Emma Willis: Delivering Babies (2018) s01e04 Episode Script

1
From the moment her first daughter
was born,
television presenter and mother of
three
Emma Willis has been in awe of
midwives.
Keep it there. Keep it there.
Keep it there.
You just kind of sit back and go,
"What incredible women,
what an incredible job."
Come on, then. You can do it. Keep
going. Keep going. Keep going.
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.
6lbs 4. Wow.
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
Press 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.
That's it, big push into your
bottom.
She has quick babies, right?
Last time, she pushed her baby out
with the first urge.
They've had so many incredibly sad
losses.
I just can't even imagine how you
recover from something like that.
Is baby safe?
Baby will be fine,
as long as we're quick.
It's the start of another 13-hour
shift for Emma.
Shall I take these out?
Her first job of the day is
observations
and the patient is experienced
mother Julie,
who is in with her husband Kevin and
their four children.
Hi, I'm Emma, the MCA on today.
Is there a party going on here?
A small one.
A little one?
Oh, my goodness, look at you all.
How old are you? Three.
How old are you?
What number are you?
Number three?
Three? You're so cute!
Wow! You love kids. Yeah.
Are they inducing you, or? Yeah.
But if that happens then he'll be
out. I'm very fast, very fast.
Do you know what you're having?
A little boy.
You ready for it?
I don't know.
How are you feeling?
I'm fine. It's easy with her, she's
brilliant at it.
Obviously! Yeah.
Are you all right if I do your OBS?
Yeah.
Thank you.
Great.
I have to write it down.
You feeling all right?
Do you need anything?
I'm OK. Sure?
If you've got any questions, or
anything, I'll find somebody who
knows the answers. Thank you!
Nice to meet you!
Thank you! Nice to meet you.
I'll see you in a bit.
Bye!
Julie and I met nearly 14 years ago.
There was this new bar, I'd never
been there before,
went there and, yeah, there was just
this beautiful blonde girl in there,
and she'd never been there before
either, so it was by chance, really.
She always wanted to be a mum.
I've seen people struggle with one
and two and to have four and
to go and have another one, it's
just so easy, it's like a walk in
the park for her. It's all she's
ever wanted to be.
Every day, 35 to 40 mums-to-be
attend
the hospital's daily antenatal
clinics.
Good morning, ante-natal clinic.
Krishnee midwife speaking.
How can I help you?
One of today's appointments is
mother of three Tara.
Tara, I'm Dawn, would you like to
come through?
Yeah, thank you. Hi, I'm Emma! Hi,
Emma. Nice to meet you. Are you OK?
Tara and her partner Lloyd have had
unsuccessful pregnancies over the
last eight years.
Good, how are you?
During this pregnancy, they have had
regular consultations with Mr Wee.
Good to see you again. How are you?
Yeah, not too bad. Good, good!
Tara is considered a very, very high
risk woman,
so I was very nervous when I first
started looking
after her because I just think I'm
hoping this time
the pregnancy can
go on to have a good outcome.
Today's appointment is to discuss
the removal
of Tara's cervical stitch, which was
put in to ensure that this baby
would be carried to term.
So there are no major concerns with
the baby. Good.
So, what happens now is, you know,
we will remove the stitch around 37
weeks.
Once the stitch is removed OK.
..do I stay here for a few hours?
Do you observe?
Yeah, nine out of ten women can have
a stitch
removed without any analgesia at
all.
So is it painless?
I wouldn't say it's painless.
I would say it can be uncomfortable.
Nothing down there is. Yeah!
My worry is that the stitch is still
in and my waters break,
like, I go into labour
No, if your waters goes
and your stitch is still inside,
you'll come to labour ward and the
doctor will just remove it. Yeah.
So, we'll remove the stitch at 37
weeks. Yeah.
And we'll induce you at 38 weeks.
Yes. OK?
I'm happy for that. Yeah.
Tara and Lloyd lost their last child
at 22 weeks and six days.
This came shortly after the death of
Tara's father.
Losing a baby, I think she pinned
all her hopes on the baby,
she sort of, because she'd lost her
dad,
she sort of saw the baby as a gift
from him, maybe,
so when that happened, she was
crushed after that.
