Emma Willis: Delivering Babies (2018) s02e07 Episode Script
Season 2, Episode 7
1
SCREAMING
'Last year, TV presenter
and mother-of-three Emma Willis
'spent ten weeks on the front line
of the Princess Alexandra Hospital's
maternity unit.'
Well done!
WOMEN CHEER
It's something I always wanted to do.
Thank you for letting me live it.
'Now, Emma is returning
to finish her training'
Really got hooked with us,
haven't you? Yeah! I love it!
'..to become a fully-qualified
maternity care assistant
'that could work in any hospital
in the country.'
I feel like there's so much to learn.
'She'll be more independent'
On the nose. Well done.
'..across high-risk wards
'..and in theatre.'
It's a girl. Is it?
I got a bit broody for a second!
'Supporting a dedicated team
of midwives'
That's it. That's really good.
Keep that going. Push it away.
Three loops of cord around the neck.
Oh, my God.
'..Emma will share the pressures'
Emergency neo-natal team
to ward one theatre, please.
Thank you.
'..the fears' I want to go home!
'..and the joys' Excellent!
MAN LAUGHS
Well done!
'..of helping to bring new life'
Clever girl.
'..into the world.' Hello, Daddy.
Smile.
I'm going to be a wreck
by the end of this!
Morning. Morning!
How are you? I'm fine.
'Emma has now been working
at the hospital for 14 weeks
'and today she's assigned to
the Neo-natal Intensive Care Unit.'
Are you ready to work again?
Oh, I am ready! I'm ready! Good!
'Each year, around 400 premature
and critically ill babies
'depend on their specialist care.'
It's scary being in NICU,
but the more time you spend in there,
the more you realise that the babies
in there, they're sick,
and, yes, they need extra help,
but they're also incredibly strong.
'To pass her competency,
'Emma has been learning
to feed babies that are
too small to suck and swallow,
'and today the nursery nurse
is monitoring her progress.'
You're going to start with
taking her tube out.
Oh! Chuck me in at the deep end!
Of course!
So, erm, what we're going to do is,
the baby's been feeding,
so she doesn't need her tube. OK.
OK. So if we get gloved
and gowned-up again. Yeah.
'Baby Rosie's been in the NICU
for six weeks.
'She no longer needs the feeding tube
that leads from her nose
to her stomach.
'Emma's inserted a tube before
but never removed one.'
There's something about a little baby
that just makes you go, "Oh!
"Are you OK?
Did I do something wrong?"
'Weighing only two pounds
and seven ounces,
'Rosie was born at 30 weeks
'after her placenta stopped
providing her with nutrients.'
Right, so we're going to
whip the tube out. Ooh!
The quicker you do it,
the better for her,
but taking the tape off is going to
have to be a bit slower. Yeah.
All right? Yeah.
So you just untape across the nose.
Yeah.
That's it. OK. And then
gradually take some bits off.
Oh, Rosie, you are a good girl.
You've done well.
Take this end from out of her nose.
Yeah.
And nice and quick, whip it out.
Towards you? Yeah.
OK.
Ooh! That doesn't feel right!
ROSIE COUGHS
I'm so sorry!
I literally felt sick.
Not because it was gross
but because it just feels wrong
pulling a tube out of
something so little.
I was worried I was going to hurt
her, but she didn't even flinch.
'With Rosie's feeding tube out,
'she can now move on
to a bottle permanently.'
Oh, there we go.
Is she a good feeder? She is, yeah.
And she's gaining weight well.
Oh, you're cute, you are.
She's such a cute little baby.
I could cuddle her all day long.
'To become a fully-qualified MCA,
'Emma must work across all the wards
on the maternity unit.'
What time do you finish today? Half
three! Ah, that's all right, then!
'And today, she is working with
the elective caesarean team.'
I really wish
they'd design a fitted sheet
for this little weird-shaped bed!
You can never make it look neat!
It messes with my
Brain! ..OCD neatness, Lise!
'Booked in for surgery later today,
'Emma's first patient has arrived.'
Hello! Hi. Hi, I'm Emma. How are you?
Yeah, good, thank you.
Nice to meet you. Nice to meet you.
How are you feeling? Good!
'31-year-old Ashley
'has been with her husband Glen
for 12 years.'
We met at Hammersmith Palais
at a 21st birthday party.
I think we went to the cinema
400 times in about a month!
At that point,
we were both quite shy,
so it was just easy so we didn't
have to talk, we'd just sit there
in the dark and watch films,
but we pretty much clicked
immediately
and it went from zero to
everything quite quickly!
'Her two previous births
were complicated
and led to postnatal depression.
'She has elected to have a caesarean
to try and stop it happening again.'
How old are the girls? So Grace,
she's going to be eight in August,
and Florence is four.
The births were quite traumatic,
so the postnatal after was horrific.
After my first one,
the postnatal depression,
I suffered quite badly with that.
I got a quite bad tear, it sounds
awful, but the first thing I thought
was, "She's really hurt me."
There in the bonding with her,
it just took a while.
I just thought I was going mad
and, erm, it was things like
Grace wouldn't settle for me.
I'd pass her to Glen,
he would settle her straight away,
so that made me feel awful.
You just feel like a failure,
really.
But you've always
been so good, though.
And how was it for you
when that was all going on?
It sort of put
quite a lot of pressure on us,
as well, together as a couple.
I think when you're so close,
as well, I was taking it out on him.
I think I sort of recognised it
and I did say.
It's hard to say to someone.
It just put a lot of strain on us
in general.
When you think about the experience
that she's had,
it would be very easy to
not talk about certain things
but, erm, we all need to talk more,
and she's doing that,
which is amazing.
I think she's incredibly brave.
I totally can relate.
My first one was really bad.
Was it? And I had lots of trauma.
My head was all over the place.
And you're trying to heal yourself
and you're in so much pain,
yet you're trying to look after
this new little baby. Yeah.
It's like
IMITATES EXPLOSION
I worried a lot with my first baby
because I had so much
trouble breast-feeding
and I was bloody struggling!
I just was crying every day going,
"I don't know what to do!
I can't do it!"
I spoke to my mum and she just went,
"Emma, just stop it.
"Just stop beating yourself up."
It just changed everything.
It took that weight off,
and, erm, the pressure
that I was putting on myself,
all of that just kind of
disappeared really quickly.
I don't think it was
postnatal depression.
It takes, I think, a lot more
to help postnatal depression
than one quick chat with your mum.
It's a very real issue
that needs to be dealt with
and has to be dealt with
to help women.
'Emma will be working alongside
midwife of 35 years Julia.'
How long will she be in this room
before she goes elsewhere?
To be honest,
it's mainly just about 20 minutes.
Oh, OK. It's quite a short time
before you're round on the ward.
Women who have had
postnatal depression,
or have had depression or anxieties,
erm, for other reasons,
we actually monitor them
sort of a little bit closer.
The Maternity Care Assistant job
is really important
because they are looking for
how women feel about themselves.
Right, Emma, we're ready for Ashley
to come through in a minute. OK.
There's certain key events
that need to be recorded
in the notes. Yeah.
An MCA'S role,
particularly in theatre
when somebody has had
postnatal depression,
is just making sure that the woman
feels reassured through the process.
So, these ones here? That's it.
"Knife to skin. Baby.
Placenta. Closure."
Postnatal depression
is more sort of prevalent
sort of in the few days after
delivery. Rather than immediately.
It's just being
aware of how she is. OK.
Right then, I will be watching,
writing and checking. I know.
You're multitasking, Emma! I am!
I'm not going to be multitasking
as much as you lot,
but this is what I am capable of!
This is the bit that always
takes the longest The prepping.
..because it's the prepping
and the safety checks,
just to make sure
everything's all right. Yeah.
With an elective caesarean,
we can sort of spend the time
making sure everything's OK.
Yeah, it's not a rush.
'Along with her normal duties
in theatre,
'Emma must keep a close eye
on mum's mental wellbeing.'
Yeah, she's fine, yeah.
Are you happy with your instruments
and your swabs? Yeah.
