This is a review of the 2009 book 'Twelve babies on a bike' by Dot May Dunn. It is a true account, written diary style of her time as a pupil midwife in 1956. I enjoyed reading 'Call the Midwife' and expected something similar in this book.

The title
The title of this book makes reference to the qualification a student midwife had to make after training, delivering twelve babies during a set time period in their own homes rather than a hospital setting. After this the students were eligible to take an exam which would finalise their status as a Midwife rather than a nurse. At this time, most nurses got around the community on bike and only the very senior were fortunate enough to have the use of a car. The bike not only had to carry the nurse but also all their equipment which included a large box containing the gas and air pain relief.

Format
The book is written as a diary and even bottles down to the time of day so you can see how each labour story progresses time wise. It was great to appreciate that the phone could ring in the Midwife's house at any time of the day and Dot was expected to answer and react appropriately to the caller. A lot of the time it was guesswork as the panicking husbands forget to tell her their name or where they live!

Content
As well as the technical information about the birth, there is a little insight into Dot's social life and family at the time although this is secondary to the birthing information. Dot has a great sense of humour and shares some of the more funny moments she experienced in other people's homes that she was not comfortable admitting at the time. Broken beds, pesky kids, wrong use of the gas and air and a talking bird all play an important part in creating the parts that make this book a great read.

My thoughts
I loved this book and whilst it was read in chunks over 24 hours (so didn't last very long) I was glad that I had got hold of it. There were a few parallels with the other book I read which is also a TV series 'Call the Midwife' but this is to be expected as it is covering a similar time and ultimately focuses on trainee midwives.

Final word
I would recommend this book as an amusing and insightful look into midwifery in the 1950s. A lot of the staff went beyond the call of duty with the families they cared for and Dot's twelve cases are all good examples of how textbook birth should not be! She can't believe her luck when she delivers twins, babies in a breech position, calls the flying squad for blood transfusions and awaits delayed placenta deliveries, it's enough to scare you to death. Ultimately though, Dot is an excellent nurse and midwife and seems to have a second sense around what is happening. Her mentor is also a supportive yet challenging midwife who turns up when needed and lets Dot take the lead when she thinks she is coping well.