One Born Every Minute

Southmead Hospital rolls out the red carpet for a celebrity 'baby': Baby Spice is coming in to support the maternity unit's charity and her arrival is causing quite a stir. Midwife Sacha in particular is giddy with excitement about meeting her idol, and brings in some treasured Spice Girl

In the first episode of the sixth series, fourth generation twins make an appearance on the delivery suite at Southmead Hospital in Bristol, a larger-than-life double act struggle to see the funny side of their extended labour, and an expectant father holds his breath hoping for a boy. Mel is an identical twin. Her father is also a twin, as was her grandmother, so it's incredibly rare that Mel herself would be pregnant with twins, but that's exactly what has happened. When Mel's waters break unexpectedly she has to choose whether her husband or her identical twin sister will be her birthing partner. Larger-than-life Su felt she'd hit the jackpot when she met younger man Dan, and they arrive at Southmead in high spirits. Their baby is in breech so they've been booked for a caesarean, but those plans are thrown out the window when baby decides to move, meaning that the couple are able to have a natural delivery. Finally, the race is on for Katy and Rob to make it to the delivery suite before their second child arrives, and Rob is praying this one's a boy.

This episode meets a mum who donated her eggs but went on to have fertility problems herself, a couple whose exciting whirlwind romance resulted in an unexpected pregnancy, and the mum who's finally having her miracle baby after she was told she could never have any children.

A young couple from Liverpool refuse to let a tough start hold them back, parents with four boys eagerly await the arrival of their dream girl, and a mum who didn't think she could conceive naturally prepares for her first

In this episode a farmer finds his baby's birth a far cry from lambing season, a former midwife must take a back seat in the birth room and a laid-back dad nearly misses his daughter's birth.

There's tension as a teenage mum asks her dad and boyfriend to both be present at the birth; a vicar's wife seeks divine intervention; and a young couple hope for a simpler labour second time around. When 18-year-old Charlie fell pregnant, her dad, Dean, wasn't pleased. Stern words followed for her boyfriend Ricky, who's also 18, and who was made to promise he would stand by her. Ricky is determined to prove he can be a good dad, but as the moment of baby's birth draws closer the atmosphere in the delivery room becomes tense... Meanwhile, vicar Adam's wife Sheona, who's 33, has reservations about becoming a mother for the second time, but with the help of Adam's support and humour, and the promise of a bottle of good Champagne afterwards, she hopes to find an inner strength. Chloe and Adam, who are both 20, are followed to Southmead Hospital by their neighbour's cat but the distraction of this additional birthing partner does little to put their minds at ease. They're both troubled by thoughts of the birth of their first daughter, who was rushed off to intensive care as soon as she was born, and as the night draws on exhaustion begins to get the better of Chloe.

The first episode of the fifth series introduces the straight-talking midwifery team in Bristol as an expectant father risks missing his daughter's birth and one of the team helps her next-door neighbour through an emotional labour. Michelle and Michael's parents are from different countries: hers are Chinese, his British. 'I was actually asked if I was a Thai bride when we were on our honeymoon!' says Michelle.

The stories of two strong women offering their daughters plenty of support during labour after unplanned pregnancies. Twenty-three-year-old Sam went off the rails as a teenager, running away from home and ending up sleeping rough, before meeting her partner Biaggio, and the couple are grateful to have Sam's mum by their side. Claire, 20, always knew she wanted her mother to be there in the delivery room, but deciding whether boyfriend Clint should be present wasn't as easy

A long-serving midwife's lifetime career comes to an emotional end. Linda Abbott has been a midwife for 38 years. Aged 60, she's retiring from her post.

Two couples who experienced unexpected difficulties during pregnancy arrive at the hospital. Seventeen-year-old Billie has pre-eclampsia, caused by high blood pressure, which is one of the most serious conditions that can develop during pregnancy.

Three couples in different circumstances prepare to give birth. Ghost-hunter Vicki is supported by her partner Janet as she prepares to give birth to their first child, conceived using the mother's eggs and donor sperm. Ines and Paul are separated in age by 30 years but find their shared religious beliefs tie them together, while 20-year-old Sheree and 19-year-old Danny try to adapt to the changes their baby will bring

Hopes and fears about delivering babies provide the theme to this episode.