No equipment issues or concerns?
No. Antibiotics are being given.
Thank you.
Yeah, please.
Starting.
'In theatre, mum-of-two Ashley
'is about to have a baby.'
It is definitely like
someone's washing up in your belly!
'She has had two traumatic births
which led to postnatal depression,
'so this time she has elected
for a caesarean section.'
What can you feel?
Just pushing and tugging and
I can see it moving around.
It's weird. Really weird.
'The amniotic sac
protects the baby in the womb
'and can hold
up to a litre of fluid.'
We are flooding! There's a lot!
Yeah. All right, Glen? Yeah, fine.
Oh, water?
'Five minutes
after the initial incision
'..a baby girl is born.'
Blimey!
Say hello!
Bless her. Look!
I can't work out if she looks like
Florence. She cried straight away!
She's beautiful! Oh, my God! Hello!
BABY CRIES
Is that all the fluid on the lungs
that makes them gargle?
It'll make them a little bit gurgly
at first, but that will clear.
'As midwife Julia
attends to the baby,
'it's Emma's job to check
on mum Ashley.'
Do you feel all right?
Yeah, I feel all right now.
I felt a bit sick to start with,
but I feel fine now. It can do that.
It's a weird sensation, isn't it?
Really weird.
Have all the bloods been taken?
OVERLAPPING DIALOGUE
Here she is! She's thinking,
"It's all a bit noisy in here!"
Oh!
They look very happy.
Ashley seems fantastic.
She seems very calm.
I've got one more thing to write!
My board-writing is immaculate!
Right, let's take you out,
bit of peace and quiet!
Lovely. Thank you.
Congratulations. Thank you.
'Eight hours after being born,
baby Mabel is taken to
the Neo-natal Intensive Care Unit
'as a precaution.
'Doctors are concerned
that she is making grunting sounds
while breathing.'
You will? Yes.
Definitely.
'The staff will monitor Mabel
'until her breathing
returns to normal.'
Pillow case? Yeah, I've got one here.
Is that a pillow case? Yeah.
Yeah. It's definitely not a sheet.
No, it's a pillow case!
Don't confuse me, all right?
'It's the start of another
busy shift for Emma.'
It might be a double-snip one.
Ooh, no! I hope not!
'As part of her MCA training,
'today she will be assisting
specialist midwife Charlotte
'in a tongue-tie clinic.'
It's not the nicest thing to watch
because you're cutting a baby's mouth
but apparently it doesn't hurt them,
so I'm just going to keep that
in the back of my head!
'A tongue tie
is when the strip of skin
'connecting the tongue to the
bottom of the mouth is too short,
'restricting movement
and affecting feeding.'
Two of my kids were tongue-tied,
but it has to be quite bad
to have it cut.
Fingers crossed,
cutting the tongue tie will go well
and then the baby will latch on
and feed and life will be good!
'First-time parents Naomi and Darren
'have been struggling to feed
nine-day-old Oliver
'as he has a severe tongue tie.'
Hiya! Are you all right?
Yeah! You? Yeah. How you doing?
I'm back, as promised.
I'm a little bit nervous. Oh!
You're probably going to find this
a bit harder than he is, actually.
I think I am, yeah.
'The procedure is performed
while the baby is awake
'and no anaesthetic is needed.'
Ah! That looks cosy! Little cocoon!
BABY WHIMPERS
Oh, I'm sorry.
Here we go, poppet.
Just hold his head up
a little tiny bit.
We're just going to have
a little look.
'It's Emma's job
to hold baby Oliver's head still,
'while Charlotte performs the cut.'
Oh, good boy, opening your mouth
for me! Good boy.
I just want to make sure we're
Lift it right up, Oliver.
I know, I'm so sorry.
HE WHIMPERS
HE CRIES
OK, that's fine. Straight to Mum.
All right, darling.
All right, all right, all right.
There we go. All right. Come on.
There we go. Come on. All right.
All right.
'With the procedure a success,
'Oliver is now able to feed.'
Oh, that was horrible!
It's like he's never even
had it done! I know.
Look at me, I'm that nervous,
I'm popping poppers!
And we've even nicked the baby's bib!
Because when I start to flap
I've got to go and return it.
I don't know how you do it.
Well I really don't.
'Emma is back on shift and checking
on Ashley, Glen and baby Mabel,
'who was admitted
to the Neo-natal Intensive Care Unit
'12 hours ago.'
Morning. Hi!
You all right? Yeah. Are you?
Yeah!
What's she doing in here?
She's a lot better this morning.
How did the rest of yesterday go?
They brought her down
and wanted to admit her
because of all of
the grunting noises she was doing,
just to keep an extra eye on her.
But all the oxygen levels
were normal.
Precautionary, really?
Pretty much, yeah.
She's fine now.
She's stopped doing it now,
so we're waiting to be discharged.
I think she's dreaming now!
At least she's had a thorough check
and you know that everything's clear.
You'd rather she was down here
so you know. Yeah.
'Having had postnatal depression
in the past,
'Ashley is being closely monitored.'
Do you feel all right?
Yeah. I am in a bit of pain.
I'm a bit tender now, but Yeah.
Rest now! Yeah. I've been told!
THEY LAUGH
In the two previous births,
it was fairly evident
when she wasn't feeling great.
I trust her to speak up
because she's well aware
of what happened previously
and the triggers that caused it,
so I trust her to speak up
and tell me if something was wrong
and seek the support that she needs
outside of the family, as well.
And are you all right, Glen?
I had a sleepless night.
Through worry?
Half worry, half the seven-year-old
kicking me in bed!
She was having a bit of a meltdown
because she wasn't there.
Well, fingers crossed,
if everything's going well,
it's not going to be too long.
No. It won't be too long.
I'll catch you back down there later.
No worries. BOTH: See you later.
See you. Bye!
Ashley seems good.
She seems really relaxed.
She seems really
..really good today.
Mabel's just lovely!
She stopped her little noises,
so everyone's very pleased.
From what I can see, all seems well.
Fingers crossed that continues.
'The hospital and Community Care
'will continue to check on Ashley's
wellbeing over the coming months.'
'Each year at the hospital,
'around 160 babies
are born upside-down.
'Known as a breech presentation,
they lie bottom-down,
'instead of head-down,
in the uterus.'
That's it. Relax. Nervous.
Just give her a bell,
take your mind off things.
I'll see if she wants to come.
'First-time mum Lois
and partner Aston's baby is breech.
'She's booked in
for a caesarean section today.
'Midwife Janna
will be overseeing her care.'
In a second, Aston,
can you help her pop these on? Yeah.
They're just TED stockings.
What are these for again?
So they're to prevent blood clots.
They're compression stockings.
So you know if you go
on long-haul flights?
Oh, yeah. They're the same as that.
Oh, you could wear
these yourself? Yes!
Why would you want to, though?
No, but I'm saying
Do you want to borrow them?
Yeah, if they're good for you!
I'll stick them on!
'Aston met Lois when she was working
behind a bar of a night club.'
To be fair, I actually thought
she was out of my league.
At first, I started talking to her,
then I realised she was interested.
She took my number, we went out
for dinner a couple of weeks later
and, yeah,
we've been together 12 years.
I've got the doctor here.
Good morning. Hello! Morning!
My name is Ali.
I'm really nervous.
I'm not too good with hospitals
because I'm a bit squeamish!
As long as I make it through
and I don't faint, yeah, I'll be OK.
Are you allergic to any antibiotics?
No.
Wonderful. I will scan you
to just make sure
the baby's still breech. Yep.
'If today's scan reveals the baby
is still upside-down,
'surgeons will need to prepare
for a feet-first caesarean.'
And the baby's still there.
Baby's head there. See that? Yeah.
There's definitely not two in there,
is there?
No. WOMAN: They don't know
the sex of this baby,
so don't say anything!
Well, I don't know either!
Yeah. Wonderful.
See you soon! Thanks a lot!
Thank you.
We're ready for you.
Are you ready to come with me? Yes.
We are going.