Having this baby is definitely
helping Tara and myself, you know,
cos it's like looking to the future,
isn't it?
It's helping her realise that there
is a life,
you know, for her and for us all,
you know, after her parents.
Her history is incredibly sad,
which
..you know, spurs you on even more
to want this pregnancy to, like
..just go perfectly.
I think we make good beds together.
I think so.
Emma has been working as a maternity
care assistant for five weeks now
Oh, that's better.
..and she's grown close to one
colleague in particular.
I feel like I could easily have
fitted in doing this,
do you know what I mean?
Like, I like doing it.
We could have been besties for
20 years.
That's expertly done. Not too
strong? No, perfect. Not too weak?
No, perfect! Not too many bubbles?
Perfect.
I met Val right at the beginning.
She did a lot of my training with
me.
She taught me the wards.
She taught me what to do.
When it felt like it was extremely
overwhelming, she'd just go,
"Don't be stupid, what are you
talking about? You'll be fine.
"Stop worrying about it." And you
just kind of go, "Oh, OK".
She has been here 21 years, though,
she would say that.
The maternity unit has a low
stillbirth rate,
but later this week,
like all maternity care assistants,
Emma will receive bereavement
training.
This is the
This is the bit I'm really not
looking forward to.
Like, with all of the training, this
is
..this is what's going to make me
crack, I know it is.
The thing is, it is a part of it,
being a
I'm cracking already and I don't
know I'm not even doing it.
..maternity care assistant. For a
lot of people, when they come to
do this job, this is the bit that
they don't realise Yeah.
They just think it's always going to
be a happy event.
This afternoon, Val and Emma are
preparing the star room,
a separate suite on the maternity
unit for bereaved parents.
Sometimes, people come to work here
and they've never, ever really
had anything, any bereavement of any
description. Yeah.
And, to be honest, sometimes neither
have the parents.
This will be their first
bereavement - of their own child.
The thought of trying to talk to
somebody
who has just lost their child is
It is a difficult
..it feels impossible. Yeah.
I could cry, just being in this
room,
because I know what this room is
for
..and just the thought if it
I think Emma will find the
bereavement training
very useful as a part of being an
MCA.
It will be very emotional for her.
Unfortunately, babies do die,
babies' mums do come in,
they do have to go through birth
knowing that their baby has died.
You probably don't know,
but I was too a bereaved mum.
36 years ago.
I was 21.
Never had a pregnancy before? No.
No. Yeah.
And just thought everything would be
fine.
You never, ever think that you will
come in
and you won't take your baby home
with you.
It's just never,
ever enters your head.
I remember bringing him up to my
face
and my memory is that he was still
warm,
and I can remember kissing his face
and just wishing that he would wake
up.
I just wanted my baby.
I was in shock. I was sad.
What's his name?
His name, I called him John.
John Duncan.
After my dad's name was Duncan and
my great grandfather's name was
John,
and I think it's a good, strong male
name.
I wanted to make a box and just put
all my memories in this box.
Would you like to see it?
Have you got it?
I have got it here.
If you don't mind. No.
I'll show it to you,
but it's a bit battered.
Here's a picture.
As you can see, you know, he was
perfectly formed.
He was just a dear little
sweet sweet soul.
And then this is the picture that I
like because I just think it looks
like a, just a normal picture,
don't it?
Just like any mum,
just holding their baby.
That's my favourite, to be honest.
I just can't even imagine how you
recover from something like that.
Any loss, it will, it takes time,
but you will get there
because you have to,
because life does go on.
I think I might fail this bit.
You won't.
Come on.
I feel like I'm just going to cry
..the whole time in bereavement
training.
And I don't want to.
I don't want to be the one that's
just a wreck in the corner,
so I've got to try and
..pull myself together before that
happens.
It's just Oh, God! I'm not very
good with death.
Probably in the wrong place, aren't
I, in a hospital?
How has baby's movements been?
All over the place,
he moves all the time.
Mother of four Julie has been moved
to the labour ward
to have her waters broken.
Perfect! Keep that up,
so this doesn't touch.
She is being looked after by Emma
and midwife Lynsey
Awesome.
..while the procedure is carried out
by Dr Ali.
