Newborn Russia - Episode Guide

Ekaterina is having her third child. She is determined to give birth naturally and with no anaesthetic. She also aims to maintain a positive state of mind throughout. She had both of her previous children in the same maternity hospital and has already become friends with the staff. Familiar faces and surroundings make her feel calm and confident the delivery will go as planned. When choosing "Ian" as the name for her baby boy she considered the name's meaning in many different languages. Ekaterina says her children are her absolute priority in life, with her career coming second.+

For 23 year-old Marina, it's the first pregnancy she decided to go through with. The baby's father, however, disappeared from her life when he learnt she was expecting. So far, Marina has had a very hard life as she was orphaned at a young age and subsequently experienced a lot of abuse and neglect. However, her friends hope that motherhood will open a new chapter in her life and allow her to create her own family the way she wants it to be. Meanwhile, her ex-boyfriend suddenly starts to show an interest in the baby, and his mother comes to the hospital to take a look at her new-born granddaughter.

Oksana is expecting a baby girl. According to her husband, Aleksey, the daughter will make their family complete, as they already have a boy. Oksana's son can't wait to meet his little sister and has already thought of a name for her – Zlata, meaning "golden". Oksana's husband decided to be by her side during childbirth, which turns out to be a difficult one. Oksana explains that she took vitamins throughout her pregnancy to help her baby grow. However, her baby is now way too big. Her doctor is the same one who delivered her first baby. He suggests Oksana should have an epidural but she's reluctant to take up the offer.+

Polina is 25 and expecting a boy. She told all her friends and relatives to go to church to pray for the labour to go well. Now she's trying her best to give birth naturally, but her doctors tell her a C-section is needed. Polina has never had surgery before so she doesn't know what the recovery process will be like. Still, she agrees to do what's best for her baby.

27-year old, Yulia is expecting her first baby. She is determined to make childbirth as comfortable for the baby as she can and hopes to give birth naturally, avoiding the need for a C-section. She believes it will create a stronger bond between mother and child. As a pole dancing teacher, she thought her physical fitness would make the labour much easier. The reality proved very different as unexpected complications turned the experience into a long lasting ordeal.

Anna is also 27 and about to have her first child. She's expecting a girl and throughout her pregnancy she's talked to her baby. Now she believes the new born will recognise her voice, which will help them bond from the outset and she can't wait to meet her daughter, Milana. The doctors are confident that Anna is well prepared to birth, both physically and emotionally. Anna admits that started going to antenatal classes, but never finished them. All she can remember is that when the baby is making its way into the world, she needs to listen to the doctors.

It's Natalia's second pregnancy, her baby was planned and the soon-to-be mother and her husband can't wait to see their child. However, Natalia remembers her first childbirth as a nightmare and now she worries that her second could be just as bad.

Meanwhile, Maria's big concern is her baby' s health. She works with autistic children and her own nephew is disabled, she can't help thinking that her child might also suffer in some way too. She tries to dismiss such gloom laden thoughts and focuses on the exciting surprise to come, when she finds out if the new addition to her family is a son or daughter.

Svetlana is in the next maternity ward, it's her second pregnancy and she's expecting a little sister for her daughter. Even though she has already given birth once, she thinks her second time is harder than the first. Unusually though it's not her who's having the hardest time of all; our film crew normally remains well behind the scenes, but this time, they become part of the action, childbirth proves too much for one member, who faints in the delivery room!

Anastasia, 26, is preparing to give birth for the first time. She can't wait to meet her daughter and is also excited about going through the experience of labour and giving birth. She sees it as a privilege rather than an ordeal. Although her husband won't be present during childbirth, Anastasia says his love and support help her immensely.

Meanwhile, 36-year-old Elena is expecting her second child. She has a daughter and is about to have a son. Elena was hoping for a C-section, but the doctors decided she can give birth naturally. Unfortunately, due to health issues, Elena won't be able to have an epidural and will have to tough it out.

Margarita is deaf and mute after contracting a childhood infection. Her husband, Vladimir has been deaf since birth. This is Margarita's second pregnancy and the baby is expected to be healthy and without hearing difficulties. However, her disability will present the doctors with a challenge when it comes to giving her instructions during labour.

