Tiny Lives - Episode Guide

Unique access to the neonatal unit at University Hospital Wishaw. Here a hundred-strong team keep some of Scotland's most fragile babies alive. Babies born prematurely, multiple births, and those with rare medical conditions are among over a thousand cases admitted to the unit every year. These babies and their parents can spend months here and go on an incredible journey.

Charlie was born at just 23 weeks – almost the earliest a baby can be kept alive. His eyes haven't opened yet and his lungs are only half grown. For his parents it's an emotional rollercoaster, but despite the odds, Charlie proves to be a fighter.

A family with premature twins finally gets to bring their son home after six months in the unit, and rhesus baby Parker undergoes a rare procedure to have all of his contaminated blood exchanged.

Unique access to the neonatal unit at University Hospital Wishaw. Here a hundred strong team keep some of Scotland's most fragile babies alive.
A long-standing staff member sees the unit from the other side when her twin grandsons are delivered by Caesarean section two months early, a family from Dumfries wait to be reunited and a first-time mum goes into labour at six months pregnant.

Unique access to the neonatal unit at University Hospital Wishaw. Here a 100-strong team keep some of Scotland's most fragile babies alive.

A family faces difficult odds when their second child, Innes, is born at 23 weeks – just two days after the threshold at which life support is usually offered. He weighs little more than one pound, his eyes won't open for another four weeks and his skin can't protect him from germs. The consultants, nurses and midwives in intensive care watch over him 24 hours a day while his four-year-old brother just wants him to come home.

Meanwhile, a team of nine neonatal staff assemble for the birth of premature triplets, and Sonny struggles to breastfeed.

At University Hospital Wishaw, a team of highly specialist staff provide round-the-clock care to some of Scotland's most fragile babies. This series follows the stories of babies born prematurely at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic in Scotland. Some of these newborns are at the edge of life and we see the emotional journey their parents go on just to take them home.

Alfie is born at 27 weeks after showing signs of distress in the womb. His lungs are not yet ready to breathe on their own and a ventilator is keeping him alive. Alfie's parents didn't expect him to arrive for another three months and face a long and uncertain journey as they adapt to life with a baby in neonatal intensive care. The neonatal unit's senior midwife is faced with added pressures as the pandemic impacts staffing in the unit and a premature baby is isolated due to Covid.

At University Hospital Wishaw, a team of highly specialist staff provide round-the-clock care to some of Scotland's most fragile babies. This series follows the stories of babies born prematurely at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic in Scotland. Some of these newborns are at the edge of life, and we see the emotional journey their parents go on just to take them home.

The neonatal team are in theatre for the delivery of baby Harrison. Born at 25 weeks, Harrison stops breathing soon after delivery and needs emergency resuscitation. And the team steps in when one family is left struggling to visit their baby in the unit.

Born at just 24 weeks, baby Michael is four months premature. His eyes are still fused shut and his lungs are only half grown. He is at the limit where babies can be born prematurely and still do well. For Michael and his mum and dad, it is a long road ahead as he learns to breathe without support. The unit celebrates World Prematurity Day, and the babies receive gifts from a local volunteer.

There is a new arrival in the unit's intensive care ward. Baby Roman is six weeks premature and struggling to breathe on his own. As the team focuses on getting Roman well enough for home, his mum Claire is encouraged to get involved in her baby's care. First-time mum Kirsty shares her experience of losing her baby Ava at just five days old and the support the unit offers for bereaved families.