Outback Midwife is the story of Beth McRae’s 40 years as a midwife, from her terrifying first day witnessing a birth as a naïve student nurse to her training as a midwife – the days when the words ‘birth plan’ were unheard of and what women wanted was a long way from being part of any plan – to the outback. Beth's career of catching babies takes her from the city to the bush, bonding with people from all walks of life at one of the most important moments in their lives. But there was one more frontier she was determined to conquer. At a time when most people are thinking about slowing down, Beth decides to move to a remote Aboriginal community in Arnhem Land to embark on a whole other adventure.

In a new edition, twenty Australian midwives reflect on their practice and its changes with passionate midwife and bestselling author Fiona McArthur Midwives play a vital role in supporting women through some of the most challenging and rewarding moments of their lives. These remarkable professionals watch over births across Australia from the remote outback to busy urban hospitals. Meet Annie, working on the tiny island of Saibai where mothers arrive by dinghy; Kate, a clinical midwifery consultant, who sees women with high-risk pregnancies; Priscilla and Jillian who fly thousands of miles to get mothers and babies to hospital safely with the Royal Flying Doctor Service; and Louise, who gives impromptu consultations in the aisles of the local supermarket. Funny one minute and heartbreaking the next, Aussie Midwives explores the joys, emotion and drama of childbirth and the lasting effect it has on the people who work in this extraordinary profession. PRAISE FOR FIONA MCARTHUR 'McArthur...has great skill in storytelling.' Sydney Morning Herald 'Reading Fiona McArthur is like wrapping yourself in a warm blanket and sitting under the stars.' Rachael Johns 'I never miss one of Fiona McArthur's books.' Sam Still Reading

Like Beth McCrae's bestselling Outback Midwife, these real–life stories come from Australian midwives working in the outback, where they share their experiences of that most commonplace but miraculous event, the birth of a child. Sweet, funny and sometimes sad, these stories share what it is to be an Australian midwife in remote areas where resources are limited. A moving and celebratory collection of tales that brings you close to the drama and wonder of birth. Each of the thirteen midwives in this book work in extreme locations with few resources, but armed with only courage and skill, they regularly save lives and birth babies in difficult circumstances –on an airstrip, a cattle station, a dinghy (knee–deep in water with a wary eye out for the local croc), a troop–carrier or in the face of a cyclone. These stories are a tribute to both the skill of the midwives and the courage of the mothers. For these women, midwifery is not just a job - it's a committed and passionate way of life.

What if the love of your life forgot who you were? When outback midwife Ava May meets Zac on a flight to Alice Springs, they tumble into a whirlwind affair. But an exciting adventure leads to a terrible accident, with shattering consequences. The couple who had so much going for them now find themselves with everything to lose. Devastated, Ava retreats to her family cattle station to help salvage what she can of the critical situation. But at home on the drought-ridden farm, her brother is being pushed to his limits, and as his depression intensifies, Ava must step in to prevent another family tragedy. Against the majestic backdrop of Australia's Red Centre, old dreams are shattered, new babies are born and true love takes flight. By Australia's renowned midwife and bestselling author of Mothers' Day, The Desert Midwife is a romantic drama about strong women, medical miracles and new beginnings.

Burra District Hospital's maternity unit is under threat and will close for births unless a new obstetrician can be found. Midwife Noni Frost needs a miracle. A single mum, Noni lives with her young son, Harley, and her Aunt Win, a free spirit and the beating heart of Burra Guest House. Noni's world is disrupted when Iain McCloud and his pregnant teenage daughter Jacinta move into the guesthouse to await the birth of her baby. There's instant chemistry between Iain and Noni, although he has no plans to stay on in town. But when Jacinta shares explosive family secrets with Noni and an unexpected crisis occurs, everyone's lives come crashing down around them. Set among the white gum trees and flowing waters of the NSW northern rivers, this is a heartfelt and dramatic story about new babies, new friends and new loves, which shows that when strong women come together in a time of crisis, they can overcome even the greatest odds.

From the First Nation caregivers who healed, birthed and nursed for millennia to the untrained and ill-equipped convict men and women who cared for the sick in the fledgling colony of New South Wales, nursing has been practised in Australia since the beginning. It would take the arrival of a group of dedicated Irish nuns, followed by Florence Nightingale-trained nurses - and decades of constant and continuing campaigning - to transform nursing into what it is today: the most trusted profession in Australia. Nurses will recognise their own lived experience in stories about training days, nurses' quarters, changing uniforms, changing roles, the arrival of male nurses and current pathways to nursing. Produced in collaboration with the Australian College of Nursing and the Congress of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nurses and Midwives, with additional information provided by the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation, this is the story of nursing in Australia.