Darya is 22 and having her first child. During her pregnancy she contracted a kidney infection that landed her in the pathology ward. The situation turned out worse than Darya thought and her baby will have to be born prematurely. For that, an urgent C-section is needed.

Tatiana also has health issues: she had a cold while pregnant. Now she and her baby need extra attention. Tatiana already has one child, but as he's 14, she can barely remember giving birth, so this will feel just another ‘first time'.

Ekaterina is 24 and she's expecting a long-awaited first baby. As ultrasound was unable to show the baby's gender, her relatives bought her future baby lots of presents in neutral colours. She explains her pregnancy hasn't been easy, especially as her demanding and responsible job didn't allow her to take proper maternity leave. Ekaterina can't wait to give birth and find out if she has a son or a daughter.

27 year-old Natalya is not quite sure what gender her baby will be, either. She has already chosen both a boy's and a girl's name. She knows that a baby is a big responsibility, but as she has some experience of taking care of her niece, she is sure she'll manage. Her husband Valery is even more excited to have his firstborn and become a parent – he's overwhelmed with happiness and pride.

Victoria, 33, is having her first baby with her childhood sweetheart. The couple first met in nursery school. She says she never used to feel any particular affection for children, but her attitude has changed following her pregnancy. Now she is looking forward to becoming a mother.

Vitalia can't wait to give birth. She is a week overdue and because of a difficult pregnancy has to spend time in the pathology department. Her boyfriend talked her into having a baby together but their relationship didn't work out. Vitalia made a decision to leave him. Now the future father shows no interest in having the baby and Vitalia is preparing to become a single mom. Luckily her mother Tatyana is by her side, ready to offer help and support. Tatyana comes to the hospital to welcome her granddaughter into the world. The delivery process, however, turns out to be more challenging for Vitalia than anticipated, with the doctors having to use a vacuum extraction device.

Irina is 38 and having her first baby. She is a busy financial director at an international company, and she's still hard at work just hours before she's due to give birth. Irina didn't plan to have children until she met her current husband. Now she's looking forward to experiencing motherhood. A first pregnancy at her age, however, might lead to some complications, so she must stay composed during labour and follow her doctors' instructions. The doctors give her the option of a vertical birth, which she decides to take up.

Yulia, 23, is a sports fan who can't live without snowboarding. Being pregnant has meant abstaining from her favourite activities. Yulia has found pregnancy quite difficult; her baby had been at risk of a premature birth so she had to spend almost two weeks in hospital. No sooner was she discharged than went into labour and had to go straight back. Now she has to decide whether the pain relief from an epidural worth the potential complications.

Her mother in law, Olga, is there to support her. She is determined to help her son's new family and to make sure young parents don't have to make big lifestyle sacrifices to care for their child.

Meanwhile, Darya, 24 is about to give birth to her first child. Unfortunately, the young mother-to-be developed diabetes while pregnant and that could have consequences for the baby. Now Darya needs to put her baby's needs first and follow all the doctors' instructions no matter how painful and uncomfortable it may be.

Diana is about to have her third child. She's going to have a C-section. As she's had this procedure before, she knows what to expect and isn't too worried. Still, she asks her husband, Aleksey, to be there to support her. The couple recently lost their four-year-old son to a vicious virus. They are still grieving their loss, but say that they probably wouldn't be having their third child had they not experienced that tragedy. It will be a surprise baby as doctors are unable to tell them definitively whether it's a girl or a boy. The mystery will be revealed only after the baby's born.

In her maternity ward, Diana has made friends with Svetlana, who's expecting her second child, a girl. Svetlana is hoping to avoid a C-section and give birth naturally. Her husband's name is also Aleksey and he will also be present at the birth. Svetlana's counting on his support. Her first time giving birth turned out to be traumatic for her baby and she's now nervous of another bad experience. Despite the doctors' concerns about Aleksey's wellbeing, he is determined to stay by his wife's side as his child comes into the world.