Just pushing baby down into the
pelvis, OK?
Keep the pressure.
It's done. Just releasing the fluid
slowly. So, done, done, thank you.
That went well!
It shouldn't really take long for
you to have the baby.
All right?
She has quick babies, right? She
does, she progresses quickly!
Last time she was contracting, she
just got the urges to push
pretty much straight away and pushed
her baby out with the first urge.
And she actually said that the last
three midwives didn't have
time to get their gloves and
everything prepared.
So, shall we get in and get going?
Yes! Perfect! Definitely!
It's the midwife.
Is it OK to come in?
Hello!
I love the fact I wake up in the
morning
and I don't know who I'm going to
meet.
I know I'm going to be a part of
someone's special day and I
know that a little person is going
to be entered into the world.
Julie, are you feeling pressure?
No. OK.
How's the pain changed?
You explain to us.
With the last two, it feels like I
need to go to the toilet.
Like, to do a poo? Hmm. Yeah?
Is that normal? Well, this is, yeah,
rectal pressure.
It's because of her transitioning.
Why don't you lift up, so you're not
sitting down like this? Lift up.
And then lean over the bed,
like this.
Give that a try.
I love that trust and relationship
that we build up straight away.
You walk into a room and, within a
few seconds, within a minute,
that woman puts her trust in you,
and for that I feel really grateful
to have that job
where I'm an advocate for that lady.
Lynsey and Emma have been in the
room just 34 minutes,
but Lynsey suspects Julie's labour
has advanced rapidly.
She's got a lot of pressure
and the contractions have been
coming a lot more frequently.
Lynsey calls in fellow midwife Wendy
for a second opinion.
Where are you feeling them, Julie?
Down here.
Right at the front? Yeah. OK. All
right.
I don't want to be on the bed.
It's all right,
it's all right, don't panic.
You're all right.
Don't worry! Gas and air is there,
if you need it.
Slow your breathing down. You're OK.
Slow your breathing down. Deep
breaths in. You've got this.
Even if mums are seasoned pros at
deliveries, they can get nervous,
you know? It's such a big event, you
know?
And we've got to anticipate that and
we've got to be ready to
support them, and to give them
encouragement.
And blow it back out! Slow it down!
You can do it. So it's not pressure
in your bum?
Where are you getting pressure,
in your ninny?
Right down the bottom.
Like sharp, hot poker?
Sharp, yeah! I'm shaking.
All right, darling. You've got this,
you know you have, yeah? You can do
it. It is different, but it's not
going to be a different labour,
that's what you need to tell
yourself.
Keep breathing. It's coming out,
it's coming out, it's coming out!
It's coming out.
You can do this, you know you can.
I always trust the women.
They know their body, particularly
when the baby's on their way.
They remember that impulsive sort of
involuntary pushing feeling
and you have to, in that instance,
you trust the women,
cos they've done it before.
Beautiful.
You can do it, sweetheart.
Keep pushing down!
Little pushes now!
And push down! Another little push.
Beautiful.
Beautiful. Yep! Nearly out.
Lovely. Next contraction, baby's
going to come through your legs, OK?
Straight through, yeah?
Can you pull it out?
Wait for the next one.
You've got to be patient.
Just six minutes after her first
push
and Julie's baby boy's head is born.
Hello, tinker!
Keep these legs nice and wide.
Perfect.
I'll do it with you. You all right?
You OK there?
Hello! You've got fabulous lips!
A lovely pout. Is it there?
Yeah. Beautiful!
Julie, you're amazing.
Just breathe, just breathe, it'll
come on its own.
Restitute in.
That's it! Well done! Blow, blow!
Blow! Blow!
Beautiful! That's it, lift up onto
your hands.
That's it!
13:04!
Hi, welcome to the world.
Just two hours and 39 minutes since
Julie's waters were broken
and her son is delivered.
You sound a bit gargly, don't you?
Is he breathing? He's all right,
he's fine. Baby is absolutely fine.
Shall we turn you round? Towards me
first. That's it, well done.
It gets me every time.
That was fast. Shall we give him
skin-to-skin, yeah?
It's hard to explain that feeling.
There's no feeling quite like it.
You obviously, you get so excited
for your patient.