'The theatre team is preparing Lois
for her caesarean section.'
Are you all right, honey? Yeah.
'They start by administering
a spinal anaesthetic.'
So in a second, you're going to
pop your chin to your chest,
drop your shoulders right down
and then arch your back, OK,
like an angry cat. OK? Yeah.
No, I just
As soon as she's had her injection,
I'll go there.
If you want to stand in front of her,
you won't see anything in the back.
To hold her hand, you can do that.
That's what I want to do.
Follow me, then. Right.
He's fine. He can hold your hands
and he will be moral support here.
Yeah. Let's pop this
If you feel faint, sit down on
the floor, OK? No, no, I'm all right.
You're all right.
All right, my love?
It'll be fine.
They'll tell you, don't worry.
Not long, my love. You just have
to stay nice and still
while they're doing it, OK?
You're doing really well.
SHE GASPS
It's hurting.
It's a very, very small space
that they have to find, OK,
in between the vertebrae,
so it can just take a little bit
longer to find that gap, OK?
But well done.
It's always challenging
to try and keep somebody calm,
especially when they're
really anxious.
We explain exactly,
from the cannula going in
to siting the spinal block, step by
step, so they know what to expect.
We can then work with them
to try and help them
and make them feel more reassured.
You can relax. So just sit back.
OK, my love, you've done brilliant.
You've done brilliantly.
I'm just going to take this pillow.
Just relax.
Don't be scared.
Listen, you're stressing out.
You don't need to stress.
'Once the surgeon opens the uterus,
'they have 12 minutes
to extract the baby safely.'
Lois? Yeah?
Shortly, you'll feel lots of
pulling and pressure. That's normal.
That's just that
we're getting baby out, OK?
'Because the baby is breech,
the surgeon needs to extract
the baby feet-first.'
Don't be scared. They won't let
nothing happen to you, trust me.
'But there's a complication.
'The baby's head and shoulders
have become stuck in the uterus.'
Look, I'm with you, ain't I?
Oh, my gosh, it's mental!
DRAMATIC MUSIC
'In theatre, first-time mum Lois
is having her breech baby
by elective caesarean.'
It's not going to be for long.
Only five minutes more.
'The baby is being delivered
feet-first.
'But there's a complication.
'Its head has become stuck
in the uterus'
Don't worry.
'..a dangerous occurrence
that could be life-threatening
'to both mother and baby.'
Nice deep breaths, Lois.
'Surgeons have to work quickly
'to manoeuvre the baby's head
out of the opening.'
You're doing absolutely
fantastic, babe.
'Two minutes later'
Oh! Baby out.
The baby's out now.
'..a baby boy is finally born'
Excuse me.
'..but he's unresponsive.'
SHE MURMURS
Have a cry.
Come on, baby.
Whoo-oo.
Come on.
'After 30 seconds of support'
BABY CRIES
That's it! Well done!
'..Lois and Aston's baby
'lets out his first cry.'
Really good! Well done. Well done.
HE CRIES LOUDLY
The baby's fine. The baby's fine,
love. The baby's fine, Lois, OK?
So some babies need a bit more help
when they're born via section,
because usually
in a vaginal delivery
all the fluid that's on the lungs
is squeezed out
at the time of delivery,
whereas in a caesarean section,
we're lifting them out and that
normal process doesn't happen.
So all that fluid is still sat
there on the lungs, it makes it
a little harder for them to breathe.
So they just need a bit more
of a rub,
sometimes a little bit of oxygen
just to push everything out
and just help them, like I say,
make that transition.
A little boy, babe!
Oh, he's absolutely gorgeous.
Are you going to trim the cord?
I'll do that. OK.
I'll take a picture Ooh, Wendy,
would you take a picture of him
trimming the cord?
Oh! It's fine. Keep cutting.
Well done. Lovely.
LAUGHTER
Here you go. Look.
Hello, Mummy! Hi!
This is your little man.
BABY SQUEALS Are you all right?
So let's pop him here with you.
There you go, darling.
Watching her go through it,
it was quite nerve-racking and
they were pulling her about a bit,
it was quite traumatic,
but obviously at the end, when you
see the baby, it's all worth it.
Lois, look this way for a sec.
There you go.
All right?
He's gorgeous! Look at him.
I know he is.
He's so chilled now he's with you.
Look, honey.
I just can't believe he's here.
It's amazing.
We just both love him so much.
'It's Emma's third shift
in the Neo-natal Intensive Care Unit
'where she's been learning to
support critically ill babies.'
Hi!
How are you? I'm fine.
How are you? I'm good.
'Today, practice development nurse
Katie
'will be testing her progress.'
For Emma to work in NICU,
she would need to
master the clinical skills.
She would also need to be able
to deal with the intensity
and the challenges
that go with that.
It's a massive challenge for Emma,
one which shouldn't
be taken lightly.
Hi! Hello. All right, lovely?
How are you? Good, thank you.
How is she?
She's really well, thank you. Aww!
'Mum India has been in the NICU
for nine days
'with baby Arabella,
'after she was born
nearly seven weeks early.'
Hello! Right, Mum is offering
bottles when she's here,
but when Mum's not around,
at the moment we're just
giving NG feeds. Yes.
I'm just going to grab
some milk out of the trolley
while you're there.
'So far, Emma has learnt to tube-feed
premature babies,
'but she needs to prove
she can feed them unassisted
'to pass her competency.'
I'm going to step back and make sure
you can do it by yourself.
'First, Emma needs to measure
the correct amount of milk
'to feed Arabella.'
Can you remember the calculation
that we'd have to do?
It's birth weight,
then you times it by 150. Yep.
Divide it by 24. Mm-hm.
And then you
..times it by two. Yep.
Well done!
Oh, my God!
I'm so smug right now!
So, attach
and then take the plunger out? Yep.
Oh, you're so cute!
She's enjoying it.
"Hm. This whole feeding
while sleeping thing's amazing!"
Well done! Thank you.
And thank you. You're most welcome.
She's so lovely. Thank you.
You're so cute!
Emma's done incredibly well.
It's quite an intense
and really daunting environment
for somebody to come into
and she's coped with it really well.
Competency-wise, because
you've had a chance with Julia
to practise putting
an NG tube down a dummy Yes.
..and you've had a go at passing
an NG tube on one of the twins
the other day Yeah.
..I'm pretty happy for you to
be signed off from that angle.
Then I've observed you doing feeds,
so I'm happy to sign you off
for your nasogastric competency.
Yay!
This is like my power pose.
Do you know what I mean?
SHE EXHALES
I can do nasogastric insertion!
I am competent. I am able.
That makes me really happy because
it means I've learnt something
I didn't learn last time.
I feel pretty chuffed with myself!
Amazing. Thank you very much.
That's all right.
I'm going to put that in my folder!
You're welcome!
Coffee? Please! Yes!
She needs coffee.
Let's get her coffee!
'Each year
at the Princess Alexandra Hospital,
'around 120 babies are born
to mothers who are over 40.
'They are considered high risk,
'with an increased chance
of complications.'
SHE SIGHS & LAUGHS
I want it out!
You watch,
it's going to take its time! It is!
'Here with her husband Danny,
'42-year-old Laura
is 37 weeks pregnant.'
I can't imagine being here
for a week.
I couldn't think of anything worse
than being here for a week
and thousands of mums
have been and gone!
'The couple came in
after Laura's waters broke overnight.
'They have been together
for seven years.'
We worked together when we were
both on the Underground,
we worked at the same station.
We went to a Christmas party,
dressed up, you see a different side
of each other, and we hit it off.
The fact that she was sick
on my shoes as well
at the end of the night
was kind of like a bit of "Yeah,
that's the girl for me, then!"
'Already parents
to a four-year-old daughter,
'they have lost two babies
trying to expand their family.'
It's been a rocky road for us cos
we've had previous miscarriages.
18 months ago, we had a baby
and we went for our scans
and it picked up abnormalities
and it came back he had something
called Patau syndrome.
'Although Patau syndrome is rare,
'nine out of ten children
born with the condition
'die before their first birthday.
