Call the Midwife

'We face each day with expectations.

'If we're lucky, they're met,

'if they're not, we must deal with events as they unfold,

'making good the disappointments, looking to bind what wounds we can.'

- Would you like a hand, ma'am? - Thank you.

'Good humour matters,

'optimism matters,

'but we cannot write

'the rules of life and sometimes

- 'courage and resilience...' - Afternoon.

'.. will matter most of all.'

Midwife!

Afternoon, ladies, come on in.

Take a seat, I'll be with you in a minute. Hello.

A textbook heartbeat from a textbook baby.

It doesn't feel like a textbook baby

when it's practising its forward rolls at three in the morning.

Although it certainly feels like a lively one.

And your fundal height measures up perfectly with your dates.

I've never stopped praying for a healthy baby.

I'm just starting to believe my prayers are being answered.

Shelagh...

it really is important that you relax

and enjoy these last few weeks of pregnancy.

I know. I'm just not a very relaxed sort of person.

Has anyone ever given you this leaflet...

.."Breathe Your Way To Serenity"?

Yes, but I didn't read it.

If I were writing a school report I'd put, "Could do better".

Ah, hello, Mrs Mullucks.

Aw, and look at little Susan.

My mum said she was coming on a treat.

Give her my regards. I need to see Dr Turner now, please.

Of course.

I wasn't asking the nursery to take Susan now -- she's only 18 months.

I was just trying to put her name down for when she's three,

like I put Belinda's name down, and Perry's.

And Mrs Bathgate refused point blank?

She said she couldn't take "sick" children.

But did you explain to her that Susan isn't ill?

I told Mrs Bathgate to speak to you.

She's going to need an education.

The thalidomide didn't do anything to her brain.

Knock, knock!

I heard you'd popped in. Is Susan all right?

She's as well as she's ever been.

But I just wish I could get the rest of the world

to see her through our eyes.

Are you keeping well, Mrs Turner?

Yes, I am.

What you hoping for, boy or a girl?

I don't mind. We have one of each already.

I remember saying that when I was having Susan.

It's just not convenient today, Nurse Crane.

I need to have it on a weekday,

between nine in the morning and four o'clock

while the kids are at school and Marcus is down the depot.

It's not too late to consider a hospital delivery, Mrs Antoine,

or the maternity home.

You'd have some privacy and a bit of peace and quiet.

No.

I can't be doing with all the whispering and the stares

or the having to explain.

Is that it?

I've been having them on and off all afternoon.

I think you're safe for now, Mrs Antoine.

These are just Braxton Hicks contractions.

More generally known as a false alarm.

Mum! Mum! Jerome found a bird's nest!

Hello, Akela! Have you come to born our baby?

Not today, Wesley.

But if Jerome brings that nest to Cubs for our Treasures From Home

session next week, he might earn some points for his Six.

Yes!

I was at school with Carrie Antoine's sister, June.

She came into assembly with her eyes bright red from crying one day,

and wouldn't say why.

It was my mum who told me Carrie was going to marry a black man.

No-one can really choose who they fall in love with.

I certainly don't like some of the things I've heard said to those

little Antoine lads at Cubs.

They're only repeating what they've heard at home,

but I've clamped down nonetheless.

Meanwhile, as we try to discuss lighter matters during recreation,

perhaps I may ask Nurse Franklin the purpose of her manicure?

I surmise the puller of teeth is intended to admire it.

Christopher and I are going out for dinner tomorrow,

and as I've had the day off beforehand I thought I'd get ahead.

You must ask him to join us for tea.

Perhaps on Guy Fawkes Night.

Is anything special happening on Guy Fawkes Night?

Sister Winifred has baked some gingerbread!

It's not in the shape of a man or anything.

Yes, it's Mullucks. Thank you. Goodbye.

- What have you got there? - A bassoon.

When did you start learning the bassoon?

There's going to be a joint orchestra with the girl's grammar.

The only vacancies were in the woodwind section.

- There aren't many good tunes for bassoon, Tim. - No, but I get to

sit next to Caroline Gillespie while I'm playing them.

