, she says she did talk about her work with her kids, but didn't even consider it with either husband, and yet she "held her family close to her heart". I guess by "family" she means the kids she birthed, not the men who helped her bring them to life. Even with Husband Three she's all about how he looked after her and supported her.

As in the first book, the Epilogue is dedicated to making sure we know all about her fame and awards, including photos of her press cuttings! No false modesty for Fairley. Not an appealing person.

[Tracey · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the second book by Linda Fairley that chronicles her career as a midwife. I read the first book, The midwife's here, a few years ago and this one completes her memoirs.
The book is mostly a collection of birth stories, interspersed with details of Linda's personal life. Midwifery is obviously what Linda was meant to do, it's so much than just a job. An interesting and informative book.

[Penny Bolton · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you like the TV series, "Call the Midwife", you'll love this book as well as Ms. Fairley's first book, "The Midwife's Here". True life experiences of a midwife who started her career in the early 1960s and who is still delivering babies at the time that she wrote this book in 2011. Thoroughly enjoyed every page.

[Suzanne Powell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exactly what I expected!

Book one blended seamlessly into book two, continuing the story of Britain’s oldest midwife. I thoroughly enjoyed each and every story. It was like sitting down for a warm cuppa or 20 and I could’ve listened to her forever. What a blessing she has been to thousands of mums and babes.

[Earleen T. Peters · Rating 4 out of 5]

A life well spent

Engrossing life story of a person who obviously found their calling. Never boring and very real. The author presents her profession in a most appealing light and throws in just enough about her private life to make it authentic.

[Patricia Hoag · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Midwife's Lifetime of Service and Dedication

A wonderful, down to earth reminiscence from a beautiful career as a midwife. With so few personal accounts by midwives, this book is a little gem.

[Teresa Lavoie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read

I have read many books that are related to midwifery and have enjoyed them all! Linda is a gifted midwife that seems to care for her patients even after a long period of time.

[Beth Adams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Real life heartwarming stories

These are real, life changing ,stories of mid wifey and the Joy's and connections made in the care of others. Great stories. I cant wsnt to read the other book.

[Sharon Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Very Special Midwife

As a RN back in the 1960,s I worked in the labor and delivery at a large hospital in Texas. I could really appreciate the authors career as a midwife.

[Christina Owens · Rating 5 out of 5]

A love story

A collection of love stories and birth stories told by the Midwife herself. What an amazing woman Linda is and really enjoyed both of her books.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it. Another great book about midwives

[Robin Webb · Rating 4 out of 5]

very enjoyable

[Carol Mowbray · Rating 5 out of 5]

Midwifery

Loved this book. Stories of birthings, and the midwife’s life.
I am an ob nurse so could relate to her passion and experiences.

[Janis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy reading

Interesting anecdotal stories. Smooth transitions. Good reading if this topic interests you. No overall driving suspense and denouement. Generally gentle and sweet.

[Amelia Murphy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The follow up book to "The Midwife's Here" was a lovely tale of Linda Fairley's life. Throughout, you get to know the author more personally as she talks about the birth of her own children, her marital changes and life on the outside. There are still plenty of lovely birth stories that the author shares but not as many as in the original book. While it was well written, I feel that a lot of things were pushed along and the changes that the author experienced in her job over her 40+ years weren't as explained as deeply as in the first book because she was covering 30 years instead of about 10 years. I still really loved it, the book had a great voice and I read it as such.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love babies. I don't want kids of my own, but I love babies and have always thought that giving birth should be treated as something remarkable and amazing. Linda Fairley has more than her fair share of common sense and compassion, and her birth stories are fascinating.

[Whistler's Mom · Rating 5 out of 5]

The great stories just keep coming.

Three years ago I read and reviewed this author's first book, "The Midwife's Here!" It's one of my all-time favorites. No one has better stories to tell than a nurse and this one is a born story-teller. She's not only experienced a lifetime of unique moments, she writes about them in a way that makes the people involved come alive. It's a rare talent.

The first book covers the naive teenager's three years of nursing training and her additional year of training to become a midwife. England was ahead of the curve in recognizing the benefits of using skilled, experienced midwives to deliver babies and provide prenatal and postnatal care. In the U.S., we're catching up and now thousands of women here are discovering that having a midwife at their side during the delivery process puts them in control and makes giving birth a more joyful experience.