'Danny and Laura were faced
with a difficult decision.'
I done some research on it
and there's no quality of life
for the baby or for the parents
and we had to make the decision
To end the pregnancy.
It wouldn't have been fair.
No. On anyone.
So one last try, wasn't it, for a
little brother or sister for Ellie?
I got the news on Father's Day that
she was pregnant. Father's Day!
Great Father's Day present,
but it was also mixed
with a bit of fear, as well,
because it's excitement
with trepidation of, you know,
"Is this going to be successful?"
'As their baby will be premature
and could have health complications,
'it's hospital policy
to offer parents a tour
'of the Special Care Baby Unit.'
I feel like a nervous wreck.
There's part of me that is just
waiting for something to go wrong.
'Unit manager Janelle
'has been nursing for 22 years.'
I love it!
Absolutely love my job.
Having those babies come in
and seeing them come through the
unit, some of them can be so poorly,
and then to see them recover
and grow and thrive
and then get discharged home,
that's really nice.
Building relationships and families,
that's the rewarding part of it.
This is our intensive care
high-dependency room.
We're built for sort of six cots
in here
and these two here that we have
are our intensive care space. OK.
So having previous pregnancy losses
can make mothers a lot more anxious,
so I think being able to
show a mum round
prior to, erm,
the baby being delivered
would help take some of
that stress off them.
And your baby's 37 weeks? Yeah.
It might be small.
So if there's any issue
with the breathing,
sometimes the lungs
aren't fully developed and
they might need a bit of support,
that's the extreme side of it
If the worst comes to the worst.
Have you got any questions at all?
It's quite daunting.
In the nicest possible way,
I really hope I don't see it again!
Do you know what I mean? BOTH: Yeah.
Are you OK? Yeah, I'm all right.
So Getting a bit emotional.
Cos of what we've been through,
I'm just waiting for
something to go wrong.
I know I shouldn't
feel like that but
I think that's a natural feeling,
though, isn't it? Are you all right?
You can't shift that
because there's always going to be
that worry at the back of your mind.
Yeah.
I just want it all out.
It'll be all right. I know.
If baby does have to come here,
we will look after your baby
as best as we can. Yeah.
We do a grand job here.
I know. Yeah, no doubt
be in the best possible care.
'42-year-old Laura
'is in the early stages of labour,
with her husband Danny by her side.'
Is it out yet?!
SHE LAUGHS
It's getting in my back now. I think
this is You think this is it?
I think this is the beginning.
I haven't had the back pain
yet before.
'She's been induced three weeks early
to reduce the chance of infection
'after her waters broke
in the night.'
Ahh!
They're quite nice. They are cute.
They had tiny baby,
but I've gone for new-born
Yeah thinking,
"It should be big enough."
What's that? Oh, a T-shirt.
Yeah, a T-shirt.
Pink and blue, boy or girl! See?
LAUGHTER
See? Hedging me bets!
'At 42,
Laura is considered high risk.
'She's being transferred
to the consultant-led labour ward
'by midwife Anna.'
Do you want me to get you
some co-dydramol or do you
just want paracetamol?
Can I start with paracetamol?
Course you can.
Just tell me when you get
to the point where you think,
"I want something else."
But I'll get you
the paracetamol now.
The baby's swam off.
That doesn't surprise me!
'Midwife Trish notices a dip
in the baby's heart rate.
'This could be a sign
the baby is in distress.'
Pain there at all? No. OK.
I'm just going to take this down
and get you to go right over
on your side, my darling.
That's it.
Deep breaths.
'With the heart rate dipping,
'the team need to examine Laura
urgently.'
Beautiful.
Well done. Keep that going.
Can you try and relax a little bit?
I can't relax.
Do you want some gas?
Yeah, please.
That's it.
Long, slow, deep breaths.
Well done.
Well done.
'With Laura's consent,
'Trish places a clip
on the baby's head
'to monitor the heart rate.'
All done.
All done, my darling.
You can go onto your side again.
INDISTINCT DIALOGUE
OK.
MONITORS BEEP
The baby's fine, Laura. OK.
I'll tell you if I'm worried
about anything, but the baby's fine
and responded to the examination.
A baby that is doing all right
will respond to being
tickled on the head,
so whatever went on
that caused that drop,
your baby's doing OK with it.
It's working it through,
is the best way to explain it.
So just do what you're doing
with your breathing.
You're doing brilliantly, OK?
'30 minutes later,
'Laura's contractions
are getting stronger.'
God, this is hideous!
SHE SIGHS
All right?
SHE SIGHS
I need some pain relief.
Do you want to go with
the diamorphine? Yeah?
So I'll get the drug, but it'll take
me a couple of minutes because I've
got to get it prescribed and get it
all ready but that's what I'm doing.
Call me back if you need me.
No worries. Thank you.
SHE SOBS I can't do it!
You're doing brilliantly.
She's just going to get
some more pain relief, OK?
She won't be long.
I need to push.
Do you?
'The baby could be coming
quicker than expected.
'Danny calls for help.'
So, you honestly feel
you need to push?
I didn't get far!
Laura said she feels like
she needs to push. Oh, brilliant!
Have a baby instead!
Wendy, come in, yes.
So I was heading out
to get some diamorphine,
but now we've got
a strong urge to push.
So we're just going to have a look
and see what's happening instead.
OK, so nice big deep breath through.
I'm just going to have
a little look, OK? Well done.
Well and truly we're there
on the home straight, OK?
Well done. Long breaths.
Long breaths. Blow it away.
Well done.
Well done. You can do it, Laura.
Well done.
Breathe. Breathe.
YELPING
Laura, breathe, breathe.
Blow it away. Blow it away.
Blow it away.
Well done. Well done. Well done.
Big push down into your bottom.
And a baby!
'After just one push,
'a baby girl is born.
'Safely.'
Well done, both of you.
Congratulations, Mummy and Daddy!
SHE SOBS
BABY CRIES
You've done so well!
SHE EXHALES DEEPLY
Hi, darling. Hello, sweetheart!
Hello!
I love you.
I can't believe we done it!
We done it!
You done so well.
You done so, so well.
BABY CRIES
I was thinking, "This is hideous.
This is so much worse
than my last one."
You won't get a better birth
than that. You were awesome!
I can't even put into words
the relief, first of all,
with everything that's happened.
And she's been so wanted
for so long.
The fact that she's here now
in my arms and safe.
Again, she looks like you!
Oh, sweetheart! What, dribbling?
Yeah!
I have a tendency to, yeah! Shush
Shush
'Emma is back at work
'and her first job is to
check on Laura and baby Mollie,
'who is now 27 hours old.'
Hi, Laura! Hi, Emma!
How are you? Shattered!
Are you? Yeah.
Aww! This is Mollie?
This is Mollie. Ahh!
My waters broke Wednesday morning.
Right.
But then nothing happened,
so they induced me. Yeah.
At four o'clock,
I was only three centimetres,
then she was born by 20 past 5.
The midwife left the room
to get me some pain killers
because I just fell apart,
came back in,
I went, "I need to push!"
and she was out on the first push.
Oh, my gosh! Yeah.
And how are you? Relieved.
Ecstatic. Emotional. Yeah.
She's been like our little miracle.
Yeah! Aww!
And she's here
and nice and safe and sound.
Yeah. She's struggling
a little bit with her feeding.
Aside from her feeding,
is she all right? She's doing well.
Oh! Ooh!
SHE WHIMPERS
Is it dinner time? Would you like
a cuddle? Is it dinner time?
Are you going to have a cuddle
with Emma? Oh, she's cute!
This moment in your life
that's meant to be the most wonderful
experience from beginning to end,
or you imagine is going to be
the most wonderful experience
from beginning to end,
turns out to be one hurdle
after the next, after the next,
and it must feel relentless
and never-ending.
SHE WHIMPERS
Oh, those little noises! I know!
To finally see that family
happy, healthy
and going home together,
it's just like
Laaa! ♪
Right, I'll leave you to feed.
Thank you.
Press your buzzer
if you need any help. OK, then.
