Emma Willis: Delivering Babies (2018) s01e02 Episode Script
Episode 2
1
Really hard, really hard.
With everything you've got.
From the moment her first daughter
was born,
television presenter and mother of
three, Emma Willis,
has been in awe of midwives.
Another deep breath in.
You can! You can!
You just, kind of, sit back and go,
what incredible women,
what an incredible job.
Push now! Push, come on.
That was when my mission to
deliver babies began.
Emma's been given
a unique opportunity
to find out just what it takes
to work on the front line of
a busy maternity unit.
If you're going to do
something like this,
you have to do it properly.
Hi! Hi.
At a time when there is
a national shortage of midwives,
Emma will immerse herself
on the ward for ten weeks,
supporting the team.
I just wanted to see if we could get
some contractions going.
She will share the pressures
Pull the emergency button.
I need some help here! Where is it?
..the fears
Your heart is going Yup.
It's coming out, it's coming out.
..and the joys
I've even been written up
on the board!
You're a dad! It's a girl.
..of delivering babies.
Well done, you.
KNOCK ON THE DOOR
Are we going in?
It's really emotional seeing little
babies in that situation.
After four days of waiting,
I'd be like
..I just want to meet this baby now,
please just do whatever it takes.
We're going to have a baby today.
Are we?
It will happen today.
That's the one. This is it,
that's it. Keep it there! Keep it
there! Keep it there.
SCREAMING
Fantastic! Well done!
Emma is two weeks in to her job
as a maternity care assistant.
Bin?
And she has yet to see a natural
birth in the hospital
Hello. You all right?
She's hoping that second time mum,
Carly,
who's here with her husband Colin,
might be her first.
Carly was induced four hours ago.
How are you feeling?
Yeah, good. Good, yeah.
I've not been here very
long, so, I'm all right
at the moment. But I'm
How are you feeling?
All right, yeah.
A little bit sleepy.
He's bored. Bit bored, yeah.
He's bored all ready, but, yeah.
When did you come in?
This morning, so not long.
I've been induced about 12.30 so
Today?
Today, so, erm, yeah, was hoping
for today but I don't think
I'm going to be that lucky.
Aw. But we'll see.
What have you been induced for?
I'm having My first baby was very
big and this one is also big,
so, they didn't want me to go over,
like I did with my first. Oh, OK.
I've got gestational diabetes
this time, as well.
And diabetes makes bigger babies
Yeah, I didn't have it with
my first, but, erm, they just
wanted me to be safe, so
How big was the first one?
Ten pound eight, yeah.
Oh! Yeah, no, yeah.
Wonder Woman right there.
It was really quick, my first one.
Yeah. I was induced at 12.30
and I had her quarter to eight
the same day.
So, I was really lucky,
but The same process?
Same process, but I was late.
I was 12 days late with her
so I don't think. 12:30 and you
had her at quarter to eight? Yes.
And you were induced at 12 o'clock?
Today, so So, I'll
still be on shift
Yeah when you have this one.
But I was in the labour ward
by this time then, so, yeah,
I don't Yeah.
Right, well, if you need anything,
just press the call button. All
right? Thank you very much.
Thank you! Cheers!
See you later! Bye-bye.
Carly and I have been
together for five years.
We met online.
And yeah, it was love at first
sight.
Online. If that happens.
We have a little girl
who is two and a half,
so, yeah, when Mia was born,
she come out and she looked
like a swollen bubble,
she was just, like, a big baby.
She's a wonderful kid,
she's a legend, she is good.
So, is it bottom sheet,
top sheet and blanket, Val?
That's it, and a pillow case.
And a pillow case.
Just like all the other
maternity care assistants,
Emma will be trained and
tested in new skills throughout
her time at the hospital.
Beds the other day, as well?
I did.
I love the learning aspect of it.
I love learning.
Especially about something that
I've always been fascinated by.
Oh, that one's flopped. So,
you can never teach me enough.
I think I get scared when I have to
put it into practice.
I keep I find myself going,
"Oh, no, I'll just watch again."
Cos I'm scared to cross that line
of
being a student and then actually
putting something into practice.
Nice.
Today, training and development
midwife, Mandy,
will be teaching Emma how to take
a manual blood pressure.
It's blood pressure time!
Blood pressure time.
So, yes, we said we were going
how to teach you
It's a skill that's crucial
to the role,
but one that's very tricky to
master.
So you put it on so that little
arrow goes around. Yeah.
And then you pump it up.
Oh, you have got a pulse.
That's good.
And then you just let
the air out slowly.
Now if you watch, when you see,
when you hear the top reading,
you'll see the arrow.
Yeah, it, kind of oh! Pulsates.
Almost moves like a heartbeat.
OK? Yeah. All right, right so you're
going to have a go on me. Yes.
That's for you. OK. That goes there.
Mm-hm. Excellent.
You might want to put the things in
your ears, so that you can hear it.
That would help.
Ah!
I can hear it! Hold on.
So, I think I started hearing it
at about 135. Mm-hm.
And it went by 75.
Do you think that's right?
Yes, but I think we might have to
let the air out soon.
My hand's going blue.
Let's not kill Mandy today, please.
So, that's really good. So, I got it
right? So, you got it right.
Yes, Mandy! I feel like it's
a real achievement,
do you know what I mean,
that I've done it?
I can hear it.
I know what I'm listening for.
Now, I just want to practise lots.
As part of her role
on the antenatal ward
Are you going to take my
blood pressure? If you don't mind.
..Emma carries out regular
observations on the mums to be.
What's that? 36.9. Lovely.
Thank you very much, Lianne.
Second-time mum Lianne
and her husband Ashley,
who works in the mortuary
at the hospital,
have just arrived on the ward.
Feeling all right?
Stay at home mum Lianne is
34 weeks pregnant with twins
Sore, still. Are you?
..but is already experiencing
contractions.
I seem to be getting every now and
again really painful
contraction
and then it, kind of,
just disappears.
They like to play around, though,
these little monkeys.
Just think about what it's going to
be like when they're here. I know.
Positive, rosy thoughts.
The difference between this time
and with Ben is that we're sort of
more prepared for it. Yeah. So
Was he early, as well?
No, I had a really bad labour. Oh.
I think it was like
a three, four day labour
and I was just so exhausted,
and they said it was
similar to wet lung,
where basically
I just couldn't squeeze
That's what I had with my son!
Was he really bloated? My son looked
like He was really puffy.
..like a bulldog when he came out.
I was like whoa!
Do you need anything? What do you
want, if you could have anything?
Like are you hungry or thirsty
or?
Painkillers. Oh, OK.
Thank you. Like serious stuff.
Thank you. Thank you.
Our first-born Ben, he went down to
neo-natal intensive care
and obviously there's
all these machines and
everything beeps constantly,
so yeah, that's
why I'm quite nervous of
the twins being born early.
It's still five weeks early,
they're twins so they're
going to be smaller anyway,
there's a lot more chance of
things not being as they should be.
You know what's going to happen?
They'll stay like this and then this
evening they'll kick off again.
Before her shift ends,
Emma checks in with MCA, Chris,
to find out the plan for
Lianne's babies.
She's having twins, they're breech,
they're saying she may need to
go in for a section.
However, the decision won't be made
until the doctors' review.
And I suppose the overall goal
is to try and keep
the babies in as long as possible?
