Frontline Midwife: My Story of Survival and Keeping Others Safe

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This searing memoir of the brutality of pregnancy and birth in the developing world, through the eyes of an impassioned but initially naive, midwife is a wonderful read. During her time as a nurse she witnessed one woman who had walked for nine days to reach the centre where Anna was based – having no access to a midwife closer to where she lived – and Anna said she was at a dangerous point in labour. The author really bears her soul, and I imagine that writing this book must be quite must’ve been quite cathartic . Anna talks in the book about feeling she let some of the women down but after reading the book, I personally think the tragic events these women went through would have been even worse without Anna.

For me it resulted in a very important but hard to swallow book, and some serious reflection on my career goals. I could not stop reading the extraordinary horrifying and yet beautiful story of Anna Kent’s experience in supporting women in war torn southern Sudan and in the refugee camps in Bangladesh. At twenty-six years old, Anna Kent helped a woman deliver her baby in a tropical storm by the light of a headtorch. Angry at the ongoing horrific loss of life and the disability causes by a lack of midwifery care and basics such as clean water, sanitation, food and immunisations. 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.I bet you didn’t have to walk for two days in hot tropical weather to reach your next appointment for a routine health check or watch a drip line suspended from the roof of a tent by a frayed piece of strong. I also learnt a lot about the work of MSF (Médecin sans frontières) and am in awe of the men and women from all over the world who give a piece of their hearts and minds to try and relieve the suffering and shocking conditions of others.

We don't generally hear so much about aid work so this was a great read, and very squemish in places, medical practices that are completely unheard of in England with our medical facilities. Anna tells stories of her time working as a nurse with MSF in South Sudan, then later on working as a qualified midwife in Bangladesh and Haiti, and some mention of her time as a midwife in the NHS. 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.Then I read the blurb, realised it was something totally different but ended up wanting to read even more. Anna doesn’t mince words but mainly leads the reader to draw their own conclusions about injustice – mainly poverty and misogyny – from the stories of those who survive and do not survive. She gained her First Degree in Midwifery in 2010 and has worked as a midwife across the world, including in South Sudan, Haiti, Bangladesh and the UK. As a midwife myself, I was completely caught-up in the narrative but its also a coming of age tale, sometimes heartbreaking, sometimes inspiring and always fascinating.

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. 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 one of her jobs despite hating to do so all the aid workers have to leave the facility they work in at a certain time as their safety cannot be guaranteed after that time. It takes you on an emotional journey that may leave you exploring your own inner world, motivations and choices.

It’s only then she can see the other side of some of these rules and restrictions and the sense and reasons behind them.

Not only showing the joys, but shedding light into the politics of refugees, the challenges associated with healthcare in lower resource countries, as well as the personal sacrifices of this admirable path. To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average.This decision may seem ludicrous until it is put into context: without the ability to cook rice, the woman's family will perish. I have always stated that political sanctions don’t work and this book is the reason why since it demonstrates fully how those already suffering get to suffer even more.