Thoroughly researched and engagingly presented, this is partially a deeply personal and moving memoir and partially a history/over-view of the field of neonatal medicine and the relatively new area of fetal surgery. While I was very much moved by the author's experience of having a premature baby who needed an extended stay in intensive care, I was also blown away by some of the surgical procedures (for babies in utero!!!) described here - I'm sorry, they did what?! Fascinating, mind-blowing, inspiring! I had no idea such things were even possible - but thanks to the skill and dedication of the medical profession babies who would've previously died now get a chance at life. A really fantastic read, though I don't think I'd let a pregnant friend read it as it could be very scary!

Wow wow wow this is an amazing read. It takes us right into the thick of things and brought up so many emotions for me.

Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing a copy.

The First Breath is a fascinating exploration of neonatal surgery and fetal medicine from the perspective of a mother of a sick premature baby (now, thankfully much recovered). I was initially surprised by the sheer scope of Olivia Gordon’s book; I had expected much of the book to be focused on her family’s experience but, instead, it was a much wider look at the field in general, charting the history and telling the story of many others who have spent time in the NICU.

I really enjoyed the focus on the family story, as opposed to the current trend of medical memoirs from healthcare professionals – although at times intensely emotional and heartbreaking, it prompted really interesting questions on the primary role the parents and family take when it comes to sick babies. My only critique would be that extensive time was also taken in a journalistic account of the history and developments of fetal medicine which, while very interesting, felt out-of-step with the other half of the book. At times it felt like the author could not decide what direction she wanted to go with this book – memoir or non-fiction – which could be a jarring reading experience. Nevertheless, this is a worthwhile read for anyone interested in learning more about the field.

I was not able to finish this book, not because it isn’t a great book and loved that it was from a females perspective. I couldn’t get into the style of writing, and my son was born 8 weeks early so this was all a bit too emotional for me. That being said I would still recommend to others.

I dont usually read non fiction and I dont have children but picked this up and I am so glad I did. Beautiful, upsetting and heart warming all at the same time. Highly recommend.

The First Breath is an absolutely fascinating book. Part medical journal, part personal memoir, it is a fantastic and gripping tale of the brave medical professionals who help bring new lives into the world. It's a multi-faceted journey of trials and trauma, of love, surprise and courage.

It's very honest and personal as well as being medically factual, as author Olivia Gordon herself experienced needing five months of neonatal care with a critically ill premature baby. As well as her journey, we join other parents and the medical professionals who helped them.

It's very accessible despite dealing with medical subjects, and has the perfect blend of emotion and facts. I'd recommend this book to anyone with an interest in medical care and childbirth, or those who just want to learn more about human experiences.

The First Breathe was a great book looking at personal experiences of neonatal care and fetal medicine. I really enjoyed this book, could not put it down.

I was really looking forward to reading this. Unfortunately, due to personal circumstances, I found it too upsetting to complete. But it's worth five stars regardless because what I did read was well researched and presented and would be good for anyone who can read about birth and babies within a highly medicalised setting.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC without obligation.

A very well researched book, the subject matter is something the author feels close to having gone through it herself. But it is not a light hearted read, be warned.

As someone who has an interest in medical topics, I really enjoyed this book and found it to be very informative, without reading like a textbook.
I would say that if you don't have an interest in medical topics or haven't been through something similar to the topics in this book, it could potentially read a little slow.
However, there was some very interesting information and some uplifting stories and I enjoyed it.

In this book Olivia Gordon researches the world of fetal medicine following her own experience with her so Joel. This book will literally take your breath away. As a mother of a child born with a genetic problem, which was picked up at 20 weeks gestation, I can relate so much to what she is writing and her feelings for this. The history surrounding fetal medicine and the birth of the ultrasound scan are superbly interesting. The way fetal medicine is moving forward year on year just beggars belief. The things that these "God" like doctors, nurses and consultants can do with a fetus and a newborn is just astonishing.
Be warned though, as it will take you a while to read this, not only due to the medical terminology but because you have to stop reading and google the terminology and more importantly, the people involved and the procedures, Well I did anyway.

Epic read which really hits home.

I’ve never read anything quite like this before - personal and informative. Insightful, interesting and inspiring. The last chapter made me cry on the tube.

