Emma Willis: Delivering Babies is back for a brand new series on U and W and this time Emma is facing 'scary' new challenges, a new set of colleagues and a host of new expecting mums when she arrives on the wards.
The first three series saw TV presenter Emma training and working as a maternity care assistant at the Princess Alexandra Hospital in Essex. "This time I’m at Watford General Hospital," says Emma who is best known for hosting entertainment and reality shows, The Voice and Big Brother and most recently, Netflix series Love is Blind.
"Being at a completely new hospital was really daunting. It’s like starting a new school, suddenly you’re the new person and you feel like you’ve got a lot to prove. I was absolutely terrified turning up for my first day."
What To Watch met Emma to hear all about her experience and find out what's in store for her in series four...
Emma Willis: Delivering Babies - So how did your very first day at a new hospital feel Emma?
Emma Willis: "Absolutely terrifying, and I managed to leave my shoes behind that I needed for the wards. I had everything ready beforehand, dashed out the house and when I got there it was like, ‘Shoes!’ It's quite a particular part of your uniform. I thought, 'Oh god. I can’t go in in pink suede trainers.’ It's typical of me, anytime I start something new, I forget a crucial part of what I need."
Did you have a bit of sleepless night beforehand trying to remember everything you'd already learnt?
"Yeah. I have sleepless nights before I do anything new, when I’m excited or before a holiday but the thought of going to a new place was nerve-wracking which meant I was quite anxious. It was definitely one of those nights where you keep waking up checking that you haven’t slept through the alarm. I just wanted to turn up, be professional and show them that I'm not a joke."
You've done the previous three series at the Princess Alexandra Hospital in Essex. What was the reason for moving to a new hospital for series four?
"I think everybody thought it was time for a change. I had become really comfortable at The Princess Alexandra and that's all well and good but sometimes you need to be taken out of your comfort zone and be challenged. I think the production team were just trying to give me a kick up the bum with a brand-new hospital and new colleagues. It was a case of , ‘Come on! Let’s get her terrified again!'"
Does having a camera crew following you in a maternity unit add to the pressure?
"It’s not the camera that scares me because I'm used to being in front of one for my normal job, it's the patients who make me nervous especially because I haven’t done it for a while. When I'm doing something like trying to find a patient's vein to take a blood sample, and there's usually a partner watching, that's scary. Not wanting to look like a fraud is high on the list of anxiety-inducing things!"
What was the biggest lesson you think you learnt from this series?
"To give myself a bit more credit. That was my biggest learning curve. I don't trust myself and I probably should. I always think I'm gonna mess it up. I qualified as a Maternity Support Worker this time so that must be a good sign. I don't think they would let me qualify if I couldn’t actually do it. So having a bit more faith in my ability was the thing I learnt."
"I never really think I'm very good at anything. Matt (Emma's husband Matt Willis) always says ' You're really good at anything you turn your hand to and I'm like, 'No, no I'm not.' I've always felt like such an imposter doing what I do but this taught me I'm more capable than I think I am."
The goal in this series was for you to be running your own clinic as a Maternity Support Worker. How did you find that?
"I'm a practical learner but I'm not so good with written work and I'm terrible at technology. So when they asked me to complete written tasks and log stuff on a computer system on the maternity wards, I'm just like, 'Oh no. Please give me a body and let me work on it in some way.' I think doing written stuff takes me back to schooldays and I was just so bad at schoolwork and exams so it puts the fear of God into me."
Which emotional moments stood out for you from this series?
"It's quite often watching the dads or partners at a birth that makes me tear up. I don't know whether it's because I think back to Matt when we had our first child, but I saw in his eyes that he changed immediately. As mums we've grown the baby, we've felt it, we kind of know it intimately because it's been in our body so there's something about a baby coming into the world and seeing a man or a partner melt when they hold their newborn for the first time that gets me, it's really quite beautiful. I'm all emotional just thinking about it."
Would you like to keep going with the training to become a qualified midwife?
"It's three years training and I don’t have that time right now but maybe I will at some point in my life. It's a full-on commitment. For anyone considering a career in midwifery, I'd say you've got to go into it with your eyes open. Definitely don't go into it because you want to cuddle babies all day long because that's not the reality of it.
"If you are somebody who enjoys supporting, helping and caring for people, you have a great work ethic and are not scared of hard work, then absolutely go and give it a go. It's long hours and it's hard work physically, mentally and emotionally and I think there are only certain people that can do it. And the people that do do it are f*****g brilliant!"
Emma Willis: Delivering Babies season four begins on Thursday 5 September on U and W and is available as a box set.
