Nadine, a mum appearing on the returning documentary series One Born Every Minute, has opened up about the crippling health anxiety she suffered after a traumatic birth experience with her second daughter, telling her surgeon she felt like she was "dying every day" and did not think she would get out of hospital.
The series, back on E4 after several years away, follows parents-to-be at Manchester's Saint Mary's Hospital. In the first episode, partners Nadine and Lee were expecting their fourth baby, already parents to two girls and a boy. The couple met at a bar while Nadine was out with work colleagues.
A Traumatic Previous Birth
Nadine explained how she developed severe health anxiety following a major scare during the birth of her second daughter. She told her surgeon she was "really anxious and worried", before revealing to viewers: "When I was in labour with our second daughter, at nine and a half centimetres they realised that I wasn't progressing."
"I was haemorrhaging and I remember saying to Lee, something's gone wrong. I was just getting weaker and weaker," she said. Lee added: "When I came into the room, she looked pale, thought she was going to die."
Nadine recalled being rushed for an emergency caesarean section, describing the experience as "really, really scary". She said she was in hospital for around three weeks but was not getting better. Her partner admitted he was scared he might lose her and the baby.
Planned Caesarean Brings Reassurance
Nadine broke down as she told viewers: "I thought I was dying every day, to be honest with you. I didn't think I'd get out." Back in her hospital room, the surgeon acknowledged her fears, saying: "I know you are worried and with everything that has happened to you in the past, I completely understand that. With your history, it's really scary because it was really scary last time, but we are going to try and have as much control as possible."
Nadine had been booked for a planned caesarean section, with the surgeon adding: "We are going to try and have a little bit of healing today, we are going to try and have a nice birth experience out of this." Ahead of the procedure, Nadine told the cameras: "I know it's just a day in, day out procedure, but for me I just hope I am safe and I come out of it okay and it's not too traumatic."
The planned C-section went perfectly to plan. Beforehand, she said: "If things do go well, it will mean everything to me. I'm just going to be really emotional, really ecstatic. I'd be so relieved that everything will be over and I can just be happy. I can't wait for that feeling." She gave birth to a daughter, whom the couple named Indie, and she is happy and thriving.
Other Families in the Episode
Elsewhere in the episode, young couple Erin and Kalem arrived at Saint Mary's ready to meet their second baby, while Faye and Will were preparing to become first-time parents, something they once thought might never be possible due to Faye's previous miscarriage.
One Born Every Minute first aired in 2010. Almost two decades later, executive producer Will Rowson said the new season focuses on the parents rather than the medical staff, telling The Guardian: "We're recognising that people will get their miscellany and gentle anthropology elsewhere, so we make sure we're giving the narratives, the backstories of the families, and understanding what the birth means to them. That's the sort of context and richness you don't get in a 30-second clip." One Born Every Minute airs on Sundays on E4 at 9pm.