I was almost afraid to read this follow-up book for fear I would be disappointed, but I needn't have worried. The author picks up right where she left off with more wonderful stories of how her patients (and their husbands, of course!) have entertained her and enriched her life. Imagine the joy and shock of a midwife who realizes that she's just delivered the baby of one of her very first deliveries! As we oldies know, the years go by swiftly and the eager young nurse who was excited to be part of the opening of a state-of-the-art maternity center in Manchester was even more excited to be part of the 50th anniversary of that beloved institution. And a LOT of babies were born in the meantime.

Some of her most exciting and touching stories are of home deliveries. She finally achieved her goal of working as a "community midwife", serving women who choose home deliveries and some who DIDN'T plan on them but didn't make it to the hospital in time. Timing is everything and a stalled truck, an ice-coated country lane, and a ferocious "watch-pig" have no respect for a busy midwife rushing to deliver a baby.

The author also talks openly about her own life. She muses about her quiet, down-to-earth parents who encouraged their children to set goals and work toward them. She remembers years in a convent school where the formidable sisters taught the values of persistence and respect for others. She speaks frankly about her marriages, two of which produced children and then ended in divorce. A third marriage was a very happy one, but her beloved "Pete" died of cancer far too soon.

When her own children were born, she was surprised to find that being a mother herself made her even more empathetic toward the women she served as a midwife. Some became friends and their children and hers attended the same schools. Nothing like being part of the community you serve.

If you haven't read Ms. Fairley's books, you SHOULD. They are funny and touching and very educational.

[Ngdecker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Since I enjoyed the first book so much, I decided to get this second one. It continued the story of Linda and her life and career. Her main focus in her life was her career and she apparently was extremely good at it. Again, she described many episodes that she had encountered. Each one was different and interesting.

Her personal life was disappointing to me. Her first husband had been portrayed as such a caring and loving man, but they "grew apart." That happened also with her second husband. it appeared to me that Linda put her career first, but maybe she just didn't tell the whole story in her writing of the book. She never really wrote anything negative about other people, so maybe there was more to the story than appeared in the book. Luckily, her third husband seems to have made her happy.

I did enjoy this book and would recommend it to others.

[Wanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second book written by Linda Fairley. She's a retired midwife (or semi-retired) from England. Most of the book is a sequence of interesting baby deliveries but it's interspersed with her life story. The first book is mostly her education, first marriage, and early experiences. This book talks about her own two children, the ending of her first marriage, her second marriage, its end, and her third marriage. It's written well and I enjoyed it. It's very upbeat. Even when she talks about her failed marriages, she's upbeat and non-judgmental.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

Linda Fairley is the longest serving midwife at a single institution in the UK. In this, her second memoir, she picks up where her first one left off, just after she became a fully qualified midwife. This book is full of birth stories that were especially memorable because they were exciting, unusual, sad, or extra happy. Interwoven among the many deliveries (over 2,000!) is Ms. Fairley’s own story. She ends Bundles of Joy with the delivery that was the most important to her – her own grandson. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys birth stories.

[Corgi Mom · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. I read Linda Fairley's first book, The Midwife's Here! and enjoyed that book so much I had to read her second book, Bundles of Joy. A well-written book, Bundles of Joy, was so interesting and heartwarming. I couldn't put it down. I learned so much about childbirth I never knew existed, and I've had five children, even though all of them were Caesarean births. This is a very good book.

[~ Sarah ~ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great sequel to “The Midwife’s Here”, picking up where it left off. With much the same feel as the first, it was bound to also be enjoyable.

Linda once again conveys the joys of experiencing new life come into the world as well as the bond that is made with the mother so well that I feel I am there, witnessing each birth that she describes.

These two books are a great pair. They have worked their way into my heart, becoming pretty special to me.

3.5 out of 5

[Elizabeth Jackson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Baby's everywhere. I really loved reading this book. I couldn't put it down once I started it.

Being a nurse for over 50 years, I am still amazed when I read about babies and the people who. Deliver them. I wish I had read the first book before reading this one. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a well written book .

[Barbaraje · Rating 5 out of 5]

great

This was just a thoroughly enjoyable book. I was looking for something like "Call the Midwife" and this was satisfying. I have read both of Linda Farley's books, and will keep looking for more.

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great autobiography of a Manchester Midwife from the early seventies to the millennium, it charts her career highs and lows and how midwifery care has changed over the years. A must read for lovers of Nursing/Midwifery history.