10 Parenting Lessons From Call The Midwife That Still Ring True

Those midwives know what’s up.

The nuns and midwives of Nonnatus House don’t just help bring babies into the world, they all pitch in to make sure those children thrive along with the rest of Poplar Street. Because parenting is easier when you have a village.

Season 10 of Call the Midwife saw a young mom in an abusive marriage try to end her own pregnancy, inspiring Nurse Trixie to write a letter calling for legal abortion. Because no woman should be forced to give birth against their will.

The midwives of Nonnatus House have a strict no-judgment rule, even the nuns. Teen moms, single moms, babies born out of wedlock, it doesn’t matter. Everyone is treated with love because there’s just no room for judgment.

Call the Midwife does not shy away from the realities of childbirth. The pain, the messiness, even the vomiting. Because having babies is not for the feint of heart.

Even moms who seem like they have everything together, all moms need someone to make them a cup of tea, tell them to have a nap, and give them a break from carrying their load for awhile.

Call the Midwife was ahead of its time when it came to breastfeeding vs. formula. The series shows a young mom struggling to breastfeed and the midwives eased her insecurity by remind her that formula is not, in fact, evil. Because fed is truly best.

Especially when dealing with heartbreak, as often happens on Poplar Street. Mothers and babies die in childbirth, sickness is everywhere, and the midwives are always there to offer a shoulder to cry on. (Even when they want to cry themselves.)

Call the Midwife is set in a time when women in poor neighborhoods like Poplar did not have access to advanced maternal health care. The series really breaks down how poor maternal health affects every corner of society, and boy does it still resonate.

When one young mom wanted to go into midwife training, she had no choice but to temporarily put her daughter in a children’s home. It was a difficult decision, but Call the Midwife is all about moms finding their own way, and prioritizing their own lives is ultimately the right choice.

Children are everywhere on Poplar Street. Long after the midwives have delivered them, babies are being watched by neighbors and friends. Children join their parents at work. They are not hidden away. They are just... there. With everyone.