Ideally. 34 plus three
is not really
That would be premature.
So, 37 onwards,
that's considered term. Right.
See you later, bye! Bye-bye.
In the early hours of the morning,
there is a change in
Lianne's condition.
Two three
Her waters have broken and
she's been rushed into theatre
for an emergency Caesarean section.
How you doing?
Nervous, a little bit.
Why? Because they're so early?
So early, yeah.
Lianne's twins are
five weeks premature.
There's nothing that we can do.
I know there's nothing we can do.
So the team at the hospital
are concerned for their safety.
In theatre, when a mum is having
a Caesarean section,
most women don't really,
understandably,
want to see a surgeon
cutting into their abdomen.
We tend to put a screen
up in front of the mother,
whereas the poor old fathers are
sitting there,
much more aware of what's going on.
And it is very scary
because they're sitting
watching someone
they love in pain.
And that can be really hard.
MACHINE BEEPS
You OK? Yeah.
Have they started yet? Or?
7:13.
Just six minutes into the operation
and the first twin is born.
Yay! Eh! Oh, hello, baby! Hello!
The team can see that
he's not breathing properly.
You can see the baby,
I can't see the baby. Hello.
So he's taken immediately
to be given respiratory support.
Right, first one's out.
So, 7:19.
If a baby comes out and at delivery
isn't breathing properly,
the baby goes over to
the neo-natal resuscitaire
and you hope the babies are going
to cry and start responding to you.
Two minutes later, twin two is born.
Hello! Hello! Hello! Aw.
Oh, hello. Who was that?
That's your second one.
Is everything all right
with the first one, yeah?
The second twin is happy
and healthy,
but twin one is still
having trouble breathing.
We'll get the nurse
to come back over
and let us know what's happening.
BABY CRIES
I think so,
I can't see what's going
on over there, at the second, so
If you get a baby that you are
getting no response,
then you know that you're getting
into all sorts of trouble.
You can just hear
the sense of urgency
..and it is really frightening.
As time ticks by, there is still
no sound from twin one.
LIANNE: I want to see him!
It's been 20 minutes since
Lianne and Ashley's babies were
born five weeks premature.
And twin one is still
needing help to breathe.
I love you. Love you, too.
The doctor is going to come
and speak to us.
Hello, hi. Hello.
Congratulations! Thank you!
They haven't been squeezed.
Thank you very much!
OK, no problem at all.
Basically the same as Ben then.
Same as Ben, bit of wet lung.
Check for the infection obviously,
they're helping them.
That's it.
Congratulations! Thank you.
Thank you.
Twin one is breathing on his own
and out of immediate danger.
You all right for me to go over?
I've asked if I can go over.
But everything looks OK? Yeah,
they're breathing on their own,
we're just supporting them.
Helping them along. OK, fantastic.
Dad, did you want to cut this
little one's cord? Yeah.
Lianne has yet to meet her
babies in person.
Right, that's Keep going, almost
there. Sorry! No, you're fine.
But for now, she'll have to
make do with a picture.
I meant to ask, am I OK to take
a picture of the two so
she can see? Yes.
Yeah?
OK, thank you!
Oh, there's a leg!
They're both breathing on their own,
they're both fine.
They're just giving them a little
bit of oxygen, just to help them
along basically.
But they're both fine?
But they're both fine.
That's twin two.
That's twin two? Yeah.
That's twin one.
Are they both going to go down
to NICU yeah? Yeah. Do we know
how long for? Or is it?
Erm, we don't it's hard to,
sort of, give you a
a timescale it just depends on
how they respond. OK, fantastic!
With the team happy the twins
are now stable enough to be moved,
they take them directly to the
neo-natal intensive care unit
also known as NICU.
Where they can be given additional
support to aid their breathing.
What's his name?
That was twin This is twin one.
Twin one, that's Matthew.
So, Lucas and Matthew?
Lucas, twin two.
Lianne remains on the labour ward
to recover from her C-section,
but dad Ashley follows his sons
to intensive care.
Are these your first babies?
Second and third.
MACHINE BEEPING
It's been just 40 minutes
since the twins were born
and Emma is back on shift.
Let's cover you up before
you wee over everyone, huh?
She's come straight to
intensive care
to meet Ashley
and his newborn boys.
So, you're good?
Yes, nervous, but as soon as
I knew what was going on and that
everything was OK Yeah.
..and one of them they reckon
might have a bit of wet lung again,
same as Ben did. Yeah.
I suppose that's a relief, right?
Yeah, no, definitely.
One them is breathing absolutely
fine on his own,
the other one needs a little bit
of help still just, sort of,
palpitating the lungs and stuff.
I was expecting them to be really
tiny but they look pretty good.
And how's Lianne?
She's fine. Yeah, she was sick
on me when they gave
her the spinal
But that's allowed. Yep.
It's really emotional seeing
little babies in that situation.
The reality is that lots of babies
need help,
whether they are
premature or term babies
and to be around that
is a real eye-opener.
The twins will remain on
intensive care until they are
breathing without assistance
and could be here for up to a week.
Congratulations!
Thank you very much.
While the twins arrived early
..four days later, Carly and Colin
are still waiting for their baby
to make an appearance.
She's not doing all right?
She is at the last stage now, so,
she's literally just sitting there
waiting for the doctors to come.
I remember seeing her when I left
on Friday, just bouncing.
Yeah. She's still on it now.
Is she? Yeah. Still hoping.
You go in there, she'll be on it.
Aww.
Enjoy your coffee,
keep going with it.
You come in all excited,
because you're going to be induced
and you think,
"I'm going to have a baby today,
if not today probably tomorrow"
Four days later
I think if it were me, after four
days of waiting, I'd be like,
"I just want to meet this baby now,
please, just do whatever it takes."
Thank you very much.
I think the worst part now is just
waiting, if I have to the six hours,
before I can have anything else
done. Well, you're going to
have to now. Yeah.
We'll see. We'll see I might be in
by then, I don't know.
Hopefully.
I'm very tired after
sleeping in the car.
Did you sleep in the car
last night? Yeah, I did, yeah.
What? Seriously? You're not
allowed to stay on the ward?
No, I can, but unfortunately
the chair's not very comfortable.
Um, so yeah, I decided
to sleep in the car with
my Paw Patrol blanket.
Emma needs to practise her newly
learned skill of taking
manual blood pressure
before she is tested
by Mandy later in the week.
Can you just relax your arm, Amber?
But this time she'll be
practising on a patient.
What was it?! 96 maybe.
OK.
I'll recheck it. I think you should.
Can you hear No, nothing.
..any beat or anything?
No.
And she needs
all the practice she can get.
142/88.
88. Yeah. What did I say, 98?
That was quite far off,
that was really bad.
I'm gutted. Sorry, I feel bad now
No, don't. It's good practice.
It was really, really
difficult actually. Was it?
Yeah, I struggled. That's
why I had to go back up and
So it wasn't just? No, it was
really quite difficult to hear.
I just crashed and burned then,
didn't I?
She said it was very faint though
so it's hard to hear
so I'm going with that for now.
In any 24 hour period at the
hospital, there are an average
of 10 babies born, and some are born
much quicker than others.
WOMAN GROANS
On birthing unit, first
time mum Victoria has just arrived
with her mum Maxine and partner Jon.