A fascinating account of modern foetal medicine by a mother who has experienced its impact first-hand

When Olivia Gordon and her husband found out she was pregnant with their first baby, they were unbelievably excited to become parents. Never in their darkest dreams did they imagine that there might be a problem with their unborn child. But at 29 weeks gestation, a scan revealed that something was wrong – their baby had polyhydramnios (excess amniotic fluid) and would require a risky in utero operation to stand a chance of surviving. Even after he was born, Joel had ongoing problems, some of which were related to a genetic abnormality, and spent many months in a neonatal intensive care unit. Through her own story and those of other mothers with sick or premature babies, Olivia provides a fascinating popular science account of the world of foetal medicine and the incredible advances that have allowed a generation of babies to be born healthy and thrive.

This was an incredibly brave and well-researched book, which gives a detailed but understandable explanation of many of the recent developments in foetal medicine. From the very first ultrasound scans, to the use of pre-natal diagnostic techniques for chromosomal abnormalities, to cutting edge surgery that is performed on a foetus before re-inserting it back into its mother’s womb to await a natural birth, Olivia touches on a myriad of topics in a way that is descriptive and thorough and yet simple enough to be understood by non-medical readers. I felt a lot of respect for her for returning to the places of her son’s darkest hours in order to research this book, and the guts and bravery it must have taken to revisit these memories. Interspersed with the facts she presents is the story of her own son’s journey from a sick foetus to a healthy and vibrant child, as well as stories from fellow mothers, some of which don’t have such a happy ending. These true-life accounts pack quite an emotional punch, and I felt a lot for the parents of these children with severe diseases and disabilities. The author also touches on the contentious ethical issues surrounding this area, including termination of pregnancies with genetic abnormalities and the medical advances that have led to very premature infants surviving but with very severe disabilities.

Unfortunately, there were a couple of aspects of this book that I didn’t enjoy. Not all of the information was new to me and there were a few instances where I felt the author had over-simplified an explanation or made slight errors in her descriptions. One thing I really disliked was her comments about how staff members writing ‘patient’, ‘mum’ or ‘baby’ in the notes of neonatal unit patients rather than their specific names could contribute to antenatal and postnatal depression - this really irritated me, as it is done for a very valid patient safety and confidentiality reason, and also seemed a slightly cheap and ignorant comment to make about a very serious mental health issue. Additionally, whilst the author had nothing but praise for the foetal medicine consultants and described the neonatal nurses in a similarly uniformly positive manner, the junior medical staff barely got a mention and when they did, it was to describe them as being ‘anxious’, ‘confused’ or incompetent. I have a close friend who spent four months working as a junior doctor in a neonatal unit, during which time she cared for hundreds of very sick babies and performed CPR on multiple infants. Understandably, she found the experience deeply stressful, traumatising and incredibly difficult practically and emotionally. For all the mention or praise staff at her level get in this book, she might as well have been twiddling her thumbs in a corner.

Despite these minor and relatively personal niggles, this was an intriguing and yet understandable book that would be a stimulating read for anyone with an interest in medicine or the world of obstetrics. Whilst the facts did become a little dry at times and the pace of the writing occasionally became slightly stilted, it was still readable and enjoyable.

Daenerys

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of this book to review.

This was well researched, with a lot of scientific information as well as personal experience, clear and approachable. However, I really would recommend that any woman who thinks she might ever become pregnant at any time in the future steers well clear of this book! At times it feels like a litany of what could possibly go wrong with a pregnancy, though the problems described are vanishingly rare. Having said that, I came away with nothing but respect and admiration for those who have babies with problems and those who treat and care for those babies. Their skill, knowledge, courage and endurance are truly remarkable.

2019 is the year I decided to lose myself in medical memoirs. I used to be quite afraid of reading books about such sensitive and often harrowing subjects that non-fiction books cover, however those topics are what people have personally endured. Those books tell readers about a journey that they would love other people to understand, or to be aware of. 'The First Breath' is one of those books. In fact, it's one of those types of books which make a lump the size of a crater, form in your throat, hoping that no-one will talk to you until that lump disappears, in fear of personally turning into a puddle.

If you're a parent of a child who ended up in NICU, required surgery through the womb, or anything like that, a lot of what Olivia Gordon discusses will obviously hit home. If you haven't been directly affected by such uncertain times, you'll no doubt find yourself moved by Olivia Gordon's honest and harrowing account. I was. I was astounded by what the medical profession can do to try and assist a sick baby both inside the womb, and out. I had no idea about half of the things mentioned in this book, and at times I was a little overwhelmed by the sheer extent of the medical jargon and what not.

