One Born Every Minute

One Born Every Minute

New Documentary Series BAFTA winning series One Born Every Minute comes to SBS.

Every minute of every hour of every day, a baby is born in Britain. Better than a soap or drama series, this is the real drama of every day life. One Born Every Minute is a ground breaking observational documentary that captures the dramatic, emotional and often funny moments that accompany bringing new life into the world.

40 unobtrusive cameras were placed in a bustling maternity ward in Princess Anne hospital in Southampton, UK. Over four months the cameras captured the highs and lows behind the scenes as new lives begin and others change forever.

Developed with the same state of the art filming technology that will be used in upcoming SBS series The Family, One Born Every Minute takes a tender look at pregnancy and birth from the perspective of the soon-to-be parents and family, as well as the hospital staff. For the staff of the maternity ward these life changing events are business as usual and they are always on hand to manage emotions and offer guidance through the intense and often precarious times.

Filming from the reception desk to the neo-natal ward; from the operating theatre to the birthing pool, this award-winning eight-part documentary captures those dramatic, tender and heart-warming moments shared between families - whether a mother of four or a first time pregnancy, and dispels the mysteries of childbirth.

Episode 1
Tuesday, 27 July at 8.30pm on SBS ONE
Tracy is 37 years old and is in labour with her fourth child. Accompanied by her husband Steve - who is in a jovial mood - and her middle son Liam, who's 18, Tracy is calm and upbeat about her labour until the heart rate of her baby slows and the midwife needs to deliver her baby quickly. Suddenly the humour of the situation is gone, Tracy is exhausted and a much more serious Steve becomes the labour coach as the midwife races to get the baby out.

As the staff cope with an increasingly busy shift, 22-year-old Lisa is in labour with her first child. Despite the calm words of the midwife, Lisa's nervousness quickly turns to fear when she learns the baby must be delivered by caesarean section. As she is taken into theatre to give birth, Lisa and her partner are told that once their baby is born it will be taken immediately to an incubator. The first few days of its life are going to be critical.

Episode 2
TX: Tuesday, 3 August at 8.30pm on SBS ONE
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.

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'.