That's it! It's still there.
VIGOROUS SUSTAINED YELL
She's only been in the hospital
for 45 minutes
and is already fully dilated.
Fantastic, well done!
SUSTAINED YELL
That's it! That's it, Victoria.
Try hold that breath in and you can
focus all your energy
38-year-old Victoria and her partner
Jon have been at the hospital
for less than an hour.
Midwife Charlotte is guiding
Victoria through
her first contractions.
That's the one, it's still there.
I have been a midwife for three and
a half years.
Well done, that's fantastic,
that's brilliant, that's the one.
And I do love it
It's a job that I think I'll
I have always wanted to do this job.
Since sort of year 10 at
high school.
So I followed it through and
I'm here now.
But Victoria's labour is progressing
much faster
than Charlotte was expecting.
That's the one, this is it,
Victoria.
Keep it there, keep it there,
keep it there.
Things do change and
babies decide to come out a
little bit quicker or Yeah,
quicker than you first imagine!
You've got to be quick on your feet.
You just have to keep rolling
with it.
Go on, bare down right into
your bottom.
VICTORIA YELLS
That's it, Victoria.
Let's get the beds out. Turn round.
Yeah, of course you can, Victoria.
When you get a contraction
just pull this knee right back.
You're near! I can't!
You can! You can!
Try a little bit longer push
and that baby
will really come round that corner.
You have got to be that strong head,
really, to make sure
that they have trust in you.
That's it, well done,
baby's head's born.
Well done, that's brilliant.
Victoria has been in established
labour for only two hours.
You all right?
Go on, that's it.
Big push, big push, big push.
That's it, go on.
That's it, baby's coming,
baby's coming
Here we go, here's your boy,
here's your boy.
Here we go.
Well done, you.
BABY CRIES
He's here, he's here!
Look at him.
I like that, I like the buzz.
It's very good.
That is why I come back every day.
Do you want to check
he's definitely a boy?
LAUGHTER
Look, look, look!
It's 8.30am
Is it going to be right?
..and 13 hours since baby Jaxson was
born.
Emma's first job is to check on
Victoria and her newborn baby.
You're having a right
snooze, aren't you?
Tea. The pressure of tea.
What colour do people like it -
strong, milky?
What is it meant to be?
Where do you want it, up there?
Lovely, thank you. OK.
Is he OK? Yes. Can you believe it?
Absolutely can't believe it.
I just keep looking and thinking
he's mine, I made him.
He's your first child, right?
Absolutely.
The midwife said it would probably
be seven pounds, you know?
Probably late 6. Yeah.
8 lbs 15! I was like Blimey!
Cos I'm only 5 ft 2, my partner's
only 5ft 4!
And then this chunker comes out.
It's amazing. Well, my mum, I think,
yeah, she was three hours with me.
Oh, wow, so
family history of quick labours.
You have a poster child,
look how easy it can be!
I wouldn't go that far!
He's a beaut. Mm-hmm.
Midwife Carey needs to show Emma
how to do a baby check.
Do you want to pop him in the cot
for me? Can I?
Yeah.
I'm surrounded by babies
all day long, right?
And all of them are super cute.
I haven't seen one funny
looking one yet.
Sneaky little cuddle.
And I have got to admit
it's making me quite broody.
Not broody enough to have a fourth,
let me just put that out there.
But it definitely does take you back
to that wonderful nostalgia
so you remember all the good bits.
BABY CRIES
We'll get him dressed
and give him back to Mummy.
BABY CONTINUES CRYING
You can never seem to dress
them quick enough, can you,
when they cry? No.
It's like, "Ah, ah!"
Just panic.
But then you remember the not so fun
bits and you're like,
broodiness has gone.
BABY CRIES
Oh, baby!
Oh, look at that.
What did they do?
Instant peace.
BABY SNEEZES Oh, bless you!
Strip? Yeah, strip everything.
And that will all go in the bag.
In this bit?
Mine's broken.
After practising taking manual blood
pressure all week, Emma is ready to
have her skills tested by learning
and development midwife, Mandy.
Hi.
Are you OK if I do, um, a manual
blood pressure on you? Yeah.
Is that OK?
OK.
I'd like you to check it.
114/72.
110/74. So you were right.
Yay!
Happy? Happy.
Great. OK, thank you so much.
Give us a shout if you need
anything.
Oh, no! It's that look,
it's that look!
You let the air out
a little bit fast,
but you have passed everything. Yay!
Well done. Thank you.
So I'm going to sign here.
I love that word, when you write it.
I know, it's good, isn't it?
I like putting that word in as well.
And a signature?
Yup, that's it.
You are now officially competent at
taking manual blood pressures.
I always have that little,
little negative Nelly, I call her,
that lives in the back of my head,
that goes,
"Don't be too confident,
don't be too confident.
"Err on the side of caution
"and then you won't be disappointed
if you fail."
But she wasn't necessary.
Cos I passed!
Thank you. You're very welcome.
I'm going to pop these back.
Can I nick these trays?
Not going to get told off?
Carley has been induced three times,
but after five days of waiting,
she still hasn't had her baby.
The midwives have decided
to take action. Carley?
Yeah. Good news or the bad?
You're going to the labour ward.
What's the bad news then?
No bad news.
I think the bad news is because I'm
looking after you.
Hi, my name is Nagmeh. Nice to meet
you. Hi, nice to meet you.
As Carley is carrying a
very large baby,
and since none of her
inductions have worked,
the midwives are going to break
Carley's waters manually.
I'll bring the heavy stuff
You bring the pillows.
You get your flip-flops
and your baby.
Yeah,
you bring yourself and that bump.
With labour, you never know which
way it is going.
You are one step closer.
There is a saying in my country,
we say it's like a watermelon.
You know, a watermelon,
you don't know what colour is inside
and what it tastes like
until you've opened it.
Ooh, you've got a little pool, too!
Labour takes a different course.
Some are long, some are mediocre
and some are superfast.
This is like a suite!
Well, you've got a nice bit of room.
Where's the beer fridge?
LAUGHTER
It must be nice just to get out of
that ward as well? Yes.
Just a change of scenery.
Especially with three new people.
I honestly thought that at
least one of them, probably two,
were going to go before me.
Especially when we were in there and
20 minutes they're like, "Oh, oh"
But no, my turn.
LAUGHTER
A side effect of Carley's
gestational diabetes is
that there is a large amount of
fluid around her baby.
This means breaking
her waters is high-risk.
When they break the waters for them,
if it's not controlled, the fluid
can gush out with gravity, and with
it, it will bring a loop of cord.
Which is a condition which
is called a cord prolapse. OK.
Cos the cord should not come
out of the vagina.
If the cord does happen to
come out Yeah.
..we've got to put our fingers in
and press and push the head up,
so there is no pressure of the
head on the cord.
Because what happens,
if the cord has come out,
the head will come and sit on the
cord.
The head is hard, it's bone.
And it will cut off the
blood supply.
So you literally have to We then
have to hold it up hold it up.
The midwife will be on the bed,
with the patient.
So you are pushing the
head to go up.
And they will then push us
to go to theatre.
I mean, all the years I've been
here,
I've probably seen a handful.
OK.
And I don't want to see Have you
ever done one? Yes, I have, yes.
Wow! Wow! And your heart is going.
Yeah, I bet it is.