Will you test me on my French, Mum?

Once Susan's in bed. You'll be too good for me to test soon,

those words get harder and harder.

Go on.

Mum, Perry's feeding Susan again!

Perry, you know she's got to do it herself!

It takes her longer, but she has to learn.

Her dinner's going cold, Mum.

We would have been referring Susan

for artificial limb fitting in January anyway,

but I spoke to them today and they were happy to see her sooner.

They can give her artificial legs, already?

Roehampton's working with a number of thalidomide children.

None of them that much older than Susan.

I just want her to have what my other kids have got, Dr Turner.

What every child should have.

Just tell them, "Yes."

I'll explain it all to Bernie when he gets home.

If the artificial silk is too clingy over pantyhose,

and the Crimplene shift makes me look like a librarian --

thank you, Valerie -- then I really only have the ice blue Lurex

and that's still at the dry cleaners.

You can't wear ice blue Lurex to a week night supper date.

You'll look like you're trying too hard.

Or like you're trying to match his sports car.

Christopher's sports car isn't ice blue!

It's a sort of pale Wedgwood with cream accents.

I shall have to go out in the morning and buy a whole new outfit.

I don't want Susan going nowhere. Not to hospital,

not to anywhere where she's going to be prodded and poked.

We've got to start thinking ahead.

- It's been easy until now, Bernie. - Easy? You call this easy?

Not for us, but for her, for Susan.

What we going to do when she needs to go to school?

She doesn't need to go to school.

She doesn't need to go anywhere where we can't go too.

We've got to grab every chance she gets!

We could finish morning surgery half an hour early --

we've very few appointments in the book.

Then I don't see why you can't squeeze in your house calls between

11 and half past 12 and drive them all to Roehampton after that.

I thought you'd tell me that I had other responsibilities.

That I shouldn't get involved.

When Susan was born,

you sat up all night with her, thinking she would die.

And you held her in your arms, and she lived.

You've been involved ever since.

I was involved before that, Shelagh.

I prescribed the drugs that robbed that child of every single limb.

Science is meant to help, not harm.

Nurse Dyer, would you test me on my Highway Code?

Yes!

I've just been trying to sing The Lord's My Shepherd

and all I could think of was reversing round a side bend.

Little Mrs Sengupta's water's broke at four o'clock this morning.

Theory's all very well and good, Sister, but lately, every time

I've offered you a practice drive, you've made excuses and refused.

I haven't booked my test yet.

You're dragging your feet and making it worse for yourself.

Action stations for me, too! Carrie Antoine's gone into labour.

Oh, I have a soft spot for the Antoines.

Can we swap?

Midwife!

Come in, Nurse.

Come on, lass, face out of that eiderdown.

You'll do much better breathing in some air.

It's the smell of that fried bread.

He always puts that much bleeding sauce on it.

Off you pop, Mr Antoine, that forklift truck won't drive itself.

Can't I stay?

You might need an errand running or maybe someone to hold her hand.

You will be summoned, Mr Antoine, should the need arise.

It's like when I used to go away to sea.

Just a breath away.

Just a thought away.

My girl. My brave girl.

Thank you.

So, off we go, then!

That's it, Carrie, put another one behind you.

It's not working, Nurse!

It's run out, that's all.

And there's plenty more where that came from.

I'll ask your neighbour to telephone Nonnatus House.

"Darling,

"I'm terribly sorry, but something's cropped up -- no fun for us tonight!

"Could we meet up same time, same place, on Thursday?

"Best, Christopher."

This is the third time this has happened!

And it was delivered by hand?

I just found it on the doorstep.

He must've run away.

"Best? Best?" What on Earth is best supposed to mean. Best wishes?

Best of a bad job? Best steer clear?

Perhaps that's the gentleman in question. Telephoning to apologise.

I'm afraid he's going to have to.

He does start with the word, "Darling," Trixie.

Men never say, "Darling," unless they have quite serious intentions.

I had quite serious intentions about this hairdo!

I didn't spend five shillings on setting lotion and two hours

in rollers only to spend the evening knitting with the nuns.