This is the moment you're
going to be a mummy,
you're going to be a daddy!
Seeing that head come and knowing
that new life is just about
to come into the world is just
incredible.
You're amazing! You certainly do
have babies quickly. Yeah!
Do you want to pick a hat?
You were brilliant to watch.
It was amazing having you.
You were so calm and like just like,
you know.
I'm like, "I wish you delivered my
babies."
Thank you! It was lovely, thank you!
It was a pleasure.
I really enjoyed it. Good!
It's good having you with us. Thank
you.
I'm going to leave you to do the
serious baby bits. Yeah.
Have a lovely cup of tea, you
deserve it. Thanks!
Mother of three, Tara, who has had
13 unsuccessful pregnancies,
is back in the hospital -
two and a half weeks since her last
appointment in the ante-natal
clinic.
I couldn't believe it when they said
you were here.
She is now at 37 weeks
and it's time for the cervical
stitch
that has been keeping her current
baby safe to be removed.
Today, I knew that I was rocking and
rolling down there. So they said
So you were rocking and rolling?
Yeah. Yeah.
She's definitely trying to get out.
I can feel the pressure in my
bottom.
I think she's coming.
Do you? She's coming, yeah.
She's coming, mate, definitely.
Look, he's like,
"Yeah, I've seen this before."
She's coming out, yeah!
She wants to see us.
So are they going to take the stitch
out?
Yeah, I think she's coming in a
minute, isn't she?
Yeah. I'm nervous about that though!
I've never had it, so it's just the
unknown, isn't it? Yeah.
The birth I'm What it feels like
and what they do, and Yeah.
Here we go. Hello! Hi!
Dr Ali will remove Tara's stitch,
with Emma on hand for support.
Ready? Yeah!
Tara, you've got to tell me if it
gets very uncomfortable.
Emma, would you want to just hold on
to Tara's hand and just let us know
if it gets painful, OK?
OK. Yeah.
Squeeze as tight as you want.
Was that it? Yup. That's out.
You were brilliant. Well done!
There was no squeezing!
I can't tell you how relieved I am!
Now that Tara's stitch has been
removed,
her labour could begin at any
moment.
Thank you! Well done! That was
totally pain-free. Thank you!
But with 13 losses in her past,
this is a nerve-racking time for
everyone.
Mother of three Tara, who has had 13
unsuccessful pregnancies,
is now in labour OK.
Can we just lay you down a bit?
Yeah.
Is that all right?
I know it's a bit uncomfortable.
..following another difficult
pregnancy.
So I'm just going to wash you down,
darling, OK? OK.
Midwife Trish is about to examine
her,
to see if her cervix has dilated.
OK. Tell me when you're ready.
Yup! Yeah? You all right? Yeah.
Cold jelly.
That's it. Nice, deep breaths.
But she can feel that something is
not right.
The cord. Cord.
Pull the emergency buzzer.
Cord prolapse. Get on that bed
because we're going to move.
No, no, wait. Trish is only half on.
She needs to be on the bed.
Turn the buzzer off.
Go onto your bottom,
onto your knees.
Onto your knees,
onto your knees.
Get on the bed because we're going
to move.
A cord prolapse is one of the most
high-risk situations.
Tara's midwife must hold the baby's
head away from the cord until Tara
reaches theatre, so the baby's blood
and oxygen supply is not cut off.
Slow down, slow down!
The adrenaline is running,
your heart is racing, and you are
only thinking about Mum and baby.
You've got minutes to get baby out.
A cord prolapse is life-threatening
to baby.
Slow down a little bit,
girls, please!
Thank you!
Where are we going?
We're going into theatre. Right.
But you wait here for now, in case
they're going to put her to sleep.
All right? OK. What we'll do is
we'll get you changed, just in case.
Please, yeah. All right, my darling?
Is baby safe? Baby will be fine,
as long as we're quick.
Tara and Lloyd's baby has just
minutes to live.
Delivery must be in theatre and
under general anaesthetic.
Drink it, drink it, drink it, drink
it, drink it, drink it, drink it!
Sorry, my dear.
It's all right, Tara.
Can I pop your head up a second?
Keep your hands on your chest,
please, thank you!
Antibiotics given.