38-year-old Alla is mother to a large family of 3 children with a fourth on the way. Although she has plenty of childbirth experience, her doctors have warned her that the fourth labour can be very unpredictable. Meanwhile, 36-year-old Kristina is expecting her second child to be delivered by C-section. She is afraid of the procedure and goes from feeling depressed to hysterical. Despite this, she can't wait to meet her baby. The pregnancy was planned and the parents are already deeply in love with their soon-to-be new family member. Although both parents have children of their own, this baby will be their first together.

Darima is looking forward to giving birth but as it will be her first time, she is blissfully unaware of how hard it can be. Nevertheless, she still thinks she'd like some support in the delivery room and asks her mother to be with her for the birth. Reluctantly, the mother agrees and proves an invaluable helper, she has both experience and seems to be a naturally gifted psychologist.

Darima's neighbour in the maternity hospital is Albina, who is expecting her second daughter. Because she remembers her first childbirth, she's much more nervous than Darima. Sadly, Albina will have no one to lean on during her labour, her husband has to stay home to look after their first daughter. Darima offers a brilliant solution, if they could synchronise their birthing, Darima's mother could attend to them both!

Another concern for Albina is that she suffered postnatal depression after her first child and didn't feel ready for another child quite so soon. Over the course of her pregnancy though she's come to terms with how things are and feels much more positive about becoming a second-time mother.

Lana, is 35 and having her first baby, a boy who she hopes, will look just like his father. The love of Lana's life was the first man she'd ever met with whom she really felt that she wanted to have a child. But this is no storybook romance, he is already married with a family of his own. Lana says she's content with the situation but has no idea how she'll cope on her own with a new born baby.

At the other end of the spectrum we meet Nina; she has confidence in her ideal family. Husband and son, Aleksey and Matvey can't wait to meet the new addition to their family. Matvey is making predictions about when his little brother will be born. His timing is wide off the mark which can be forgiven, he's only 5 and doesn't quite have a medical degree yet! Aleksey wants to be there to support his wife during childbirth. It will be his first time in a delivery room but he's sure he'll cope. Nina is confident, that being a good mom is so much easier when there's a good dad around. With her husband by her side, cracking jokes and providing massage, Nina is sure that her second childbirth will go much more easily than the first.

Dildora and Vladimir were childhood sweethearts. Vladimir says his wife changed his life, and now both their lives will be changed as they're about to become parents. Unfortunately, there is a risk of premature birth, so doctors have given Dildora injections to speed up her baby's development.

Meanwhile, 31-year-old Anna is expecting her first child with her husband and soulmate she met on the internet. They both say it was love at first sight. Before she met Igor, Anna had been battling infertility and even suffered a failed pregnancy, but when they got together she was able to conceive very quickly. Now they can't wait to meet the baby who will complete their family. For the childbirth, Anna has refused to have an epidural, confident she can cope without painkillers.

Olga and her husband Anatoly have been trying for a baby for four years. In that time they've had many reasons to despair, but they remained positive and finally they achieved their miracle conception. Now they want to make the delivery as quick, safe and controlled as possible. They decided a C-section was the best option for them. However, when the time for the operation comes, Olga is battling a fever. Her high temperature means doctors can't operate, but the baby can't tolerate its mother's fever for too long.

Meanwhile, 31-year-old Oksana is expecting her first child with her husband Maksim. They've been together since their late teens. She was hoping to give birth naturally, but sudden complications left her doctors with no choice but to prepare an urgent C-section. In the operating theatre every second counts as Oksana's condition could kill both her and the baby.

Kristina and her husband Andrey live and work together. They are colleagues and work as flight attendants. Kristina is about to give birth to their baby, and she wants Andrey to be by her side now as well. Unfortunately for him, he finds this prospect much more frightening than flying over the ocean or anything else he's ever done in his life. He feels sure he'll faint, but decides it's his duty to support his wife. Then, as he plucks up the courage to join his wife in the delivery room, Kristina decides to spare him the experience. However, by now Andrey is determined to go through with it. Meanwhile, the doctors are making bets on whether or not he'll manage.

Lyudmila's husband, sadly, won't be able to visit her in the maternity hospital, but her sister, Olga, is there to support her. Lyudmila is expecting twins. However, she and her husband decided to keep that secret from the rest of the family, so her sister has no idea she's about to become an aunt twice. Lyudmila is hoping she'll give birth naturally, however, with twins this option is much less likely.