Thank you. See you later.
See you later.
SCREAMING
'Last year, TV presenter
and mother-of-three Emma Willis
'spent ten weeks on the front line
of the Princess Alexandra Hospital's
maternity unit.'
Well done!
WOMEN CHEER
It's something I always wanted to do.
Thank you for letting me live it.
'Now, Emma is returning
to finish her training'
Really got hooked with us,
haven't you? Yeah! I love it!
'..to become a fully-qualified
maternity care assistant
'that could work in any hospital
in the country.'
I feel like there's so much to learn.
'She'll be more independent'
On the nose. Well done.
'..across high-risk wards
'..and in theatre.'
It's a girl. Is it?
I got a bit broody for a second!
'Supporting a dedicated team
of midwives'
That's it. That's really good.
Keep that going. Push it away.
Three loops of cord around the neck.
Oh, my God.
'..Emma will share the pressures'
Emergency neo-natal team
to ward one theatre, please.
Thank you.
'..the fears' I want to go home!
'..and the joys' Excellent!
MAN LAUGHS
Well done!
'..of helping to bring new life'
Clever girl.
'..into the world.' Hello, Daddy.
Smile.
I'm going to be a wreck
by the end of this!
Morning. Morning!
How are you? I'm fine.
'Emma has now been working
at the hospital for 14 weeks
'and today she's assigned to
the Neo-natal Intensive Care Unit.'
Are you ready to work again?
Oh, I am ready! I'm ready! Good!
'Each year, around 400 premature
and critically ill babies
'depend on their specialist care.'
It's scary being in NICU,
but the more time you spend in there,
the more you realise that the babies
in there, they're sick,
and, yes, they need extra help,
but they're also incredibly strong.
'To pass her competency,
'Emma has been learning
to feed babies that are
too small to suck and swallow,
'and today the nursery nurse
is monitoring her progress.'
You're going to start with
taking her tube out.
Oh! Chuck me in at the deep end!
Of course!
So, erm, what we're going to do is,
the baby's been feeding,
so she doesn't need her tube. OK.
OK. So if we get gloved
and gowned-up again. Yeah.
'Baby Rosie's been in the NICU
for six weeks.
'She no longer needs the feeding tube
that leads from her nose
to her stomach.
'Emma's inserted a tube before
but never removed one.'
There's something about a little baby
that just makes you go, "Oh!
"Are you OK?
Did I do something wrong?"
'Weighing only two pounds
and seven ounces,
'Rosie was born at 30 weeks
'after her placenta stopped
providing her with nutrients.'
Right, so we're going to
whip the tube out. Ooh!
The quicker you do it,
the better for her,
but taking the tape off is going to
have to be a bit slower. Yeah.
All right? Yeah.
So you just untape across the nose.
Yeah.
That's it. OK. And then
gradually take some bits off.
Oh, Rosie, you are a good girl.
You've done well.
Take this end from out of her nose.
Yeah.
And nice and quick, whip it out.
Towards you? Yeah.
OK.
Ooh! That doesn't feel right!
ROSIE COUGHS
I'm so sorry!
I literally felt sick.
Not because it was gross
but because it just feels wrong
pulling a tube out of
something so little.
I was worried I was going to hurt
her, but she didn't even flinch.
'With Rosie's feeding tube out,
'she can now move on
to a bottle permanently.'
Oh, there we go.
Is she a good feeder? She is, yeah.
And she's gaining weight well.
Oh, you're cute, you are.
She's such a cute little baby.
I could cuddle her all day long.
'To become a fully-qualified MCA,
'Emma must work across all the wards
on the maternity unit.'
What time do you finish today? Half
three! Ah, that's all right, then!
'And today, she is working with
the elective caesarean team.'
I really wish
they'd design a fitted sheet
for this little weird-shaped bed!
You can never make it look neat!
It messes with my
Brain! ..OCD neatness, Lise!
'Booked in for surgery later today,
'Emma's first patient has arrived.'
Hello! Hi. Hi, I'm Emma. How are you?
Yeah, good, thank you.
Nice to meet you. Nice to meet you.
How are you feeling? Good!
'31-year-old Ashley
'has been with her husband Glen
for 12 years.'
We met at Hammersmith Palais
at a 21st birthday party.
I think we went to the cinema
400 times in about a month!
At that point,
we were both quite shy,
so it was just easy so we didn't
have to talk, we'd just sit there
in the dark and watch films,
but we pretty much clicked
immediately
and it went from zero to
everything quite quickly!
'Her two previous births
were complicated
and led to postnatal depression.
'She has elected to have a caesarean
to try and stop it happening again.'
How old are the girls? So Grace,
she's going to be eight in August,
and Florence is four.
The births were quite traumatic,
so the postnatal after was horrific.
After my first one,
the postnatal depression,
I suffered quite badly with that.
I got a quite bad tear, it sounds
awful, but the first thing I thought
was, "She's really hurt me."
There in the bonding with her,
it just took a while.
I just thought I was going mad
and, erm, it was things like
Grace wouldn't settle for me.
I'd pass her to Glen,
he would settle her straight away,
so that made me feel awful.
You just feel like a failure,
really.
But you've always
been so good, though.
And how was it for you
when that was all going on?
It sort of put
quite a lot of pressure on us,
as well, together as a couple.
I think when you're so close,
as well, I was taking it out on him.
I think I sort of recognised it
and I did say.
It's hard to say to someone.
It just put a lot of strain on us
in general.
When you think about the experience
that she's had,
it would be very easy to
not talk about certain things
but, erm, we all need to talk more,
and she's doing that,
which is amazing.
I think she's incredibly brave.
I totally can relate.
My first one was really bad.
Was it? And I had lots of trauma.
My head was all over the place.
And you're trying to heal yourself
and you're in so much pain,
yet you're trying to look after
this new little baby. Yeah.
It's like
IMITATES EXPLOSION
I worried a lot with my first baby
because I had so much
trouble breast-feeding
and I was bloody struggling!
I just was crying every day going,
"I don't know what to do!
I can't do it!"
I spoke to my mum and she just went,
"Emma, just stop it.
"Just stop beating yourself up."
It just changed everything.
It took that weight off,
and, erm, the pressure
that I was putting on myself,
all of that just kind of
disappeared really quickly.
I don't think it was
postnatal depression.
It takes, I think, a lot more
to help postnatal depression
than one quick chat with your mum.
It's a very real issue
that needs to be dealt with
and has to be dealt with
to help women.
'Emma will be working alongside
midwife of 35 years Julia.'
How long will she be in this room
before she goes elsewhere?
To be honest,
it's mainly just about 20 minutes.
Oh, OK. It's quite a short time
before you're round on the ward.
Women who have had
postnatal depression,
or have had depression or anxieties,
erm, for other reasons,
we actually monitor them
sort of a little bit closer.
The Maternity Care Assistant job
is really important
because they are looking for
how women feel about themselves.
Right, Emma, we're ready for Ashley
to come through in a minute. OK.
There's certain key events
that need to be recorded
in the notes. Yeah.
An MCA'S role,
particularly in theatre
when somebody has had
postnatal depression,
is just making sure that the woman
feels reassured through the process.
So, these ones here? That's it.
"Knife to skin. Baby.
Placenta. Closure."
Postnatal depression
is more sort of prevalent
sort of in the few days after
delivery. Rather than immediately.
It's just being
aware of how she is. OK.
Right then, I will be watching,
writing and checking. I know.
You're multitasking, Emma! I am!
I'm not going to be multitasking
as much as you lot,
but this is what I am capable of!
This is the bit that always
takes the longest The prepping.
..because it's the prepping
and the safety checks,
just to make sure
everything's all right. Yeah.
With an elective caesarean,
we can sort of spend the time
making sure everything's OK.
Yeah, it's not a rush.
'Along with her normal duties
in theatre,
'Emma must keep a close eye
on mum's mental wellbeing.'
Yeah, she's fine, yeah.
Are you happy with your instruments
and your swabs? Yeah.
No equipment issues or concerns?