We all want a perfect pregnancy,
a safe labour and a safe outcome.
And our job as midwives and
obstetricians, if there is any
abnormalities, issues, concerns,
is to explain, to reassure,
to do all investigations and get
the mums involved in their care.
So, it's not straightforward? No.
With Emma and MCA Sarah standing by,
the doctor can begin
breaking her waters.
All right, can you come down a
little bit, please.
Yup, that's good.
Just the pressure on your tummy now.
You are doing good. Perfect.
It's all going to be over
in a minute, OK?
Carley, you're OK there?
Trying to stabilise. Yeah.
Because I can actually
feel when you push,
I can actually feel
a body pulse under my hand.
After being induced three times,
second time mum Carley is now
on the labour yard having her waters
broken manually by the doctor.
Nearly halfway there.
Let go? Yeah, OK.
You're doing absolutely fine for
now. So that's good.
The procedure has gone to plan.
Did you see the amount of fluid?
Yeah,
it's all on the floor as well!
Thank you. Thanks.
Perfect.
All right, thank you.
I'll see you in a few minutes.
Thank you very much.
Thank you, Emma. Thank you.
Thanks, Sarah. Thanks, Sarah.
Nagmeh. Thank you. Sarah.
LAUGHTER
That was so fake!
Thank you, Sarah. For being the
best buddy. You're very welcome.
Carley now faces another wait
for her contractions to begin
as Emma's shift comes to an end.
Well, I suppose I get conflicted
about the fact I don't want
to go home now.
Like, I've been here for 13 hours,
it's eight o'clock at night.
As much as I want to see my
husband, I want to
I kind of want to see that
baby being born!
See you in a bit. See you later.
But I'm gutted I'm not going to be
there
but have your baby safe and sound.
That's like all I want.
They're such a lovely couple.
Almost 12 hours after Carley's
waters were broken,
Emma is back on shift and heading
straight to the labour ward.
Still haven't had it?
Haven't had a baby.
Midwife Emily will be the one
coaching Carley
through her contractions.
So there is a possibility that I
haven't missed the
Well, I haven't missed the baby.
You haven't missed the birth.
And I might witness it.
It will happen today. Are we?
The baby is coming today.
So this is my first
natural delivery in a hospital.
Oh, with you! Fingers crossed.
We better get back in there before
she starts shouting for me.
Here we come. OK.
Let baby steer that contraction.
One way we can go back is when
you're relaxing
because your contractions
will let your body just relax and
deal with that kind of thing. OK?
Carley has had an epidural and is on
gas and air for the pain.
Beautiful. Let this one build.
Relax those legs for me.
Think about baby coming down
through that pelvis.
This contraction, take another big
breath on the gas now
I want you to push into your bottom,
I want you to push hard.
A bit longer.
You are beautiful.
Everyone in here is wonderful.
For the final stage of her labour,
Carley has her mum Carol
and her husband Colin by her side.
OK. So, unlike first babies,
where it takes ages to get baby
down that U-bend, with the pushing,
it doesn't take that long with
second time mummies
and we don't need to wait for
a baby to come down so low.
Every time we get baby down,
the worst thing we can do between
pushes is panic and stop and
let baby slip. OK.
We get trained a lot as midwives how
to calm the adrenaline in
a room and just calm
everything down.
The whole way through a contraction
it's like a deep breath in
and it's a bearing down for a
long and hard as you can,
breathing out I think you're
going to push
this baby out beautifully.
All right?
Just have the confidence.
I'm someone, personally,
that laughs a lot with my ladies.
So I do try and kind of relieve the
tension by doing that.
Can you tilt your bottom
slightly to face me.
So you bring your bottom towards me
slightly. That's it, and drop-down.
Beautiful.
Next contraction, only one big pop
of the gas before we start.
Bear down into your bottom
for as long as hard
and strong as possible. I want to
see that face go a little bit. Yeah?
Get angry with it. And let's have
this baby soon, all right?
After only 15 minutes of pushing
Go on, really go for it.
..the top of Carley's baby's
head is visible.
That is your baby's head there.
Come on, let's get you to use
this contraction, whole thing.
Beautiful.
The baby's got black hair.
Colin, can you just press the normal
buzzer to call another midwife in?
And Wendy will just come
in the room.
I can already see this much of
baby's head.
You've done two pushes.
OK, this is going to be a different
experience to the last time,
OK, sweetheart? Yeah.
KNOCK ON DOOR Come in.
Hello, it's Wendy. Hi, Wendy.
We've done two pushes and we're
vertex visible.
Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful.
Incredible. OK.
It's going to get to a point,
Carley,
when we're delivering baby's
head, when I'm going to say "pant".
OK. So listen really closely.
So we're going to push to that
point really hard
and I'll go "pant", "ooo, ooo, ooo".
All I'd say is the longer you can
push down between breaths in,
the quicker baby will come.
OK?
CARLEY GROANS
Big deep breath in.
EMMA GASPS
Oh, Carly, you're amazing,
you're amazing, you're amazing.
Well done, well done.
Going to go for me.
It's going to sting, my lovely.
Push against that sting.
Get angry with it.
It's the last little bit you have
to do now, my lovely.
We'll find out if you've got
a little boy or little girl.
Well done.
SHE GROANS
Relax those legs if you
can for me.
SHE GROANS
A little bit more,
I know, I know.
Well done. Lovely.
SHE PANTS
No gas and air, just push down.
Just go for it. Go on.
Open your eyes, open your eyes,
baby's coming.
SHE GROANS
What have we got, Daddy?
Got another girl.
BABY CRIES
You tell Mummy all about it.
After six long days of waiting,
there's finally a new addition to
Carley and Colin's family.
Oh, that was a much easier
than your sister.
BABY CONTINUES CRYING
Sorry, yes. You are incredible.
Thank you. That was amazing.
What's so bad?
Oh, don't make Mummy sad.
All birth is just amazing, that's
why I do my job. I love all births.
I quite like the ones I get
to deliver though, I must admit.
Cos then I get to put my name in
the little book and say,
I delivered that baby.
Is that all right?
Hello. You came out shouting,
didn't you?
You are a chunky baby,
I think you're smaller than your
sister, though.
Oh!
Congratulations.
Thank you, thank you.
Colin's like that. "Phew!"
LAUGHTER It's exhausting.
Hello, Dad, are you all right?
It is the chunkiest cord I've
seen in a long time.
So it might take a couple of snaps.
Go for it.
When you watch those parents see
that baby for the first time,
just the look of
..the look of unconditional love
that is from a parent to a child.
And then they get emotional
and you see their eyes fill up
and you look at the dad.
And then all of a sudden,
they're this little unit
and they're
all united and they're all together.
And I could just literally
cry for days!
About 9 lb, 9.5 lb baby, a least.
Yeah. Born at 10.12am.
Hello, chunky!
And I think I need to get a bit
stronger, though.
421.6.
I could cry again now.
I need
I need to be stronger, I think.
9 lbs 4oz.
Have you got that, Emma?
Yeah, I've got it. I've got it.
Hello. It's mummy.
BABY CRIES
WOMAN GROANS
Amy? Amy? Amy?
I keep forgetting to breathe,
I keep going
There is so much hair,
you're doing so well.
She passed out. Yeah. Completely?
On poor Sarah. Honest to God, on me.
