This episode follows student midwives as they get hands-on experience at Birmingham Women's Hospital - one of the busiest maternity units in the country.

Rebecca is in the first year of her degree course in midwifery at Birmingham City University and is following in a family tradition - both her mum and her grandmother were midwives. Over the next three years she must combine classroom study with practical on-the-job training and aim to assist in forty births. We follow Rebecca during her first placement supervised by her mentor Daisy. Whilst the possibility of assisting during a birth might seem daunting, getting to grips with the basics of urine samples and putting on latex gloves appears far from easy.

Fellow first year Molly admits to getting squeamish just from watching an episode of Casualty. She is mentored by Midwife Kathy, who believes you can not really know the job until you do it. Yet when Molly assists with a mum whose health takes a dramatic turn for the worse shortly after giving birth, it is a learning experience she will never forget.

Meanwhile, third year student Melissa is on her final work placement working with community midwives in an urban district of Birmingham. Here, she will carry out home visits and run her own antenatal clinic whilst her mentor takes a back seat. Show less