Just 31 seconds into the
operation
Delivered! All clear!
..and Tara's baby girl is born
..safe and well.
Thank you!
There we go, poppet!
Eight minutes after her birth,
Tara's daughter is taken to
meet her dad Lloyd, who wasn't
allowed to be present in theatre.
Daddy? Oh Congratulations!
You got her? Yeah.
Hello. There you go.
You gave us all a bit of a fright,
poppet. Hello.
Do you want to sit down? Yeah.
She's opening her eyes for you,
look. Beautiful.
Already smiling, look.
I can't believe what just happened.
Oh, dear, that was a shock.
Yeah, I know.
So, is that quite normal?
Does it happen a lot with you guys?
No. No. It all turned out OK though.
Mum's fine, she's obviously still
asleep. Yeah, OK. Thank you.
I'm just going to pop myself back in
there. Yeah. Thanks a lot.
Hello.
Hello, Florence.
It has been 12 minutes since the
birth of baby Florence
and Emma has been tasked with
checking in on Lloyd.
Are you all right? Yeah.
I'm OK now.
Panic.
Hello!
Oh, my gosh, she's so alert.
I know, yeah, isn't she?
She was like, "Hold on, I need to
make an arrival here."
It doesn't happen often, but when it
does it needs
Really? Does it not? It's an
emergency, yeah. That's what you
said, wasn't it, "Is this normal?"
Yeah. Yeah. Thank God for that
team,
they were a really good team. Yeah.
Thanks for all that, thanks for
everything. That's what we're here
for!
I'm glad it's I'm glad it's all
fine. Yeah.
Congratulations. Thank you.
With Lloyd caring for his newborn,
and Tara in recovery,
it falls to Emma
to deliver news of baby Florence's
safe delivery to Tara's family.
Hi! How are you?
We're good, thank you.
You're a big sister again.
Are you all all right?
Yes, thank you.
Yeah? So, you're little sister is
here. Yeah.
I've just met her, with your dad,
they're having a right little
cuddle.
She's beautiful.
She's adorable. She's like proper
kind of, like, all like, looking.
Is she tiny?
She is quite petite, yeah.
Mummy's OK?
Mummy is OK. She is still asleep.
Right.
But they're just transferring her
from theatre. OK.
And you'll be able to see them
really soon.
Lovely, thank you. OK. See you in a
bit. Thank you.
Like all maternity care assistants,
Emma will undertake training
throughout her time at the hospital.
It's very satisfying.
But there is one training element
she has not been looking forward to.
Today is a day that I was hoping -
I haven't been dreading it because I
know that you have to do it.
But I was I suppose, in a little
bit of my head, I was hoping I'd
swerve it in some way. But if you're
living and breathing a
job and walking in the steps
genuinely of an MCA then you have
to do what they do, and bereavement
training is a big part of that.
Bereavement advisor Debbie is
teaching a group of new
maternity care assistants how to
work with bereaved parents.
So, what we're going to do today is
do a brief outline of some of the
things you'll be involved in -
caring for ladies who have lost
babies.
You might pop in there to give them
a cup of tea,
in Star Room, or you might be the
one that's arrived with them in
MAFU, where they've first been told
that there's no foetal heart.
They'll say to you, "What will
happen with my baby?"
If you do know, so you will know a
little bit, it does reassure them.
This is a pregnancy that they
wanted, this was a much-loved
and wanted baby,
irrespective of how it's ending.
A death is a death. Yeah.
When bereavement training was
mentioned,
I had a big gulp and knew I'd have
to go through it.
And it was
..it was horrible, you know, because
you don't want to have to think
about what would be the worst
experience of your life.
What most people want is some
recognition that my baby was here.
So you guys might be asked to do
anything, anything that
the midwives are asked to do,
really. You might be asked to help
dress the baby, bath the baby,
you might've had a rapport with the
woman where, actually,
just sit with her.
If you do go into Star Room, one of
the things you might be asked to do
is to help set up the cuddle cot.
Do you all know what a cuddle cot
is?
So, this is a cuddle cot.
You plug that in, you put some water
in there,
and then you attach these parts to
it.