Oh!
Can you pass out lying down?
Really hard, really hard.
With everything you've got.
From the moment her first daughter
was born,
television presenter and mother of
three, Emma Willis,
has been in awe of midwives.
Another deep breath in.
You can! You can!
You just, kind of, sit back and go,
what incredible women,
what an incredible job.
Push now! Push, come on.
That was when my mission to
deliver babies began.
Emma's been given
a unique opportunity
to find out just what it takes
to work on the front line of
a busy maternity unit.
If you're going to do
something like this,
you have to do it properly.
Hi! Hi.
At a time when there is
a national shortage of midwives,
Emma will immerse herself
on the ward for ten weeks,
supporting the team.
I just wanted to see if we could get
some contractions going.
She will share the pressures
Pull the emergency button.
I need some help here! Where is it?
..the fears
Your heart is going Yup.
It's coming out, it's coming out.
..and the joys
I've even been written up
on the board!
You're a dad! It's a girl.
..of delivering babies.
Well done, you.
KNOCK ON THE DOOR
Are we going in?
It's really emotional seeing little
babies in that situation.
After four days of waiting,
I'd be like
..I just want to meet this baby now,
please just do whatever it takes.
We're going to have a baby today.
Are we?
It will happen today.
That's the one. This is it,
that's it. Keep it there! Keep it
there! Keep it there.
SCREAMING
Fantastic! Well done!
Emma is two weeks in to her job
as a maternity care assistant.
Bin?
And she has yet to see a natural
birth in the hospital
Hello. You all right?
She's hoping that second time mum,
Carly,
who's here with her husband Colin,
might be her first.
Carly was induced four hours ago.
How are you feeling?
Yeah, good. Good, yeah.
I've not been here very
long, so, I'm all right
at the moment. But I'm
How are you feeling?
All right, yeah.
A little bit sleepy.
He's bored. Bit bored, yeah.
He's bored all ready, but, yeah.
When did you come in?
This morning, so not long.
I've been induced about 12.30 so
Today?
Today, so, erm, yeah, was hoping
for today but I don't think
I'm going to be that lucky.
Aw. But we'll see.
What have you been induced for?
I'm having My first baby was very
big and this one is also big,
so, they didn't want me to go over,
like I did with my first. Oh, OK.
I've got gestational diabetes
this time, as well.
And diabetes makes bigger babies
Yeah, I didn't have it with
my first, but, erm, they just
wanted me to be safe, so
How big was the first one?
Ten pound eight, yeah.
Oh! Yeah, no, yeah.
Wonder Woman right there.
It was really quick, my first one.
Yeah. I was induced at 12.30
and I had her quarter to eight
the same day.
So, I was really lucky,
but The same process?
Same process, but I was late.
I was 12 days late with her
so I don't think. 12:30 and you
had her at quarter to eight? Yes.
And you were induced at 12 o'clock?
Today, so So, I'll
still be on shift
Yeah when you have this one.
But I was in the labour ward
by this time then, so, yeah,
I don't Yeah.
Right, well, if you need anything,
just press the call button. All
right? Thank you very much.
Thank you! Cheers!
See you later! Bye-bye.
Carly and I have been
together for five years.
We met online.
And yeah, it was love at first
sight.
Online. If that happens.
We have a little girl
who is two and a half,
so, yeah, when Mia was born,
she come out and she looked
like a swollen bubble,
she was just, like, a big baby.
She's a wonderful kid,
she's a legend, she is good.
So, is it bottom sheet,
top sheet and blanket, Val?
That's it, and a pillow case.
And a pillow case.
Just like all the other
maternity care assistants,
Emma will be trained and
tested in new skills throughout
her time at the hospital.
Beds the other day, as well?
I did.
I love the learning aspect of it.
I love learning.
Especially about something that
I've always been fascinated by.
Oh, that one's flopped. So,
you can never teach me enough.
I think I get scared when I have to
put it into practice.
I keep I find myself going,
"Oh, no, I'll just watch again."
Cos I'm scared to cross that line
of
being a student and then actually
putting something into practice.
Nice.
Today, training and development
midwife, Mandy,
will be teaching Emma how to take
a manual blood pressure.
It's blood pressure time!
Blood pressure time.
So, yes, we said we were going
how to teach you
It's a skill that's crucial
to the role,
but one that's very tricky to
master.
So you put it on so that little
arrow goes around. Yeah.
And then you pump it up.
Oh, you have got a pulse.
That's good.
And then you just let
the air out slowly.
Now if you watch, when you see,
when you hear the top reading,
you'll see the arrow.
Yeah, it, kind of oh! Pulsates.
Almost moves like a heartbeat.
OK? Yeah. All right, right so you're
going to have a go on me. Yes.
That's for you. OK. That goes there.
Mm-hm. Excellent.
You might want to put the things in
your ears, so that you can hear it.
That would help.
Ah!
I can hear it! Hold on.
So, I think I started hearing it
at about 135. Mm-hm.
And it went by 75.
Do you think that's right?
Yes, but I think we might have to
let the air out soon.
My hand's going blue.
Let's not kill Mandy today, please.
So, that's really good. So, I got it
right? So, you got it right.
Yes, Mandy! I feel like it's
a real achievement,
do you know what I mean,
that I've done it?
I can hear it.
I know what I'm listening for.
Now, I just want to practise lots.
As part of her role
on the antenatal ward
Are you going to take my
blood pressure? If you don't mind.
..Emma carries out regular
observations on the mums to be.
What's that? 36.9. Lovely.
Thank you very much, Lianne.
Second-time mum Lianne
and her husband Ashley,
who works in the mortuary
at the hospital,
have just arrived on the ward.
Feeling all right?
Stay at home mum Lianne is
34 weeks pregnant with twins
Sore, still. Are you?
..but is already experiencing
contractions.
I seem to be getting every now and
again really painful
contraction
and then it, kind of,
just disappears.
They like to play around, though,
these little monkeys.
Just think about what it's going to
be like when they're here. I know.
Positive, rosy thoughts.
The difference between this time
and with Ben is that we're sort of
more prepared for it. Yeah. So
Was he early, as well?
No, I had a really bad labour. Oh.
I think it was like
a three, four day labour
and I was just so exhausted,
and they said it was
similar to wet lung,
where basically
I just couldn't squeeze
That's what I had with my son!
Was he really bloated? My son looked
like He was really puffy.
..like a bulldog when he came out.
I was like whoa!
Do you need anything? What do you
want, if you could have anything?
Like are you hungry or thirsty
or?
Painkillers. Oh, OK.
Thank you. Like serious stuff.
Thank you. Thank you.
Our first-born Ben, he went down to
neo-natal intensive care
and obviously there's
all these machines and
everything beeps constantly,
so yeah, that's
why I'm quite nervous of
the twins being born early.
It's still five weeks early,
they're twins so they're
going to be smaller anyway,
there's a lot more chance of
things not being as they should be.
You know what's going to happen?
They'll stay like this and then this
evening they'll kick off again.
Before her shift ends,
Emma checks in with MCA, Chris,
to find out the plan for
Lianne's babies.
She's having twins, they're breech,
they're saying she may need to
go in for a section.
However, the decision won't be made
until the doctors' review.
And I suppose the overall goal
is to try and keep
the babies in as long as possible?
