A MAJOR national TV series filmed in Bradford will follow mums-to-be choosing to have home births across the district.

Yorkshire Born, which has exclusive access to the Homebirth Midwifery team at Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, will see viewers get to know the team of midwives who live and work in the communities they serve; where they work all hours – and are on call for when the moment comes.

Filming for the eight-part BBC Two series, from Farsley-based production company Candour, began earlier this summer and is scheduled to continue until February next year. The show will then be broadcast in spring/summer 2022.

Bradford Telegraph and Argus:

Requests for home births have increased dramatically – women from all backgrounds are choosing to go through childbirth this way. The series will also follow the wider family and see how they cope with life before, during and after the arrival of a baby.

Bradford's home birth team started in April 2019 when there were 57 mums who had planned to give birth at home.

By August 2020 this had grown to 105 and in May 2021 there were 175.

Yorkshire Born is the third Bradford-based national documentary made by Candour Productions over the last year.

Earlier this year they produced a behind-the-scenes look at how staff at St Luke’s Hospital have dealt with its long Covid patients for Channel 4’s Dispatches programme.

Bradford Telegraph and Argus:

‘The Truth About Long Covid’ explored the ground-breaking work of respiratory consultant Dr Paul Whitaker and his team at St Luke’s Hospital.

‘Panorama: Stacey Dooley and the Lockdown Babies’ saw the popular presenter spent a week in the city filming with new parents in Bradford last year about having a baby during the coronavirus crisis.

Anna Hall, executive producer and creator of Candour Productions, says filming for the Yorkshire Born series is going well, but they would like to hear from more mums to be.

She said: "It's brilliant, we've been in production for about three months now.

"We can't hurry babies along. We have to work to their time, not TV time.

"With home births, mums get the continuity of care.

 

"Everybody wants to be cheered up in the pandemic. We did the Stacey Dooley documentary last year when we went into the hospital at the height of the pandemic.

"Home birth waiting lists have gone through the roof. Bradford is such a diverse and multi-cultural city. We want to reflect modern Britain, post-pandemic.

The home birth teams become their patient's friends. They become part of the furniture of the family

"Someone said this programme is like 'Call The Midwife with the Bradford traffic'.

"With home births, everyone in the family gets involved. It's just a proper family affair.

Bradford Telegraph and Argus:

"We want to reflect the Bradford district. It doesn't matter how long they have been pregnant so far, we want them to get involved.

"People have been brilliant so far. It's not everyone's cup of tea to have a film crew around."

Sara Hollins, head of midwifery at Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We are absolutely thrilled that Candour Productions have been commissioned by the BBC to film an eight-part series following the Bradford Home Birth team and the women and families who choose home to birth their babies.

“Historically Bradford has had a low home birth rate, but this has steadily increased over the last few years and since the introduction of a dedicated team we have seen even more women choosing home as their preferred place for birth.

 

“The team is also seeing an increase in women from a range of cultural backgrounds, which truly reflects the diversity of the city and the population we serve.

"We are extremely proud of the team and know that this will be a wonderful series celebrating the warmth and joy that comes with having a baby at home.”

Anyone from the Bradford district who is planning for a home birth over the next few months are urged to contact the series' production company.

For more information, with no obligation to take part, send a message to 07878 233781 or email homebirth@candour.tv