No. Antibiotics are being given.
Thank you.
Yeah, please.
Starting.
'In theatre, mum-of-two Ashley
'is about to have a baby.'
It is definitely like
someone's washing up in your belly!
'She has had two traumatic births
which led to postnatal depression,
'so this time she has elected
for a caesarean section.'
What can you feel?
Just pushing and tugging and
I can see it moving around.
It's weird. Really weird.
'The amniotic sac
protects the baby in the womb
'and can hold
up to a litre of fluid.'
We are flooding! There's a lot!
Yeah. All right, Glen? Yeah, fine.
Oh, water?
'Five minutes
after the initial incision
'..a baby girl is born.'
Blimey!
Say hello!
Bless her. Look!
I can't work out if she looks like
Florence. She cried straight away!
She's beautiful! Oh, my God! Hello!
BABY CRIES
Is that all the fluid on the lungs
that makes them gargle?
It'll make them a little bit gurgly
at first, but that will clear.
'As midwife Julia
attends to the baby,
'it's Emma's job to check
on mum Ashley.'
Do you feel all right?
Yeah, I feel all right now.
I felt a bit sick to start with,
but I feel fine now. It can do that.
It's a weird sensation, isn't it?
Really weird.
Have all the bloods been taken?
OVERLAPPING DIALOGUE
Here she is! She's thinking,
"It's all a bit noisy in here!"
Oh!
They look very happy.
Ashley seems fantastic.
She seems very calm.
I've got one more thing to write!
My board-writing is immaculate!
Right, let's take you out,
bit of peace and quiet!
Lovely. Thank you.
Congratulations. Thank you.
'Eight hours after being born,
baby Mabel is taken to
the Neo-natal Intensive Care Unit
'as a precaution.
'Doctors are concerned
that she is making grunting sounds
while breathing.'
You will? Yes.
Definitely.
'The staff will monitor Mabel
'until her breathing
returns to normal.'
Pillow case? Yeah, I've got one here.
Is that a pillow case? Yeah.
Yeah. It's definitely not a sheet.
No, it's a pillow case!
Don't confuse me, all right?
'It's the start of another
busy shift for Emma.'
It might be a double-snip one.
Ooh, no! I hope not!
'As part of her MCA training,
'today she will be assisting
specialist midwife Charlotte
'in a tongue-tie clinic.'
It's not the nicest thing to watch
because you're cutting a baby's mouth
but apparently it doesn't hurt them,
so I'm just going to keep that
in the back of my head!
'A tongue tie
is when the strip of skin
'connecting the tongue to the
bottom of the mouth is too short,
'restricting movement
and affecting feeding.'
Two of my kids were tongue-tied,
but it has to be quite bad
to have it cut.
Fingers crossed,
cutting the tongue tie will go well
and then the baby will latch on
and feed and life will be good!
'First-time parents Naomi and Darren
'have been struggling to feed
nine-day-old Oliver
'as he has a severe tongue tie.'
Hiya! Are you all right?
Yeah! You? Yeah. How you doing?
I'm back, as promised.
I'm a little bit nervous. Oh!
You're probably going to find this
a bit harder than he is, actually.
I think I am, yeah.
'The procedure is performed
while the baby is awake
'and no anaesthetic is needed.'
Ah! That looks cosy! Little cocoon!
BABY WHIMPERS
Oh, I'm sorry.
Here we go, poppet.
Just hold his head up
a little tiny bit.
We're just going to have
a little look.
'It's Emma's job
to hold baby Oliver's head still,
'while Charlotte performs the cut.'
Oh, good boy, opening your mouth
for me! Good boy.
I just want to make sure we're
Lift it right up, Oliver.
I know, I'm so sorry.
HE WHIMPERS
HE CRIES
OK, that's fine. Straight to Mum.
All right, darling.
All right, all right, all right.
There we go. All right. Come on.
There we go. Come on. All right.
All right.
'With the procedure a success,
'Oliver is now able to feed.'
Oh, that was horrible!
It's like he's never even
had it done! I know.
Look at me, I'm that nervous,
I'm popping poppers!
And we've even nicked the baby's bib!
Because when I start to flap
I've got to go and return it.
I don't know how you do it.
Well I really don't.
'Emma is back on shift and checking
on Ashley, Glen and baby Mabel,
'who was admitted
to the Neo-natal Intensive Care Unit
'12 hours ago.'
Morning. Hi!
You all right? Yeah. Are you?
Yeah!
What's she doing in here?
She's a lot better this morning.
How did the rest of yesterday go?
They brought her down
and wanted to admit her
because of all of
the grunting noises she was doing,
just to keep an extra eye on her.
But all the oxygen levels
were normal.
Precautionary, really?
Pretty much, yeah.
She's fine now.
She's stopped doing it now,
so we're waiting to be discharged.
I think she's dreaming now!
At least she's had a thorough check
and you know that everything's clear.
You'd rather she was down here
so you know. Yeah.
'Having had postnatal depression
in the past,
'Ashley is being closely monitored.'
Do you feel all right?
Yeah. I am in a bit of pain.
I'm a bit tender now, but Yeah.
Rest now! Yeah. I've been told!
THEY LAUGH
In the two previous births,
it was fairly evident
when she wasn't feeling great.
I trust her to speak up
because she's well aware
of what happened previously
and the triggers that caused it,
so I trust her to speak up
and tell me if something was wrong
and seek the support that she needs
outside of the family, as well.
And are you all right, Glen?
I had a sleepless night.
Through worry?
Half worry, half the seven-year-old
kicking me in bed!
She was having a bit of a meltdown
because she wasn't there.
Well, fingers crossed,
if everything's going well,
it's not going to be too long.
No. It won't be too long.
I'll catch you back down there later.
No worries. BOTH: See you later.
See you. Bye!
Ashley seems good.
She seems really relaxed.
She seems really
..really good today.
Mabel's just lovely!
She stopped her little noises,
so everyone's very pleased.
From what I can see, all seems well.
Fingers crossed that continues.
'The hospital and Community Care
'will continue to check on Ashley's
wellbeing over the coming months.'
'Each year at the hospital,
'around 160 babies
are born upside-down.
'Known as a breech presentation,
they lie bottom-down,
'instead of head-down,
in the uterus.'
That's it. Relax. Nervous.
Just give her a bell,
take your mind off things.
I'll see if she wants to come.
'First-time mum Lois
and partner Aston's baby is breech.
'She's booked in
for a caesarean section today.
'Midwife Janna
will be overseeing her care.'
In a second, Aston,
can you help her pop these on? Yeah.
They're just TED stockings.
What are these for again?
So they're to prevent blood clots.
They're compression stockings.
So you know if you go
on long-haul flights?
Oh, yeah. They're the same as that.
Oh, you could wear
these yourself? Yes!
Why would you want to, though?
No, but I'm saying
Do you want to borrow them?
Yeah, if they're good for you!
I'll stick them on!
'Aston met Lois when she was working
behind a bar of a night club.'
To be fair, I actually thought
she was out of my league.
At first, I started talking to her,
then I realised she was interested.
She took my number, we went out
for dinner a couple of weeks later
and, yeah,
we've been together 12 years.
I've got the doctor here.
Good morning. Hello! Morning!
My name is Ali.
I'm really nervous.
I'm not too good with hospitals
because I'm a bit squeamish!
As long as I make it through
and I don't faint, yeah, I'll be OK.
Are you allergic to any antibiotics?
No.
Wonderful. I will scan you
to just make sure
the baby's still breech. Yep.
'If today's scan reveals the baby
is still upside-down,
'surgeons will need to prepare
for a feet-first caesarean.'
And the baby's still there.
Baby's head there. See that? Yeah.
There's definitely not two in there,
is there?
No. WOMAN: They don't know
the sex of this baby,
so don't say anything!
Well, I don't know either!
Yeah. Wonderful.
See you soon! Thanks a lot!
Thank you.
We're ready for you.
Are you ready to come with me? Yes.
We are going.
'The theatre team is preparing Lois
for her caesarean section.'