Ideally. 34 plus three
is not really
That would be premature.
So, 37 onwards,
that's considered term. Right.
See you later, bye! Bye-bye.
In the early hours of the morning,
there is a change in
Lianne's condition.
Two three
Her waters have broken and
she's been rushed into theatre
for an emergency Caesarean section.
How you doing?
Nervous, a little bit.
Why? Because they're so early?
So early, yeah.
Lianne's twins are
five weeks premature.
There's nothing that we can do.
I know there's nothing we can do.
So the team at the hospital
are concerned for their safety.
In theatre, when a mum is having
a Caesarean section,
most women don't really,
understandably,
want to see a surgeon
cutting into their abdomen.
We tend to put a screen
up in front of the mother,
whereas the poor old fathers are
sitting there,
much more aware of what's going on.
And it is very scary
because they're sitting
watching someone
they love in pain.
And that can be really hard.
MACHINE BEEPS
You OK? Yeah.
Have they started yet? Or?
7:13.
Just six minutes into the operation
and the first twin is born.
Yay! Eh! Oh, hello, baby! Hello!
The team can see that
he's not breathing properly.
You can see the baby,
I can't see the baby. Hello.
So he's taken immediately
to be given respiratory support.
Right, first one's out.
So, 7:19.
If a baby comes out and at delivery
isn't breathing properly,
the baby goes over to
the neo-natal resuscitaire
and you hope the babies are going
to cry and start responding to you.
Two minutes later, twin two is born.
Hello! Hello! Hello! Aw.
Oh, hello. Who was that?
That's your second one.
Is everything all right
with the first one, yeah?
The second twin is happy
and healthy,
but twin one is still
having trouble breathing.
We'll get the nurse
to come back over
and let us know what's happening.
BABY CRIES
I think so,
I can't see what's going
on over there, at the second, so
If you get a baby that you are
getting no response,
then you know that you're getting
into all sorts of trouble.
You can just hear
the sense of urgency
..and it is really frightening.
As time ticks by, there is still
no sound from twin one.
LIANNE: I want to see him!
It's been 20 minutes since
Lianne and Ashley's babies were
born five weeks premature.
And twin one is still
needing help to breathe.
I love you. Love you, too.
The doctor is going to come
and speak to us.
Hello, hi. Hello.
Congratulations! Thank you!
They haven't been squeezed.
Thank you very much!
OK, no problem at all.
Basically the same as Ben then.
Same as Ben, bit of wet lung.
Check for the infection obviously,
they're helping them.
That's it.
Congratulations! Thank you.
Thank you.
Twin one is breathing on his own
and out of immediate danger.
You all right for me to go over?
I've asked if I can go over.
But everything looks OK? Yeah,
they're breathing on their own,
we're just supporting them.
Helping them along. OK, fantastic.
Dad, did you want to cut this
little one's cord? Yeah.
Lianne has yet to meet her
babies in person.
Right, that's Keep going, almost
there. Sorry! No, you're fine.
But for now, she'll have to
make do with a picture.
I meant to ask, am I OK to take
a picture of the two so
she can see? Yes.
Yeah?
OK, thank you!
Oh, there's a leg!
They're both breathing on their own,
they're both fine.
They're just giving them a little
bit of oxygen, just to help them
along basically.
But they're both fine?
But they're both fine.
That's twin two.
That's twin two? Yeah.
That's twin one.
Are they both going to go down
to NICU yeah? Yeah. Do we know
how long for? Or is it?
Erm, we don't it's hard to,
sort of, give you a
a timescale it just depends on
how they respond. OK, fantastic!
With the team happy the twins
are now stable enough to be moved,
they take them directly to the
neo-natal intensive care unit
also known as NICU.
Where they can be given additional
support to aid their breathing.
What's his name?
That was twin This is twin one.
Twin one, that's Matthew.
So, Lucas and Matthew?
Lucas, twin two.
Lianne remains on the labour ward
to recover from her C-section,
but dad Ashley follows his sons
to intensive care.
Are these your first babies?
Second and third.
MACHINE BEEPING
It's been just 40 minutes
since the twins were born
and Emma is back on shift.
Let's cover you up before
you wee over everyone, huh?
She's come straight to
intensive care
to meet Ashley
and his newborn boys.
So, you're good?
Yes, nervous, but as soon as
I knew what was going on and that
everything was OK Yeah.
..and one of them they reckon
might have a bit of wet lung again,
same as Ben did. Yeah.
I suppose that's a relief, right?
Yeah, no, definitely.
One them is breathing absolutely
fine on his own,
the other one needs a little bit
of help still just, sort of,
palpitating the lungs and stuff.
I was expecting them to be really
tiny but they look pretty good.
And how's Lianne?
She's fine. Yeah, she was sick
on me when they gave
her the spinal
But that's allowed. Yep.
It's really emotional seeing
little babies in that situation.
The reality is that lots of babies
need help,
whether they are
premature or term babies
and to be around that
is a real eye-opener.
The twins will remain on
intensive care until they are
breathing without assistance
and could be here for up to a week.
Congratulations!
Thank you very much.
While the twins arrived early
..four days later, Carly and Colin
are still waiting for their baby
to make an appearance.
She's not doing all right?
She is at the last stage now, so,
she's literally just sitting there
waiting for the doctors to come.
I remember seeing her when I left
on Friday, just bouncing.
Yeah. She's still on it now.
Is she? Yeah. Still hoping.
You go in there, she'll be on it.
Aww.
Enjoy your coffee,
keep going with it.
You come in all excited,
because you're going to be induced
and you think,
"I'm going to have a baby today,
if not today probably tomorrow"
Four days later
I think if it were me, after four
days of waiting, I'd be like,
"I just want to meet this baby now,
please, just do whatever it takes."
Thank you very much.
I think the worst part now is just
waiting, if I have to the six hours,
before I can have anything else
done. Well, you're going to
have to now. Yeah.
We'll see. We'll see I might be in
by then, I don't know.
Hopefully.
I'm very tired after
sleeping in the car.
Did you sleep in the car
last night? Yeah, I did, yeah.
What? Seriously? You're not
allowed to stay on the ward?
No, I can, but unfortunately
the chair's not very comfortable.
Um, so yeah, I decided
to sleep in the car with
my Paw Patrol blanket.
Emma needs to practise her newly
learned skill of taking
manual blood pressure
before she is tested
by Mandy later in the week.
Can you just relax your arm, Amber?
But this time she'll be
practising on a patient.
What was it?! 96 maybe.
OK.
I'll recheck it. I think you should.
Can you hear No, nothing.
..any beat or anything?
No.
And she needs
all the practice she can get.
142/88.
88. Yeah. What did I say, 98?
That was quite far off,
that was really bad.
I'm gutted. Sorry, I feel bad now
No, don't. It's good practice.
It was really, really
difficult actually. Was it?
Yeah, I struggled. That's
why I had to go back up and
So it wasn't just? No, it was
really quite difficult to hear.
I just crashed and burned then,
didn't I?
She said it was very faint though
so it's hard to hear
so I'm going with that for now.
In any 24 hour period at the
hospital, there are an average
of 10 babies born, and some are born
much quicker than others.
WOMAN GROANS
On birthing unit, first
time mum Victoria has just arrived
with her mum Maxine and partner Jon.
That's it! It's still there.
