Bedside Reading
A medical humanities podcast for bibliophile health care professionals where we explore themes from fiction, memoir and other non traditional non-textbooks which help to make us better at what we do. Hosted by Dr Tara George, a GP and medical educator in each episode a different guest explores a book that has changed their practice. Follow us on Twitter @bedsidepodcast or instagram @bedsidereadingpodcast. If you'd like to recommend a book or to come on the podcast as a guest please email: bedsidereadingpodcast@gmail.com. Episodes hosted by Tara George, edited by Levi Gee
Bedside Reading
The Song of the Whole Wide World
Trigger warning: baby loss
This episode is especially for baby loss awareness week. Tamarin Norwood's incredible book about her son Gabriel
In the Lancet:
Wakley Prize Essay in the Lancet (2021)
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(21)02690-8/fulltext
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(21)02797-5/fulltext
About the book online:
If you want to buy the book: https://theindigopress.com/product/the-song-of-the-whole-wide-world/)
(or on Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Song-Whole-Wide-World-gut-wrenching/dp/191164873X)
Essay in the Sunday Times: https://www.thetimes.com/life-style/health-fitness/article/how-losing-my-baby-changed-my-idea-of-motherhood-r8jvdlcjb
Essay in the Independent: https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/baby-loss-ronaldo-child-grief-b2060596.html
Reviews of the book in the Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/feb/28/grieve-child-book-tamarin-norwood-memoir-pregnancy-death
and T&F journal Life Writing: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14484528.2024.2384755
The book and other writing-related work in healthcare:
- THE SONG OF THE WHOLE WIDE WORLD been added to medical and midwifery curricula in the UK (Cambridge University and Warwick Med School) and in Australia (Newcastle School of Nursing and Midwifery), and is now gifted to bereaved families by one baby loss charity (Held In Our Hearts) and was a World Book Day recommendation by Sands, the UK's principal baby loss charity. It is the subject of two case studies exploring the role of literature in compassionate healthcare training, to be presented at the upcoming NHS NES Conference.
- 'FROM THE HEART' NOTELETS are packs of note cards with memory and writing prompts for parents whose baby has sadly died. These were created by Tamarin Norwood and Scottish baby loss charity Held In Our Hearts with HEIC funding, and are now provided for bereaved parents across 5 NHS Boards in Scotland as part of their baby loss support, and are increasingly being taken up by hospitals in England including Great Ormond St Hospital.
I proposed these notecards in the following article: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14484528.2021.1871705
Contact:
t.g.norwood@lboro.ac.uk
@TamarinNorwood on