HIGH Wycombe author and former midwife Susan Cudlipp is launching her memoir Beginnings, Endings and Everything in Between at High Wycombe Library at 10am on July 30.

Mrs Cudlipp said she has been a resident in High Wycombe for about 30 years and worked in several sites in and around Perth, including the Kalamunda Hospital.

“Parts of my story deal with my work experiences in this area,” she said.

“I’ve had quite a lot of really good feedback from people who have read it so far, which is encouraging.

“A lot of the people who’ve read it so far are fellow midwives, or friends, or family, for whom it is much more pertinent, but people who don’t fall into those categories also enjoyed it and found it quite interesting.

“The feedback is it makes people laugh, it makes people cry in places, and they found it quite interesting to read about my life.”

Mrs Cudlipp said training to be a midwife in England in the ‘70s was very different to what the field was like now and she had always appreciated a retrospective look at her profession.

“I myself have got some very old books in my collection written by nurses and midwives who trained long before I was born and I find it fascinating to read about how things were for them,” she said.

“Now I’m in the position where people in the field can read what it was like for my generation.”

Mrs Cudlipp said that beyond the historical value of providing an insight into the life of a midwife from a previous generation, there were also moments that let other professionals know they weren’t alone in their tough times.

“As a midwife, you’re there at the most joyful times in families’ lives but you’re often also there at the saddest times and that goes for general nursing too,” she said.

“Sickness and birth and death are part of everybody’s existence.

“There have been a few traumatic experiences professionally, and challenging times, and I’ve related one particular episode which was extremely painful.

“I thought long and hard about whether to include certain things.

“I included it because it could serve as an education or warning for others who might find themselves in similar situations.”

Mrs Cudlipp hoped the book would encapsulate the fullness of life in its sad moments and its happy moments.

Interest in the book launch of Beginnings, Endings and Everything in Between may be registered online.

The book will be self-published and copies may be obtained via contacting susancudlipp1@gmail.com