Are you all right, honey? Yeah.
'They start by administering
a spinal anaesthetic.'
So in a second, you're going to
pop your chin to your chest,
drop your shoulders right down
and then arch your back, OK,
like an angry cat. OK? Yeah.
No, I just
As soon as she's had her injection,
I'll go there.
If you want to stand in front of her,
you won't see anything in the back.
To hold her hand, you can do that.
That's what I want to do.
Follow me, then. Right.
He's fine. He can hold your hands
and he will be moral support here.
Yeah. Let's pop this
If you feel faint, sit down on
the floor, OK? No, no, I'm all right.
You're all right.
All right, my love?
It'll be fine.
They'll tell you, don't worry.
Not long, my love. You just have
to stay nice and still
while they're doing it, OK?
You're doing really well.
SHE GASPS
It's hurting.
It's a very, very small space
that they have to find, OK,
in between the vertebrae,
so it can just take a little bit
longer to find that gap, OK?
But well done.
It's always challenging
to try and keep somebody calm,
especially when they're
really anxious.
We explain exactly,
from the cannula going in
to siting the spinal block, step by
step, so they know what to expect.
We can then work with them
to try and help them
and make them feel more reassured.
You can relax. So just sit back.
OK, my love, you've done brilliant.
You've done brilliantly.
I'm just going to take this pillow.
Just relax.
Don't be scared.
Listen, you're stressing out.
You don't need to stress.
'Once the surgeon opens the uterus,
'they have 12 minutes
to extract the baby safely.'
Lois? Yeah?
Shortly, you'll feel lots of
pulling and pressure. That's normal.
That's just that
we're getting baby out, OK?
'Because the baby is breech,
the surgeon needs to extract
the baby feet-first.'
Don't be scared. They won't let
nothing happen to you, trust me.
'But there's a complication.
'The baby's head and shoulders
have become stuck in the uterus.'
Look, I'm with you, ain't I?
Oh, my gosh, it's mental!
DRAMATIC MUSIC
'In theatre, first-time mum Lois
is having her breech baby
by elective caesarean.'
It's not going to be for long.
Only five minutes more.
'The baby is being delivered
feet-first.
'But there's a complication.
'Its head has become stuck
in the uterus'
Don't worry.
'..a dangerous occurrence
that could be life-threatening
'to both mother and baby.'
Nice deep breaths, Lois.
'Surgeons have to work quickly
'to manoeuvre the baby's head
out of the opening.'
You're doing absolutely
fantastic, babe.
'Two minutes later'
Oh! Baby out.
The baby's out now.
'..a baby boy is finally born'
Excuse me.
'..but he's unresponsive.'
SHE MURMURS
Have a cry.
Come on, baby.
Whoo-oo.
Come on.
'After 30 seconds of support'
BABY CRIES
That's it! Well done!
'..Lois and Aston's baby
'lets out his first cry.'
Really good! Well done. Well done.
HE CRIES LOUDLY
The baby's fine. The baby's fine,
love. The baby's fine, Lois, OK?
So some babies need a bit more help
when they're born via section,
because usually
in a vaginal delivery
all the fluid that's on the lungs
is squeezed out
at the time of delivery,
whereas in a caesarean section,
we're lifting them out and that
normal process doesn't happen.
So all that fluid is still sat
there on the lungs, it makes it
a little harder for them to breathe.
So they just need a bit more
of a rub,
sometimes a little bit of oxygen
just to push everything out
and just help them, like I say,
make that transition.
A little boy, babe!
Oh, he's absolutely gorgeous.
Are you going to trim the cord?
I'll do that. OK.
I'll take a picture Ooh, Wendy,
would you take a picture of him
trimming the cord?
Oh! It's fine. Keep cutting.
Well done. Lovely.
LAUGHTER
Here you go. Look.
Hello, Mummy! Hi!
This is your little man.
BABY SQUEALS Are you all right?
So let's pop him here with you.
There you go, darling.
Watching her go through it,
it was quite nerve-racking and
they were pulling her about a bit,
it was quite traumatic,
but obviously at the end, when you
see the baby, it's all worth it.
Lois, look this way for a sec.
There you go.
All right?
He's gorgeous! Look at him.
I know he is.
He's so chilled now he's with you.
Look, honey.
I just can't believe he's here.
It's amazing.
We just both love him so much.
'It's Emma's third shift
in the Neo-natal Intensive Care Unit
'where she's been learning to
support critically ill babies.'
Hi!
How are you? I'm fine.
How are you? I'm good.
'Today, practice development nurse
Katie
'will be testing her progress.'
For Emma to work in NICU,
she would need to
master the clinical skills.
She would also need to be able
to deal with the intensity
and the challenges
that go with that.
It's a massive challenge for Emma,
one which shouldn't
be taken lightly.
Hi! Hello. All right, lovely?
How are you? Good, thank you.
How is she?
She's really well, thank you. Aww!
'Mum India has been in the NICU
for nine days
'with baby Arabella,
'after she was born
nearly seven weeks early.'
Hello! Right, Mum is offering
bottles when she's here,
but when Mum's not around,
at the moment we're just
giving NG feeds. Yes.
I'm just going to grab
some milk out of the trolley
while you're there.
'So far, Emma has learnt to tube-feed
premature babies,
'but she needs to prove
she can feed them unassisted
'to pass her competency.'
I'm going to step back and make sure
you can do it by yourself.
'First, Emma needs to measure
the correct amount of milk
'to feed Arabella.'
Can you remember the calculation
that we'd have to do?
It's birth weight,
then you times it by 150. Yep.
Divide it by 24. Mm-hm.
And then you
..times it by two. Yep.
Well done!
Oh, my God!
I'm so smug right now!
So, attach
and then take the plunger out? Yep.
Oh, you're so cute!
She's enjoying it.
"Hm. This whole feeding
while sleeping thing's amazing!"
Well done! Thank you.
And thank you. You're most welcome.
She's so lovely. Thank you.
You're so cute!
Emma's done incredibly well.
It's quite an intense
and really daunting environment
for somebody to come into
and she's coped with it really well.
Competency-wise, because
you've had a chance with Julia
to practise putting
an NG tube down a dummy Yes.
..and you've had a go at passing
an NG tube on one of the twins
the other day Yeah.
..I'm pretty happy for you to
be signed off from that angle.
Then I've observed you doing feeds,
so I'm happy to sign you off
for your nasogastric competency.
Yay!
This is like my power pose.
Do you know what I mean?
SHE EXHALES
I can do nasogastric insertion!
I am competent. I am able.
That makes me really happy because
it means I've learnt something
I didn't learn last time.
I feel pretty chuffed with myself!
Amazing. Thank you very much.
That's all right.
I'm going to put that in my folder!
You're welcome!
Coffee? Please! Yes!
She needs coffee.
Let's get her coffee!
'Each year
at the Princess Alexandra Hospital,
'around 120 babies are born
to mothers who are over 40.
'They are considered high risk,
'with an increased chance
of complications.'
SHE SIGHS & LAUGHS
I want it out!
You watch,
it's going to take its time! It is!
'Here with her husband Danny,
'42-year-old Laura
is 37 weeks pregnant.'
I can't imagine being here
for a week.
I couldn't think of anything worse
than being here for a week
and thousands of mums
have been and gone!
'The couple came in
after Laura's waters broke overnight.
'They have been together
for seven years.'
We worked together when we were
both on the Underground,
we worked at the same station.
We went to a Christmas party,
dressed up, you see a different side
of each other, and we hit it off.
The fact that she was sick
on my shoes as well
at the end of the night
was kind of like a bit of "Yeah,
that's the girl for me, then!"
'Already parents
to a four-year-old daughter,
'they have lost two babies
trying to expand their family.'
It's been a rocky road for us cos
we've had previous miscarriages.
18 months ago, we had a baby
and we went for our scans
and it picked up abnormalities
and it came back he had something
called Patau syndrome.
'Although Patau syndrome is rare,
'nine out of ten children
born with the condition
'die before their first birthday.
'Danny and Laura were faced
with a difficult decision.'
