the birth house

I read the birth house by Ami McKay last week. It is the story of Dora Rare, a seventeen-year-old girl who becomes apprentice to a midwife in Scots Bay, Nova Scotia, during World War I.

the birth house is a story of women: excited, anxious women who are apprehensive about giving birth, purposeful women who long to have babies, and despairing women who are carrying babies they don't want. Dora and her mentor, Miss Babineau, help any woman who seeks their aid, and they are literal lifesavers in their tiny remote community.

The book explores the evolution of the attitude toward the birth process. The doctor in charge of the new maternity hospital located down the mountain brags of technological advances allowing women to peacefully sleep through the birth and awaken with a healthy pink baby in her arms. Surprisingly, it is the men of Scots Bay who seem convinced that this is the ideal, and Dora and Miss Babineau encounter difficulties continuing to help the women of the community, many of whom still want their assistance despite their husbands' interference.

I found parallels between this book and the media-pervasive "TomKat" birth situation. Would he let her have an epidural? Would she be able to make noise if she felt compelled? As the birth house asked, "Just who is in charge here, anyhow?!"

I recommend the birth house, especially if you are interested in historical fiction. It is a peaceful, life-affirming book that gently persuades women to take charge of themselves and their lives.