Emma experiences the training process on a maternity ward, working four shifts a week, to discover what makes it one of the toughest, but most rewarding careers possible.
Emma meets second time mum Lianne who is expecting twins, but complications mean they might be delivered prematurely. Carly is kept waiting by her second baby.
Emma shocks everyone and takes a turn for the worse while observing a procedure in theatre. She seeks advice from her mum, Cathy. Emma meets Michelle, who is 33 weeks pregnant, but suffering with heavy bleeding.
Emma receives bereavement training, a topic she has not been looking forward to. Tara suffers a cord prolapse while in labour, a high risk situation that puts her unborn baby in immediate danger.
Emma is on the labour ward, a consultant-led maternity unit for higher-risk mums-to-be. Forty-one-year-old Nicola and her husband Gavin are her first patients of the day.
After 10 weeks, Emma's time as a Maternity Care Assistant comes to an emotional end. Katherine's hopes of a natural birth are over once she's rushed in to theatre.
Emma returns to complete her training at Princess Alexandra Hospital in Harlow, Essex, and is put straight to work when asked to assist with a water birth.
Emma's training steps up a gear when she's the only maternity care assistant available. A labour turns into an emergency when the baby moves into a difficult position.
Emma does her first shift in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, where critically ill babies receive round-the-clock care. She also meets a pregnant mum with pre-eclampsia.
Emma's resolve is tested during emergency training, and she also witnesses her first twin birth and acts as official photographer alongside her MCA duties.
Emma meets third-time mum Ashley, who has suffered from post-natal depression in the past, and second-time mum Laura, who has had a difficult time expanding her family.
It's Emma's final week - has she done enough to become a fully qualified Maternity Care Assistant? There's also a rare twin birth with the arrival of Dione's babies.
Emma meets Takkies, who recently moved to the UK and is finding pregnancy in lockdown difficult away from her family. In East Sussex, Jay races to be at the birth of his baby.
Emma Willis meets Emma and Jamie, with second time mum Emma hoping to avoid giving birth in theatre. Rebecca and Neville are expecting their first child and it's not without complications.
There is lots to remember and learn in a busy first week back - Emma is given a refresher on the jobs she'll be expected to soon carry out alone, like pre-operative checks.
Emma meets first-time mum Hannah to take her blood ahead of a planned caesarean, as well as Chenelle and Sean, who are rushed to theatre for a forceps birth.
Emma takes on more responsibility in the operating theatre, where she witnesses her first emergency. Newly qualified midwife Corinne cares for second-time parents Nicola and Aaron.
This episode contains discussions which some may find upsetting. Emma revisits a challenging aspect of the MCA role - learning how to care for a family who have lost a baby.
Emma wants to create a good first impression, but her first day doesn't start as planned when she forgets to bring the right shoes and has to call her husband to come to her rescue.
Nearly halfway through her time at the hospital, Emma gets thrown in at the deep end with birthing pool evacuation training and learning how to remove a catheter.
Emma seeks advice from her mentor Jo on how to accelerate her Maternity Support Worker training. Jo takes her under her wing and gets Emma to do two critical tests on new-born babies.
Emma is running out of time to get her qualification and sets a deadline to finish by the end of the week. But to do this she has to get her surgical skills signed off in theatre.
Emma's time at the hospital comes to an end. Before she leaves, she faces the biggest challenge of her NHS career - running an ante-natal clinic for expectant mums completely on her own.
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