In this episode, two mothers of young sons are looking forward to giving birth to baby daughters who will complete their families.

31-year-old Natalya is mentally preparing to have a C-section. She has already had the procedure once and it went well. Still, reading a list of possible complications makes her nervous. She'd prefer to give birth naturally and hopes her husband will convince the doctors not to operate. He, on the other hand, thinks it best to follow the experts' advice. Only time will tell, and she will make the ultimate decision to sign the release form.

Meanwhile, 33-year-old Irina is also expecting a second child. She's planning to give birth naturally, just as she did before. Her first labour was quick and easy and she is confident her second childbirth will be even less trouble. Nevertheless, she enlists the help of her husband, Alexey, who will be present during the childbirth to give her moral support.

Sports journalists Liana and Dmitry are a married couple who also work together. Liana's pregnancy was unplanned, but she says she knew she was pregnant from the very beginning. Now she and Dmitry can't wait to welcome their baby girl into the world and are already discussing what sports she'll play. Dmitry is keen to be present at the birth. He wants to support his wife, but also make the most of the unique opportunity to see a new life come into the world.

Meanwhile, 36-year-old Yulia is expecting her third child from her third husband, Vitaly. The baby girl, who will be named Volga after the Russian river, will be their first child together. The couple used in-vitro fertilisation, and Volga was the only one of three embryos to survive. Yulia is anxious to avoid risk during the birth and, following her doctors' advice, has agreed to a C-section.

In this episode, two women whose first pregnancies ended in miscarriage are ready to try again. Babies born to mothers who have previously lost children are known as "rainbow babies" – their births being likened to a rainbow after a storm. The couples' second pregnancies have been carefully planned but the uncertainty creates tension as their due dates approach.

When Oksana becomes upset after going into premature labour, her husband Vyacheslav tries to cheer her up with a bet on who will be first to hold the baby. Meanwhile, Svetlana is concerned that the doctors have moved the date of her C-section forward as they expect complications. Her husband Sergey won't be allowed into the operating theatre but will wait anxiously in the corridor.

Fourteen years after the birth of her first child, Anna finally agreed to a second one. Her husband, Anton, who convinced her to go through with it, will be present during labour and childbirth to support her. He is very excited to see how a new life begins. In the time since giving birth to her first child, Anna has forgotten how difficult it can be. She is also worried something may go wrong, but her doctors have reassured her that everything is going according to plan.

Meanwhile, 24-year-old Elena is about to give birth for the first time. Her husband Pavel is there to support her, even though he's not sure what he's supposed to do. The young couple take a humourous attitude to life challenges and crack jokes all the way to encourage each other.

Yulia is 34 and a proud mother of a little girl. Now she's getting ready for her second natural delivery. Her husband Dmitry and sister Lidia are supporting her. In fact, the two can't agree on who'll have the honour of being present during Yulia's labour. Dmitry insists it's his right as the baby's father, but Lidia says she needs to be there for her sister as they've always been very close. The sisters are indeed inseparable and even still live together despite Yulia being married and raising a family. Will Dmitry and Lidia reach a compromise or will one of them prevail?

Meanwhile, 32-year-old Irina is getting ready for her first delivery. She and her husband Aleksandr have been together for 16 years and have gone through 3 IVF treatments to have this baby. Now Irina can't wait to finally hold her son in her hands, but the baby is in no hurry to be born. As her pregnancy is overdue, Irina may either have to have her labour induced or opt for a C-section.

Anna is 31 and it's her first pregnancy. She is feeling uneasy about the upcoming birth and worries about her baby's wellbeing. Luckily, her parents are there to support her. Anna is an only child and her parents feel very protective of her. They also can't wait to become grandparents. Her mother nominates herself to be present during labour to see that everything goes smoothly with the birth.

In the meantime, 30-year-old Yulia is expecting her second child. Once again, she's going to have a C-section. She is very worried that something may go wrong. A scar from the previous operation may cause complications, but this is something no one can predict with certainty. Yulia is very close to her husband, who has promised to come and support her before the operation. The couple whose first child was a girl were hoping for a boy this time. And a boy it was, so now they have a complete set.