There are a lot of medical facts throughout this book, of course, and there is also a lot of medical jargon which, to be perfectly honest, went over my head at times. Thankfully I had Google to help me to understand such terminology, and the author did give the definitions some of the time which helped, however there was still a lot that didn't make sense for someone who hadn't been in the position that Olivia Gordon had.

Like I say, I was blown away by the work of the surgeons, genetics teams and, the strength of the female body. I have had one child, a 9lb baby girl in 2013 and, even though I was classed as a high risk pregnancy due to my own illnesses, I to this day cannot quite believe what the human body can do. Seriously, females have 2 hearts in their bodies when they're pregnant, and then they have to try and expel the baby once the placenta says 'right, get out'. I mean, us ladies need to dilate to the size of a bagel. A BAGEL. Shocking really, isn't it. So yeah, I think the female body is an exceptional thing and, like 'First Breath' describes, there are many times where babies unfortunately do not make it into this world and my heart goes out to every single person who has had to go through that.

The science behind this book is utterly fascinating, medical jargon aside, and the way in which Olivia Gordon incorporates her own personal experience alongside it, was both mind-blowing and incredibly emotional. Not only did the author relieve her own heartache and give the other families (and their babies mentioned in the book) a voice, she also showed the reality of the aftermath so to speak. She didn't gloss over how difficult it was to have a child in NICU, or to have a child who ended up poorly with various challenges, for the rest of their life. She didn't pretend that everything was rosy, nor did she hide the devastation of the procedures the surgeons carried out through the womb, because that's just not life. It's not realistic and, as much as we would love no-one to endure the heartbreak of losing a child, multiple children, or even their spouse/family member due to pregnancy or giving birth, it happens. But then on the other hand, there could be an extremely sick baby yet due to advanced medical science and the knowledge of surgeons and other members of the medical team, that baby may pull through. 

I'm not going to sit here and say that 'The First Breath' was an easy read, because it wasn't. It was very difficult to read most of the time, due to the sheer amount of emotion throughout, yet it was also a read which opened my eyes to the incredible work of the medical profession. It also opened my eyes to the challenges that parents of sick babies face, as well as the emotional turmoil and stress throughout the whole process. It was very clear that the not knowing, or the uncertainty of the future was one of the hardest things to come to terms with, as was the putting the life of your child in someone else's hands.

'The First Breath' is a poignant, powerful, and devastating read which covers a topic a lot of mothers, fathers, and families will be able to relate with. I can only thank the author for sharing her own personal story, and I would like to send love to anyone who has ever been in this position.

I forgot that I had been allowed to review this book, then I kept seeing adverts for it, and really wanted to read it. Then I found the ARC on my kindle. Wow what a book, so well written that I couldn't put it down. Not the sort of book that I would normally read, but I think I have to think about that now that I have read this book. So much information, I kept finding myself saying to my husband, listen to this, who knew that, is it really only so few years since they could do this. How lucky are my girls that all this science is there to help them have babies.
I would recommend this book to everyone (except my 22 week pregnant daughter - who has already had a premature baby - maybe when she is 35 weeks plus).
Excellent book, read this book!

Wow, what a well written book this was to read. i liked the style of the book too - you had the personal stuff as we read about the lead up to Joel's birth and his struggle for life but at the same time, it felt like you were reading an academic book with the references to how medicine has got us to where we are. Well written, captivating but at the same time enjoyable to read.

A beautiful book- I defy anyone to read this and not feel in awe of our doctors and nurses, and also not to be in tears! A heart wrenching but ultimately hopeful read.

Absolutely fascinating insight into fetal and premature baby medicine. Such tiny frail babies surviving against all odds to grow up and have healthy lives. Amazing what the medics can do nowadays!

Not my usual choice of read but I really enjoyed this. Its equal part medical facts and actual true life stories. I was so amazed by some of the stories told in this book. This is a true eye opener into the world of unborn and premature babies. I had no idea how talented these Drs truly are. This was an extremely informative read and very moving in parts. Reading it from a Mothers perspective made this more than just a factual book and made you aware of the journeys some Parents and babies have to travel on and how that journey stays with them forever.