One Born Every Minute

On tonight’s episode, two sets of very different first time parents walk through the doors of the maternity unit, whilst midwife Lara has double the fun delivering twins. Unsuspecting father-to-be, Frank (33) and his partner Shelley (33) waited before starting a family as there never seemed to be a right time. Nine months later Shelley is fully prepared for the birth of their baby but Frank still seems to be oblivious to the task at hand, “I would try and get away with not being there and sitting in the pub”, he says, “but Shelley won’t have that”. He has high hopes that it will all be over and done with in four hours, but as any first time mum will tell you, babies never quite stick to the birth plan. Meanwhile, Elle (27) and Ben (27) have taken the fast track to Central Delivery Suite. Less than a year after a cheeky message on a social network site, the duo are pacing the corridors of Southmead together, discussing baby names and breathing techniques. All this has been quite a shock to Ben, who was still living at home with his mum when he met Elle, but he believes he’s ready, “At the moment, me and Elle are a couple and when we walk out of the hospital we’ll be a family.” Meanwhile, it’s midwife Lara’s birthday and the single mother of two muses on life, love and the benefits of chocolate as she juggles family pressures with the thrills and spills of working in a maternity unit.