Every pregnancy and birth is unpredictable and an easy early labour is not necessarily an indication of what happens towards the end. In this episode there's a serious emergency on the maternity ward when a baby's shoulders become wedged after the head has been delivered.

This episode features two mothers at opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to conception and labour. After endless rounds of IVF, wheelchair user Tricia is looking forward to a much-longed-for baby.

Two women are approaching the pain of childbirth in very different ways. One mum, who experienced a traumatic first labour, is terrified of what the second will bring, while another refused to attend any antenatal classes, feeling that - for her - ignorance will be bliss.

For Lydia (22) and Phil (22) a surprise pregnancy caused the couple to think long and hard about what they should do next. After finally telling her mother, whom she feared would frown on a baby born outside of marriage, Lydia is now looking forward to being a mum and has a natural water birth planned. Boyfriend Phil was at first reluctant to be a dad – he lived a party lifestyle and initially felt sad about saying goodbye to it. When the baby is due to arrive, Lydia’s squeamish elder sister Anna joins her and Phil in the birthing room. Soon, one of the women begins to feel nauseous, and it’s not the one you would expect.

In this episode, two mothers are about to give birth to their first babies while two fathers are trying to work out their role in the birthing process. For Shelagh’s baby son it is a dramatic start with an ambulance journey to the hospital and a quick turn around caesarean when his heart rate dips during labour. The birth is very poignant for Richard as Shelagh is having another man’s baby, having fallen pregnant during a break in their relationship. It’s not what he had planned for their relationship but he is determined to be the best dad he can be after a career in the army meant he was not always around for his own children. Penny is also excited about her new arrival but when labour starts her husband Ben finds it difficult to see her in so much pain. They have deliberately avoided finding out the sex of the baby and a special moment ensues when the baby arrives. Meanwhile, the midwives on the night shift are reminiscing over the extraordinary and wonderful births they have been part of over the years.

Kelly comes in to have her fifth baby, while Joy is waiting to have her first. Babies have always come easily for Kelly: her last one was delivered three minutes after her waters broke. Joy, on the other hand, has had to undergo five years of IVF, and after days of waiting in hospital, there’s still no sign of Baby. Joy and her husband Fabio have been together for 20 years since they met at language college, where they were both studying English. Fabio says: “We have achieved a lot in these last 20 years together, but once you have material things they don’t really mean much to you any more. Without family it loses its meaning.” But, although Joy’s having contractions, she is dilating very slowly, and it doesn’t look like her waters are ready to break naturally. And although Joy wants to have a natural birth, it looks like she’ll eventually have to decide whether to have a caesarean. At least the long wait gives them a chance to try and agree on names for their long-awaited baby… Meanwhile, Kelly has brought her husband Jon, her mum Liz and her sister Lisa into the birthing room with her. Kelly and Lisa’s brother died recently, and Lisa says: “Because the pregnancy was a wonderful distraction it became a focus for the whole family, and probably helped us to work through our emotions.” Midwife Lorraine, who’s new to the hospital, where she’s yet to deliver a baby, is looking after Kelly, who certainly knows what she wants: gas and air, and plenty of it…

Sam is in labour with her first child and is finding the pain too much to bear. Her boyfriend Ed, mum and the midwife team are doing everything they can to make her more comfortable, but she becomes increasingly upset. Ed is feeling the pressure too: he knows he has some real responsibilities to face once the baby is born and is worried about their finances. When the doctor decides that Sam needs a Caesarean, Ed’s nerves get the better of him and, although he wants to be with Sam in theatre, he decides her mum will be of more help. Another mum-to-be, Joy, is bored as she waits to go into labour. A diabetic, she has been induced but has been in hospital for four days and it’s a slow process. She’s hungry, tired and sick of waiting, and her frustration is heightened when her lunch doesn’t arrive on time. The idea of a piece of chocolate cheers her up although her husband Fabio would prefer she had a banana. Conversation turns to their garden, which distracts Joy for a bit, but she is soon feeling frustrated again and starts to wonder whether motherhood really is for her. ‘I love my independence’, she says. Meanwhile, Sister Kay Duggan - one of the midwives - is pondering her career after learning that she delivered Ed many years earlier. ‘There are many moments of pure joy in midwifery and many moments of absolute stress… I find work is the most important part of my life’.