VIGOROUS SUSTAINED YELL
She's only been in the hospital
for 45 minutes
and is already fully dilated.
Fantastic, well done!
SUSTAINED YELL
That's it! That's it, Victoria.
Try hold that breath in and you can
focus all your energy
38-year-old Victoria and her partner
Jon have been at the hospital
for less than an hour.
Midwife Charlotte is guiding
Victoria through
her first contractions.
That's the one, it's still there.
I have been a midwife for three and
a half years.
Well done, that's fantastic,
that's brilliant, that's the one.
And I do love it
It's a job that I think I'll
I have always wanted to do this job.
Since sort of year 10 at
high school.
So I followed it through and
I'm here now.
But Victoria's labour is progressing
much faster
than Charlotte was expecting.
That's the one, this is it,
Victoria.
Keep it there, keep it there,
keep it there.
Things do change and
babies decide to come out a
little bit quicker or Yeah,
quicker than you first imagine!
You've got to be quick on your feet.
You just have to keep rolling
with it.
Go on, bare down right into
your bottom.
VICTORIA YELLS
That's it, Victoria.
Let's get the beds out. Turn round.
Yeah, of course you can, Victoria.
When you get a contraction
just pull this knee right back.
You're near! I can't!
You can! You can!
Try a little bit longer push
and that baby
will really come round that corner.
You have got to be that strong head,
really, to make sure
that they have trust in you.
That's it, well done,
baby's head's born.
Well done, that's brilliant.
Victoria has been in established
labour for only two hours.
You all right?
Go on, that's it.
Big push, big push, big push.
That's it, go on.
That's it, baby's coming,
baby's coming
Here we go, here's your boy,
here's your boy.
Here we go.
Well done, you.
BABY CRIES
He's here, he's here!
Look at him.
I like that, I like the buzz.
It's very good.
That is why I come back every day.
Do you want to check
he's definitely a boy?
LAUGHTER
Look, look, look!
It's 8.30am
Is it going to be right?
..and 13 hours since baby Jaxson was
born.
Emma's first job is to check on
Victoria and her newborn baby.
You're having a right
snooze, aren't you?
Tea. The pressure of tea.
What colour do people like it -
strong, milky?
What is it meant to be?
Where do you want it, up there?
Lovely, thank you. OK.
Is he OK? Yes. Can you believe it?
Absolutely can't believe it.
I just keep looking and thinking
he's mine, I made him.
He's your first child, right?
Absolutely.
The midwife said it would probably
be seven pounds, you know?
Probably late 6. Yeah.
8 lbs 15! I was like Blimey!
Cos I'm only 5 ft 2, my partner's
only 5ft 4!
And then this chunker comes out.
It's amazing. Well, my mum, I think,
yeah, she was three hours with me.
Oh, wow, so
family history of quick labours.
You have a poster child,
look how easy it can be!
I wouldn't go that far!
He's a beaut. Mm-hmm.
Midwife Carey needs to show Emma
how to do a baby check.
Do you want to pop him in the cot
for me? Can I?
Yeah.
I'm surrounded by babies
all day long, right?
And all of them are super cute.
I haven't seen one funny
looking one yet.
Sneaky little cuddle.
And I have got to admit
it's making me quite broody.
Not broody enough to have a fourth,
let me just put that out there.
But it definitely does take you back
to that wonderful nostalgia
so you remember all the good bits.
BABY CRIES
We'll get him dressed
and give him back to Mummy.
BABY CONTINUES CRYING
You can never seem to dress
them quick enough, can you,
when they cry? No.
It's like, "Ah, ah!"
Just panic.
But then you remember the not so fun
bits and you're like,
broodiness has gone.
BABY CRIES
Oh, baby!
Oh, look at that.
What did they do?
Instant peace.
BABY SNEEZES Oh, bless you!
Strip? Yeah, strip everything.
And that will all go in the bag.
In this bit?
Mine's broken.
After practising taking manual blood
pressure all week, Emma is ready to
have her skills tested by learning
and development midwife, Mandy.
Hi.
Are you OK if I do, um, a manual
blood pressure on you? Yeah.
Is that OK?
OK.
I'd like you to check it.
114/72.
110/74. So you were right.
Yay!
Happy? Happy.
Great. OK, thank you so much.
Give us a shout if you need
anything.
Oh, no! It's that look,
it's that look!
You let the air out
a little bit fast,
but you have passed everything. Yay!
Well done. Thank you.
So I'm going to sign here.
I love that word, when you write it.
I know, it's good, isn't it?
I like putting that word in as well.
And a signature?
Yup, that's it.
You are now officially competent at
taking manual blood pressures.
I always have that little,
little negative Nelly, I call her,
that lives in the back of my head,
that goes,
"Don't be too confident,
don't be too confident.
"Err on the side of caution
"and then you won't be disappointed
if you fail."
But she wasn't necessary.
Cos I passed!
Thank you. You're very welcome.
I'm going to pop these back.
Can I nick these trays?
Not going to get told off?
Carley has been induced three times,
but after five days of waiting,
she still hasn't had her baby.
The midwives have decided
to take action. Carley?
Yeah. Good news or the bad?
You're going to the labour ward.
What's the bad news then?
No bad news.
I think the bad news is because I'm
looking after you.
Hi, my name is Nagmeh. Nice to meet
you. Hi, nice to meet you.
As Carley is carrying a
very large baby,
and since none of her
inductions have worked,
the midwives are going to break
Carley's waters manually.
I'll bring the heavy stuff
You bring the pillows.
You get your flip-flops
and your baby.
Yeah,
you bring yourself and that bump.
With labour, you never know which
way it is going.
You are one step closer.
There is a saying in my country,
we say it's like a watermelon.
You know, a watermelon,
you don't know what colour is inside
and what it tastes like
until you've opened it.
Ooh, you've got a little pool, too!
Labour takes a different course.
Some are long, some are mediocre
and some are superfast.
This is like a suite!
Well, you've got a nice bit of room.
Where's the beer fridge?
LAUGHTER
It must be nice just to get out of
that ward as well? Yes.
Just a change of scenery.
Especially with three new people.
I honestly thought that at
least one of them, probably two,
were going to go before me.
Especially when we were in there and
20 minutes they're like, "Oh, oh"
But no, my turn.
LAUGHTER
A side effect of Carley's
gestational diabetes is
that there is a large amount of
fluid around her baby.
This means breaking
her waters is high-risk.
When they break the waters for them,
if it's not controlled, the fluid
can gush out with gravity, and with
it, it will bring a loop of cord.
Which is a condition which
is called a cord prolapse. OK.
Cos the cord should not come
out of the vagina.
If the cord does happen to
come out Yeah.
..we've got to put our fingers in
and press and push the head up,
so there is no pressure of the
head on the cord.
Because what happens,
if the cord has come out,
the head will come and sit on the
cord.
The head is hard, it's bone.
And it will cut off the
blood supply.
So you literally have to We then
have to hold it up hold it up.
The midwife will be on the bed,
with the patient.
So you are pushing the
head to go up.
And they will then push us
to go to theatre.
I mean, all the years I've been
here,
I've probably seen a handful.
OK.
And I don't want to see Have you
ever done one? Yes, I have, yes.
Wow! Wow! And your heart is going.
Yeah, I bet it is.
We all want a perfect pregnancy,
a safe labour and a safe outcome.
