One Born every minute is a series that was on Channel 4 on a Tuesday evening which was based on a labour ward in Southampton. They installed cameras on reception, in labour rooms and in the staff room. The program was designed to show the reality of labour. The series of eight episodes has now finished but is been repeated on More 4.

Each program tended to follow the labour of two couples and while it was designed to show the realities of normal labour the people chosen were unique in some ways whether it was because they were young mom's , induced or a Couple who had undergone fertility treatment.
You do see the dedication of the staff but the one member of staff who was memorable for me was the receptionist who was extremely Witty. One Comment that stood out for me was while on the phone she said "I have to go there is an ambulance here "and then replied "no not a real ambulance it wouldn't fit up the corridor"

One of the most interesting for me was a lady who gave birth to her son who had has bowel outside his body and how she struggled with knowing she had a baby who was going to need medical intervention and the complications of bonding with a child who looked so different.

This shows not only the Emotions of the mom but also the partners. In the first episode a woman who was in labour had her teenage son present who looked uncomfortable and the most annoying husband I have ever met. While his wife was having a contraction he was tickling her with a blown up rubber glove. This actually caused a great deal of Face book discussions on what the women would have done in response to his behaviour but she seemed slightly amused so it is obviously the kind of relationship they have.

One episode focused on the Neo natal unit and looking after premature babies and babies born with health problems. This showed how vulnerable these little ones were and how emotional it is for the parents. I found this fascinating. I was lucky with my son that I only had to take him up after his birth for a blood test so it was something I knew very little about.

There are a couple of times I sobbed when I was convinced the babies weren't going to make it but happily all babies born in this program were all delivered safe and Well.

I actually enjoyed the water birth and watched with a pang of jealousy as this was the birth that I wanted but as I was induced had to be monitored throughout so it wasn't an option.

What I did love about this Program was how it did manage to capture the emotion of the labour ward. It is a very emotional place with women who are in a lot of pain, often there were times of concern for the babies and obviously plenty of joy when the babies finally arrive. This was very real and took away any glamour of birth but did capture the amazing experience it is.

I found that I did not watch a single episode without crying at some point. I am not the kind of person who generally cries at TV and can't help but look shocked at friends who cry when they cry at Soaps as I can't get emotional about a Soap character dying. There are a couple of times I sobbed when I was convinced the babies weren't going to make it but happily all babies born in this program were all delivered safe and Well

When I was pregnant I watched a lot of Birth programs but these were based in the USA and didn't represent the realities of giving birth in a hospital. In the USA all Mom's give birth with their legs up in stirrups and doctor always delivers the baby where in this country I don't know anyone who has ever had stirrups and doctors only intervene when necessary.

This for me brought back memories of my son's own birth and as I am one of the few people who actually enjoyed labour this was really positive. I do think it is useful and informative but also gripping viewing.

I cannot recommend this program highly enough so if you missed it when it was first on check out 4OD or More 4.