From a hospital car park labour to mums that are a true inspiration, we look at the funniest and most moving bits from every expectant parent's favourite TV show.
1. When a dad catches his baby with one hand
Sometimes dads can feel a bit useless in the delivery room but that wasn’t the case for quick-thinking Ian. His partner Kirsty had just been to the toilet when she felt something coming and rushed back to the bed. The baby suddenly popped out and dad was there just in the nick of time to catch the newborn with one hand.
2. Being deaf and giving birth
The reality of what it’s like for a deaf person to give birth were brought home by Mandy and Melvin. Mandy had to have a C-section as her baby was breech and a signer had to be present to translate for the doctors. As all communication for these parents was visual, they asked the midwives to bring the baby round so they could see its sex instead of being told.
3. A mum gives birth in the hospital car park
It’s every expectant parent’s worst nightmare – they don’t get to the hospital in time. This episode of One Born saw a frantic dad shouting over the hospital intercom “Help! Help! The head’s coming!” as his wife was in labour in the carpark. Ever the professionals, the team at Bristol’s Southmead hospital rushed outside and supported the woman as her baby entered the world.
4. The 48-hour delivery
Thank goodness Leoni Geddes’ labour wasn’t streamed live because it lasted an epic 48 hours. The marathon delivery had a dramatic finale when doctors decided that Leoni needed an emergency caesarean and then had to resuscitate Baby Kyron who wasn’t breathing. Fortunately, there was a happy ending. “It only took a few minutes, but it felt like the longest part of the whole thing,” said Leoni.
5. The mum who thought she’d never have kids
Some of the most touching moments on One Born Every Minute come from women who never thought they’d have kids. One in particular stood out. After being told she was going through early menopause, aged 34, Jo thought her dreams of becoming a mother would never become reality. She couldn’t quite believe it when she got pregnant with her “miracle baby” and her delivery was one of the most joyous moments on the show.
6. Baby Dax
When Baby Dax was born to Maria and David Cork, the happiness of his arrival was tinged with a huge amount of anxiety. At Maria’s 20-week scan, she had been told that her baby had multi-cystic dysplastic kidney, a condition which meant his left kidney hadn’t formed properly and was covered in cysts. Doctors weren’t sure what would happen when he was born and whether he’d need life-saving surgery straight away. Luckily, an MRI scan showed that he had one healthy kidney and wouldn’t need a transplant.
7. The mum with cystic fibrosis
There are a lot of inspirational mums on One Born Every Minute but Rhiannon Dunn’s positive attitude won over nurses and viewers alike. The mum-of-three, who welcomed baby Alice, has cystic fibrosis, a disease with an average life expectancy of just 41. Rhiannon’s appearance on the show proved that her illness hadn’t stopped her having a big, loving family.
8. Race against time for soldier dad
If there’s one thing birth isn’t it’s predictable. This was perfectly illustrated by dad-to-be Shaun, who had to return to the Army in 48 hours to start a six-month tour of Afghanistan. He promised to buy the midwife “every sausage roll in Greggs” if she could make the birth happen before he left. But we won’t spoil the ending for you…
9. Where a dad just misses his daughter’s birth
Proving that birth can be quick as well as long and tedious, this dad was told to “run” as he nonchalantly strolled into the hospital reception. He missed the birth of his daughter by minutes, but the drama continued as his wife had a huge haemorrhage and lost nearly a litre of blood.
10. Brave mum Sam
Viewers were left in tears watching Sam, after she revealed that she’d suffered a stillbirth with her daughter Rosa. The mum-to-be said she’d had to endure 12 hours of labour, knowing that her baby wasn’t alive and that it represented the “saddest time of her life”. But her and her husband kept Rosa’s memory alive with the birth of their second daughter Isla Rose.