And our job as midwives and
obstetricians, if there is any
abnormalities, issues, concerns,
is to explain, to reassure,
to do all investigations and get
the mums involved in their care.
So, it's not straightforward? No.
With Emma and MCA Sarah standing by,
the doctor can begin
breaking her waters.
All right, can you come down a
little bit, please.
Yup, that's good.
Just the pressure on your tummy now.
You are doing good. Perfect.
It's all going to be over
in a minute, OK?
Carley, you're OK there?
Trying to stabilise. Yeah.
Because I can actually
feel when you push,
I can actually feel
a body pulse under my hand.
After being induced three times,
second time mum Carley is now
on the labour yard having her waters
broken manually by the doctor.
Nearly halfway there.
Let go? Yeah, OK.
You're doing absolutely fine for
now. So that's good.
The procedure has gone to plan.
Did you see the amount of fluid?
Yeah,
it's all on the floor as well!
Thank you. Thanks.
Perfect.
All right, thank you.
I'll see you in a few minutes.
Thank you very much.
Thank you, Emma. Thank you.
Thanks, Sarah. Thanks, Sarah.
Nagmeh. Thank you. Sarah.
LAUGHTER
That was so fake!
Thank you, Sarah. For being the
best buddy. You're very welcome.
Carley now faces another wait
for her contractions to begin
as Emma's shift comes to an end.
Well, I suppose I get conflicted
about the fact I don't want
to go home now.
Like, I've been here for 13 hours,
it's eight o'clock at night.
As much as I want to see my
husband, I want to
I kind of want to see that
baby being born!
See you in a bit. See you later.
But I'm gutted I'm not going to be
there
but have your baby safe and sound.
That's like all I want.
They're such a lovely couple.
Almost 12 hours after Carley's
waters were broken,
Emma is back on shift and heading
straight to the labour ward.
Still haven't had it?
Haven't had a baby.
Midwife Emily will be the one
coaching Carley
through her contractions.
So there is a possibility that I
haven't missed the
Well, I haven't missed the baby.
You haven't missed the birth.
And I might witness it.
It will happen today. Are we?
The baby is coming today.
So this is my first
natural delivery in a hospital.
Oh, with you! Fingers crossed.
We better get back in there before
she starts shouting for me.
Here we come. OK.
Let baby steer that contraction.
One way we can go back is when
you're relaxing
because your contractions
will let your body just relax and
deal with that kind of thing. OK?
Carley has had an epidural and is on
gas and air for the pain.
Beautiful. Let this one build.
Relax those legs for me.
Think about baby coming down
through that pelvis.
This contraction, take another big
breath on the gas now
I want you to push into your bottom,
I want you to push hard.
A bit longer.
You are beautiful.
Everyone in here is wonderful.
For the final stage of her labour,
Carley has her mum Carol
and her husband Colin by her side.
OK. So, unlike first babies,
where it takes ages to get baby
down that U-bend, with the pushing,
it doesn't take that long with
second time mummies
and we don't need to wait for
a baby to come down so low.
Every time we get baby down,
the worst thing we can do between
pushes is panic and stop and
let baby slip. OK.
We get trained a lot as midwives how
to calm the adrenaline in
a room and just calm
everything down.
The whole way through a contraction
it's like a deep breath in
and it's a bearing down for a
long and hard as you can,
breathing out I think you're
going to push
this baby out beautifully.
All right?
Just have the confidence.
I'm someone, personally,
that laughs a lot with my ladies.
So I do try and kind of relieve the
tension by doing that.
Can you tilt your bottom
slightly to face me.
So you bring your bottom towards me
slightly. That's it, and drop-down.
Beautiful.
Next contraction, only one big pop
of the gas before we start.
Bear down into your bottom
for as long as hard
and strong as possible. I want to
see that face go a little bit. Yeah?
Get angry with it. And let's have
this baby soon, all right?
After only 15 minutes of pushing
Go on, really go for it.
..the top of Carley's baby's
head is visible.
That is your baby's head there.
Come on, let's get you to use
this contraction, whole thing.
Beautiful.
The baby's got black hair.
Colin, can you just press the normal
buzzer to call another midwife in?
And Wendy will just come
in the room.
I can already see this much of
baby's head.
You've done two pushes.
OK, this is going to be a different
experience to the last time,
OK, sweetheart? Yeah.
KNOCK ON DOOR Come in.
Hello, it's Wendy. Hi, Wendy.
We've done two pushes and we're
vertex visible.
Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful.
Incredible. OK.
It's going to get to a point,
Carley,
when we're delivering baby's
head, when I'm going to say "pant".
OK. So listen really closely.
So we're going to push to that
point really hard
and I'll go "pant", "ooo, ooo, ooo".
All I'd say is the longer you can
push down between breaths in,
the quicker baby will come.
OK?
CARLEY GROANS
Big deep breath in.
EMMA GASPS
Oh, Carly, you're amazing,
you're amazing, you're amazing.
Well done, well done.
Going to go for me.
It's going to sting, my lovely.
Push against that sting.
Get angry with it.
It's the last little bit you have
to do now, my lovely.
We'll find out if you've got
a little boy or little girl.
Well done.
SHE GROANS
Relax those legs if you
can for me.
SHE GROANS
A little bit more,
I know, I know.
Well done. Lovely.
SHE PANTS
No gas and air, just push down.
Just go for it. Go on.
Open your eyes, open your eyes,
baby's coming.
SHE GROANS
What have we got, Daddy?
Got another girl.
BABY CRIES
You tell Mummy all about it.
After six long days of waiting,
there's finally a new addition to
Carley and Colin's family.
Oh, that was a much easier
than your sister.
BABY CONTINUES CRYING
Sorry, yes. You are incredible.
Thank you. That was amazing.
What's so bad?
Oh, don't make Mummy sad.
All birth is just amazing, that's
why I do my job. I love all births.
I quite like the ones I get
to deliver though, I must admit.
Cos then I get to put my name in
the little book and say,
I delivered that baby.
Is that all right?
Hello. You came out shouting,
didn't you?
You are a chunky baby,
I think you're smaller than your
sister, though.
Oh!
Congratulations.
Thank you, thank you.
Colin's like that. "Phew!"
LAUGHTER It's exhausting.
Hello, Dad, are you all right?
It is the chunkiest cord I've
seen in a long time.
So it might take a couple of snaps.
Go for it.
When you watch those parents see
that baby for the first time,
just the look of
..the look of unconditional love
that is from a parent to a child.
And then they get emotional
and you see their eyes fill up
and you look at the dad.
And then all of a sudden,
they're this little unit
and they're
all united and they're all together.
And I could just literally
cry for days!
About 9 lb, 9.5 lb baby, a least.
Yeah. Born at 10.12am.
Hello, chunky!
And I think I need to get a bit
stronger, though.
421.6.
I could cry again now.
I need
I need to be stronger, I think.
9 lbs 4oz.
Have you got that, Emma?
Yeah, I've got it. I've got it.
Hello. It's mummy.
BABY CRIES
WOMAN GROANS
Amy? Amy? Amy?
I keep forgetting to breathe,
I keep going
There is so much hair,
you're doing so well.
She passed out. Yeah. Completely?
On poor Sarah. Honest to God, on me.
Oh!
Can you pass out lying down?