One Born Every Minute is returning for its 10th series. So far the show has put us through almost 200 births and, while the specifics of each have been different, they’ve all been horrible and painful and amazing and beautiful. However, this year there’s a special surprise: past One Born Every Minute subjects returning to watch footage of their births with their children. I spoke to three mums and their three kids about the experience.
Leoni (series one)
Leoni gave birth to her son Kyron, seven, by caesarean section. Her birth partner was her mother, Maggie. She is now a teaching assistant.
“Kyron’s grandma was so supportive when I was in labour with him, and she’s still so supportive now,” she says. “I don’t know what I’d do without her, but she and Kyron are literally best friends. He got really emotional when he watched the birth with us, which was really sweet.
“I get recognised from the show quite a bit. A lot of people seem to think they know me. I still watch the programme all the time, and I love it. I think my birth stood out because it wasn’t such an easy one. It was a difficult situation, and I think that made people quite sympathetic towards me. That and my mum’s funny character!
“Kyron’s got a little sister now, and she’s four. That was an awful birth. I had to have a C-section and the epidural didn’t work properly. Yeah, I’m not the greatest at labour.”
Kyron
“Being born was scary, I remember it. Watching it on TV was so cute, but I felt bad when my mum started crying. At the end she was happy, though, so that made me happy.
“All my friends know I’ve been on TV, and they keep asking for my autograph. I want to be on TV, and have a show where I go everywhere. I’d go to Australia first. I want to see all the animals. Dingos are my favourite animals. Dingos go woof.”
Carol (series two)
Carol delivered her son Martin, six, by assisted birth. Her birth partner was her husband, Kevin. During her birth, Carol kept referring to a member of the hospital staff as Hot Lips.
“One Born Every Minute was amazing to do. I did have my reservations about it, but the team were persistent. They were lovely, too. They weren’t intrusive at all. We only saw them when they had to change the batteries. It got to the point that we were having conversations with the camera, and they were answering yes and no by moving the camera up and down.
“Watching the clips they sent us for Martin, for our approval, brought back so many lovely memories and emotions of the time. He is our miracle. He’s our everything, and to see it again was very special. Martin likes to see people reacting to it, especially his aunties and grandparents. Nanny cried, and so did Auntie Jackie and Auntie Tanya. They were very proud of Martin. They thought he did fantastically.
“I’m surprised that people think I was calm during the birth. I was just determined not to have a caesarean section. I can’t believe they included the bit about Hot Lips, though! We don’t want her to get upset.”
Martin
“Watching my birth was good. I liked it so much. It was weird. Crazy. The first time I watched it, I cried because I thought they were going to cut mummy’s tummy open. I had it on my tablet too, so I could watch it whenever I wanted. I’ve seen it five times now. It’s a bit boring now.
“I want kids. Just one. One’s enough. Three would be embarrassing. You’d have to share all the chocolate, and they’d all be fighting over stuff. I can’t believe they kept Hot Lips. Me and mummy hope she doesn’t see it.”
Heather (series five)
Heather delivered her daughter Eivissa, five, by water birth. Her birth partner was her husband Danny. She has since trained as a doula.
“We’ve got three kids now. The youngest is seven months. All of them were water births. I’ve not done it on dry land yet! If I ever have a regular birth, someone will have to throw a bucket of water over me like a beached whale.
“Eivissa had seen bits of her birth before, but now she’s a bit older and a bit more inquisitive as to what’s going on. She’s quite emotionally aware, so she got emotional when she saw us crying on television.
“It’s funny, before we had children, we were both really career-driven. I’d see kids and think ‘Not for me! Your life is ruined!’. And then we had one and it was the most wonderful experience, and it sent me down the road of being quite passionate about making birth a joyful experience. If I can help to wind that back again by being a doula, I will. Learning about the difference a doula makes in a situation is what made me excited to do it. Childbirth doesn’t need to be as medicalised as it is in this country. Women are not really meant to be left alone, because that builds up the fear, which affects how the body reacts. Something as small as a bright light or someone irritating in the room can slow things down.
“I’ve been recognised a lot from the show, even in other countries. Even the other day, I was on the phone in the bank and someone recognised my voice. The attention is nice in that I like to talk to people, so it gives you a way into chatting to people you wouldn’t normally chat to, but I’m not like ‘Woo, yay – everybody, look at me’. If it can act as a platform to help women or be encouraging or positive, then I think it works.”
Eivissa
“I liked watching mummy and daddy walking into the hospital, because mummy’s shoes were funny. And daddy’s clothes were funny too. I don’t think that I came out of mummy’s bum any more.”
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