Sam is in labour with her first child and is finding the pain too much to bear. Her boyfriend Ed, mum and the midwife team are doing everything they can to make her more comfortable, but she becomes increasingly upset. Ed is feeling the pressure too: he knows he has some real responsibilities to face once the baby is born and is worried about their finances. When the doctor decides that Sam needs a Caesarean, Ed’s nerves get the better of him and, although he wants to be with Sam in theatre, he decides her mum will be of more help. Another mum-to-be, Joy, is bored as she waits to go into labour. A diabetic, she has been induced but has been in hospital for four days and it’s a slow process. She’s hungry, tired and sick of waiting, and her frustration is heightened when her lunch doesn’t arrive on time. The idea of a piece of chocolate cheers her up although her husband Fabio would prefer she had a banana. Conversation turns to their garden, which distracts Joy for a bit, but she is soon feeling frustrated again and starts to wonder whether motherhood really is for her. ‘I love my independence’, she says. Meanwhile, Sister Kay Duggan - one of the midwives - is pondering her career after learning that she delivered Ed many years earlier. ‘There are many moments of pure joy in midwifery and many moments of absolute stress… I find work is the most important part of my life’.