And then, depending on
..how big you want it, that part
will go under the Moses basket,
or underneath the mattress, and then
you put this part
..I think it's that way, and then
you put your sheet over it.
And what that does is that will
keep the baby cold.
I just can't imagine, I can't put
myself in that position.
It's the most unthinkable thing in
the world, do you know what I mean?
How would you,
how would you get over it?
Like, you know, it just seems so
wrong that that would happen to a
baby.
Miscarriage and stillbirth. Yeah?
What's the difference?
Right, so a mis Is that a stupid
question? No, it's not.
If you lose a baby under
24 weeks, so the baby's born dead,
that's classified as a miscarriage.
From 24 weeks, if the baby is born
with no signs of life,
so the baby
is born dead, that's a stillbirth.
And I'd just kind of say,
for everybody,
you just have to be a little bit
kind to each other.
Not just to the woman and her
family,
it's to each other as well cos it
can be extremely traumatic.
I hope and pray and keep everything
crossed that while I'm here I
don't experience that because I
don't want anyone's baby to die.
I don't want a family to lose a
child, you know?
So do I feel like it's prepared
me?
From a practical point of view,
yes.
But emotionally, like, no.
Nothing can prepare you for that,
nothing.
I don't think anything can prepare
you for any death,
especially the death of a baby.
After her bereavement course,
Emma wants to talk to Val about her
experience.
It's just so hard to listen to,
isn't it?
You just don't want to hear anything
to do with that, or like that.
But instead of in my head
going, "Just shut your ears.
"I don't want to listen to stuff
like this,"
you have to listen to it because
it's part of your job.
You do. Absolutely. Do you think
that your training helped?
I do, yeah.
I found it really hard when they,
you know,
when they talked to you about,
you know, how they
..what they do with the process,
when they lose a baby or a baby
passes
away, and coffin sizes, and the kind
of the practical things that you may
not think about, what a family has
to go through because you don't want
to have to think about things like
that. But I think, having listened
to you and how upset I got, I just
thought I was going to spend, you
know, the few hours the training
was just sobbing constantly
..and I didn't, I held it together -
for you.
Right.
Right, come on, stop slacking.
Stop slacking, let's get on and do
something.
You've got work to do.
Yeah, and you.
Tara is awake and out of theatre,
and has met baby Florence for the
very first time.
She's got hair, mate.
Has she got hair? Yeah.
While Tara recovers from the effects
of the general anaesthetic,
midwife Debbie and Emma are coming
to do Florence's first baby checks.
I'm just going to put the trolley
here, if that's OK.
I wasn't expecting that.
I know, right?
You all right?
Shocker. If you put the baby down
here
Shock.
There you go, my darling.
I still don't know what's happened.
A lot, by the sounds of it.
I'm still out of it. Yeah.
But I just feel like they saved my
life, baby's life.
There was a lot of people,
I know that.
BABY CRIES
Just rest.
2.8.
6.6.
2.85 is six pound four.
My last one weighed 6.4.
34 centimetres. And baby's name is
Florence. Florence.
That's a nice name.
She's so soft, isn't she?
Come on.
BABY CRIES
There you go. OK.
There you go. There's your mamma.
There she is.
There's your mamma.
Come on, let's see what you do.
I bet she goes straight on, mate.
She's on already. She is on.
Oh, my gosh.
Tara, you're a pro.
Are you still really out of it,
Tara? Yeah.
I can't believe what's happened.
I don't even really know yet.
I've got to say, they were a good
team, they were so quick.
Literally, had a hand up holding the
cord!
That's amazing, in itself, isn't it?
I'm going to kiss them all,
anyway
..whether they like it or not.
Oh, excuse you.
Worlds apart from the labour ward,
where Tara had her emergency
caesarean section,
is the birthing unit,
where 25% of the hospital's
deliveries take place each year.
This is where Dan and second time
mum Rachael are heading.
That's it, well done. Well done.
The birthing unit is a low-risk
unit,
so, any woman that's not had any
complications in their pregnancies,
they can then deliver on the
birthing unit.
Rachael has been in the hospital for
only 39 minutes.
I'm starting to see the tip of
baby's head now. Oh, really?
But, with a relaxed environment,
and minimal intervention, it won't
be long before this baby is out.
