Emma Willis: Delivering Babies

Emma experiences the training process on a maternity ward, working four shifts a week, to discover what makes it one of the toughest, but most rewarding careers possible.

Emma shocks everyone and takes a turn for the worse while observing a procedure in theatre. She seeks advice from her mum, Cathy. Emma meets Michelle, who is 33 weeks pregnant, but suffering with heavy bleeding.

Emma is on the labour ward, a consultant-led maternity unit for higher-risk mums-to-be. Forty-one-year-old Nicola and her husband Gavin are her first patients of the day.

Emma returns to complete her training at Princess Alexandra Hospital in Harlow, Essex, and is put straight to work when asked to assist with a water birth.

Emmas training steps up a gear when shes the only maternity care assistant available. A labour turns into an emergency when the baby moves into a difficult position.

Emma continues her training and assists in an elective caesarian section. She also meets Erinoulla, whose newborn son has a clubfoot.

Emma meets third-time mum Ashley, who has suffered from post-natal depression in the past, and second-time mum Laura, who has had a difficult time expanding her family.

Emma meets Takkies, who recently moved to the UK and is finding pregnancy in lockdown difficult away from her family. In East Sussex, Jay races to be at the birth of his baby.

Emma meets Tamira and Chris who are expecting their third child, and Heidi and Ben who are expecting twins, with the pregnancy deemed high risk.

There is lots to remember and learn in a busy first week back - Emma is given a refresher on the jobs shell be expected to soon carry out alone, like pre-operative checks.

Emma takes on more responsibility in the operating theatre, where she witnesses her first emergency. Newly qualified midwife Corinne cares for second-time parents Nicola and Aaron.

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Emma wants to create a good first impression, but her first day doesnt start as planned when she forgets to bring the right shoes and has to call her husband to come to her rescue.

Nearly halfway through her time at the hospital, Emma gets thrown in at the deep end with birthing pool evacuation training and learning how to remove a catheter.

Emma is running out of time to get her qualification and sets a deadline to finish by the end of the week. But to do this she has to get her surgical skills signed off in theatre.