Radio Times: Review by:; Jane Rackham

“It’s not our job to cuddle the babies – that’s for the parents – we’re there to mop up the sick and the blood, and get them through labour. It’s quite physically and mentally draining, this job,” says qualified midwife Lesley instantly destroying the rose-tinted ideas of hundreds of young girls who might have fancied the cuddling bit but baulk at the vomit.

Not all are put off though and we meet three student midwives at Saint Mary’s Hospital in Manchester who’re at various stages of their two-year training. Newbie Chloe grins with pleasure at even the gorier aspects of the job while Jess is more emotional than the mother when she delivers her first baby on her own.

About this programme

2/6. The documentary follows three student midwives at St Mary's Hospital, Manchester, each at different stages of the three-year training. Eighteen-year-old first year Chloe is full of enthusiasm and just starting her placement on the high-risk delivery unit, while second-year Aurelie is struggling and only has one more chance to pass a vital assessment - if she fails again it's unlikely she will ever become a midwife. Jess has just completed her training and now faces her first shift as a qualified midwife - but she finds the prospect of being in charge a scary one.