OK, darling, just go with it.
Push into your bottom.
Well done, keep going.
Second time mum Rachael is being
coached through her
contractions by midwives Becky and
Olivia.
Brilliant, and again, Rachael.
Push into your bottom, Rachael!
Well done.
I particularly enjoy working on the
birthing unit,
just because it is such a relaxed
environment
for women and there is less
intervention.
That's it, keep baby's head going
forward.
That's it, keep going.
A little bit longer. Well done.
Generally, the women who sort of
come to the birthing unit
do really well and progress well in
labour.
Rachael, take that big breath in.
Deep breath in and a big push into
your bottom, all the way into your
bottom.
Rachael has been pushing for only
six minutes.
I can't Go on, you can!
Go on, you can do it!
And her baby's head is already
crowning.
You can do it. Big, deep breath.
Push into your bottom.
For baby's chin.
Yeah, we're nearly there.
When you start to see that baby's
coming,
you get quite excited and that sort
of spurs you on to sort of reassure
them and it gives them something
to focus on.
So, with that next contraction,
you give the biggest push
and baby will be here, OK?
Is that one there?
That's it, big push into your
bottom! There we go!
That's it, Rachael.
Well done, keep pushing. Keep going.
Go on and again, Rachael.
Good! There we go. Well done!
5:49am! Happy birthday!
Rachel's birth makes for another
drug-free
natural delivery on the hospital's
birthing unit.
Shall we do a pass through your
legs, Rachael?
Rachael, darling, shall we pass
baby between your legs?
BABY CRIES
All tangled up.
Congratulations! Congratulations!
Well done, Rachael.
You did so well.
You're a star.
That was so quick.
Was that quicker than first time?
Yeah? Probably.
With baby Eddie delivered, Emma and
Val need to get the birthing suite
back in working order.
This is a nice, quite clean bed.
Isn't it?
Drop it on me head. Sorry.
I've dried your hair,
as well as wet it.
I'm feeling like a battered MCA
today.
You said you were hot.
I know I'm hot, but you don't have
to flap me in the face.
Off we go!
Lovely.
In any given week,
there are an average of 85 babies
born at the hospital.
Tara and Lloyd's baby is now a day
old and ready for some visitors.
Let's go and see your sister.
Tara's trio of daughters have come
to the
maternity unit to meet their sister
Florence.
Look, it's your sister! What do you
think, Pearl?
Her nose is a little button!
She's smiling, Pearl, look.
She's smiling at you.
Remember her neck.
She's so tiny!
And she's hiding her little face
with her hands.
Can you believe she's ours?
I think we're going to have to
change her bottom.
Ready for that? Who wants to help?
Me!
You in for that, Flo?
Shall we keep her? Yeah!
Hi! Look at you!
I look good, don't I?
Oh, my gosh. I feel much better.
Are you her midwife?
No.
Are you Lottie? Yeah.
I've been dying for them to come.
Dying for them to come.
I was really excited,
but within five minutes, I was like,
"OK, you can go now."
Yeah. Get them out of here.
You two look like different people.
Oh, yeah! I suppose it's like a
weight. I mean, I don't know how
you're feeling on the inside.
Exhausted on the inside.
But, externally
I feel so much better now. I've had
about ten cups of tea. Yeah.
This hotel is quite good.
This hotel
Go, go, go!
Get snuggles, get snuggles.
Cuteness.
Little one. She's so small.
BABY CRIES
See, this is the good bit of my job,
when they cry,
I think they need Mummy.
Yeah, they need need to come
back. Come on, darling.
She needs to smell the milk.
Oh, she's searching again.
Bye.
Say thank you for looking after me.
What an incredibly wonderful woman.
Like, I admire her beyond all
belief.
They've had so many incredibly sad
losses. I'd, you know
..I'd give anything for the fraction
of the inner strength that she must
have.
She's amazing.
Like, absolutely incredible,
incredible woman.
It's just odd, the term "older
woman",
cos I'm 42 and I had a baby at 40.
Push, push, push, you need to push.
You know what an emergency situation
means with a birth,
it can mean you could lose the baby,
you could lose Mum.
Isn't it incredible?
I just want to hold him.
I mean, all of that in 24 hours.