Episode 13

The Leeds General Infirmary midwives have to cope with both good and bad news in this episode. Childbirth is still not without risks and sometimes new-born children face a struggle to survive. Hayley has always wanted children but she's been anxious since her 20-week scan, which revealed that her baby has a congenital diaphragmatic hernia, an extremely rare type of hernia that occurs in one in 2200 births. She's undergone further tests and scans and learned more about her baby's condition. A diaphragmatic hernia is a birth defect in which there is an abnormal opening in the diaphragm, which allows parts of the stomach, spleen, liver and intestines to go up into the chest cavity, restricting the development of the lungs. Hayley says the uncertainty has left her and Pete unable to plan for their baby's future. Newborns with diaphragmatic hernia often have severe respiratory difficulty, which can be life-threatening. Left-sided CDH has a mortality rate of 40 to 62%, but this increases dramatically if the hernia is on the right side. By the time Hayley and Pete learned that their baby's hernia was on the right side they felt they couldn't terminate the pregnancy. Remarkably the couple laugh and joke through Hayley's labour. Until the baby is born it's relatively safe but once it's born it has to breathe for itself and that's when it is most vulnerable. Hayley knows the most difficult time will come straight after birth, when her baby will be most at risk. Everyone is praying for a miracle.