I done some research on it
and there's no quality of life
for the baby or for the parents
and we had to make the decision
To end the pregnancy.
It wouldn't have been fair.
No. On anyone.
So one last try, wasn't it, for a
little brother or sister for Ellie?
I got the news on Father's Day that
she was pregnant. Father's Day!
Great Father's Day present,
but it was also mixed
with a bit of fear, as well,
because it's excitement
with trepidation of, you know,
"Is this going to be successful?"
'As their baby will be premature
and could have health complications,
'it's hospital policy
to offer parents a tour
'of the Special Care Baby Unit.'
I feel like a nervous wreck.
There's part of me that is just
waiting for something to go wrong.
'Unit manager Janelle
'has been nursing for 22 years.'
I love it!
Absolutely love my job.
Having those babies come in
and seeing them come through the
unit, some of them can be so poorly,
and then to see them recover
and grow and thrive
and then get discharged home,
that's really nice.
Building relationships and families,
that's the rewarding part of it.
This is our intensive care
high-dependency room.
We're built for sort of six cots
in here
and these two here that we have
are our intensive care space. OK.
So having previous pregnancy losses
can make mothers a lot more anxious,
so I think being able to
show a mum round
prior to, erm,
the baby being delivered
would help take some of
that stress off them.
And your baby's 37 weeks? Yeah.
It might be small.
So if there's any issue
with the breathing,
sometimes the lungs
aren't fully developed and
they might need a bit of support,
that's the extreme side of it
If the worst comes to the worst.
Have you got any questions at all?
It's quite daunting.
In the nicest possible way,
I really hope I don't see it again!
Do you know what I mean? BOTH: Yeah.
Are you OK? Yeah, I'm all right.
So Getting a bit emotional.
Cos of what we've been through,
I'm just waiting for
something to go wrong.
I know I shouldn't
feel like that but
I think that's a natural feeling,
though, isn't it? Are you all right?
You can't shift that
because there's always going to be
that worry at the back of your mind.
Yeah.
I just want it all out.
It'll be all right. I know.
If baby does have to come here,
we will look after your baby
as best as we can. Yeah.
We do a grand job here.
I know. Yeah, no doubt
be in the best possible care.
'42-year-old Laura
'is in the early stages of labour,
with her husband Danny by her side.'
Is it out yet?!
SHE LAUGHS
It's getting in my back now. I think
this is You think this is it?
I think this is the beginning.
I haven't had the back pain
yet before.
'She's been induced three weeks early
to reduce the chance of infection
'after her waters broke
in the night.'
Ahh!
They're quite nice. They are cute.
They had tiny baby,
but I've gone for new-born
Yeah thinking,
"It should be big enough."
What's that? Oh, a T-shirt.
Yeah, a T-shirt.
Pink and blue, boy or girl! See?
LAUGHTER
See? Hedging me bets!
'At 42,
Laura is considered high risk.
'She's being transferred
to the consultant-led labour ward
'by midwife Anna.'
Do you want me to get you
some co-dydramol or do you
just want paracetamol?
Can I start with paracetamol?
Course you can.
Just tell me when you get
to the point where you think,
"I want something else."
But I'll get you
the paracetamol now.
The baby's swam off.
That doesn't surprise me!
'Midwife Trish notices a dip
in the baby's heart rate.
'This could be a sign
the baby is in distress.'
Pain there at all? No. OK.
I'm just going to take this down
and get you to go right over
on your side, my darling.
That's it.
Deep breaths.
'With the heart rate dipping,
'the team need to examine Laura
urgently.'
Beautiful.
Well done. Keep that going.
Can you try and relax a little bit?
I can't relax.
Do you want some gas?
Yeah, please.
That's it.
Long, slow, deep breaths.
Well done.
Well done.
'With Laura's consent,
'Trish places a clip
on the baby's head
'to monitor the heart rate.'
All done.
All done, my darling.
You can go onto your side again.
INDISTINCT DIALOGUE
OK.
MONITORS BEEP
The baby's fine, Laura. OK.
I'll tell you if I'm worried
about anything, but the baby's fine
and responded to the examination.
A baby that is doing all right
will respond to being
tickled on the head,
so whatever went on
that caused that drop,
your baby's doing OK with it.
It's working it through,
is the best way to explain it.
So just do what you're doing
with your breathing.
You're doing brilliantly, OK?
'30 minutes later,
'Laura's contractions
are getting stronger.'
God, this is hideous!
SHE SIGHS
All right?
SHE SIGHS
I need some pain relief.
Do you want to go with
the diamorphine? Yeah?
So I'll get the drug, but it'll take
me a couple of minutes because I've
got to get it prescribed and get it
all ready but that's what I'm doing.
Call me back if you need me.
No worries. Thank you.
SHE SOBS I can't do it!
You're doing brilliantly.
She's just going to get
some more pain relief, OK?
She won't be long.
I need to push.
Do you?
'The baby could be coming
quicker than expected.
'Danny calls for help.'
So, you honestly feel
you need to push?
I didn't get far!
Laura said she feels like
she needs to push. Oh, brilliant!
Have a baby instead!
Wendy, come in, yes.
So I was heading out
to get some diamorphine,
but now we've got
a strong urge to push.
So we're just going to have a look
and see what's happening instead.
OK, so nice big deep breath through.
I'm just going to have
a little look, OK? Well done.
Well and truly we're there
on the home straight, OK?
Well done. Long breaths.
Long breaths. Blow it away.
Well done.
Well done. You can do it, Laura.
Well done.
Breathe. Breathe.
YELPING
Laura, breathe, breathe.
Blow it away. Blow it away.
Blow it away.
Well done. Well done. Well done.
Big push down into your bottom.
And a baby!
'After just one push,
'a baby girl is born.
'Safely.'
Well done, both of you.
Congratulations, Mummy and Daddy!
SHE SOBS
BABY CRIES
You've done so well!
SHE EXHALES DEEPLY
Hi, darling. Hello, sweetheart!
Hello!
I love you.
I can't believe we done it!
We done it!
You done so well.
You done so, so well.
BABY CRIES
I was thinking, "This is hideous.
This is so much worse
than my last one."
You won't get a better birth
than that. You were awesome!
I can't even put into words
the relief, first of all,
with everything that's happened.
And she's been so wanted
for so long.
The fact that she's here now
in my arms and safe.
Again, she looks like you!
Oh, sweetheart! What, dribbling?
Yeah!
I have a tendency to, yeah! Shush
Shush
'Emma is back at work
'and her first job is to
check on Laura and baby Mollie,
'who is now 27 hours old.'
Hi, Laura! Hi, Emma!
How are you? Shattered!
Are you? Yeah.
Aww! This is Mollie?
This is Mollie. Ahh!
My waters broke Wednesday morning.
Right.
But then nothing happened,
so they induced me. Yeah.
At four o'clock,
I was only three centimetres,
then she was born by 20 past 5.
The midwife left the room
to get me some pain killers
because I just fell apart,
came back in,
I went, "I need to push!"
and she was out on the first push.
Oh, my gosh! Yeah.
And how are you? Relieved.
Ecstatic. Emotional. Yeah.
She's been like our little miracle.
Yeah! Aww!
And she's here
and nice and safe and sound.
Yeah. She's struggling
a little bit with her feeding.
Aside from her feeding,
is she all right? She's doing well.
Oh! Ooh!
SHE WHIMPERS
Is it dinner time? Would you like
a cuddle? Is it dinner time?
Are you going to have a cuddle
with Emma? Oh, she's cute!
This moment in your life
that's meant to be the most wonderful
experience from beginning to end,
or you imagine is going to be
the most wonderful experience
from beginning to end,
turns out to be one hurdle
after the next, after the next,
and it must feel relentless
and never-ending.
SHE WHIMPERS
Oh, those little noises! I know!
To finally see that family
happy, healthy
and going home together,
it's just like
Laaa! ♪
Right, I'll leave you to feed.
Thank you.
Press your buzzer
if you need any help. OK, then.
Thank you. See you later.
See you later.