Emma Willis: I wouldn’t have handled being pregnant in a pandemic very well at all

As new show Emma Willis: Delivering Babies in 2020 arrives on W, Danielle de Wolfe discovers more from the presenter and qualified Maternity Care Assistant.
Emma Willis: Delivering Babies in 2020. Pictured: Takkies, Chris and Emma Willis. Picture: PA Photo/UKTV/Ollie Upton.Emma Willis: Delivering Babies in 2020. Pictured: Takkies, Chris and Emma Willis. Picture: PA Photo/UKTV/Ollie Upton.
Emma Willis: Delivering Babies in 2020. Pictured: Takkies, Chris and Emma Willis. Picture: PA Photo/UKTV/Ollie Upton.

With the pandemic putting the NHS, its doctors and nursing staff under greater pressure than at any point during its 72-year history, hospitals are currently a place most people are trying hard to avoid.

For those facing the realities of childbirth, however, this is often not an option.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

As with many expectant parents who have found themselves conceiving over the past 18 months, the realities of appointments, check-ups and childbirth have come with an added complication – Covid.

Emma Willis: Delivering Babies in 2020. Pictured: Emma Willis, Chris and Tamira. Picture: PA Photo/UKTV/Kris Askey.Emma Willis: Delivering Babies in 2020. Pictured: Emma Willis, Chris and Tamira. Picture: PA Photo/UKTV/Kris Askey.
Emma Willis: Delivering Babies in 2020. Pictured: Emma Willis, Chris and Tamira. Picture: PA Photo/UKTV/Kris Askey.

Following in the footsteps of W’s hit series Delivering Babies, the latest instalment, Emma Willis: Delivering Babies In 2020, tackles these issues head on.

A brand new take on pregnancy, childbirth and the plethora of postpartum issues affecting parents-to-be, the series is centred around the highs and lows of prospective parenthood in the midst of the pandemic.

When the filming of the new series was announced last August, producers explained that due to a lack of hospital access because of the pandemic, families featured in the show would be filming the births themselves – with the series following them in the run up to their births and when they return home.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Willis was on hand to offer support and guidance on everything from breastfeeding, to sleep routines, to keeping a healthy mindset.

“I suppose the difference with this one is we could see people all across the country,” says The Voice and Big Brother presenter, Emma Willis, 44, of the featured families.

“So we’re obviously based in Essex but we had people from all over Great Britain, which was lovely.

“It was really nice to connect with people, talk to people, learn about people’s stories and find out how the pandemic, which was quite new to all of us at the time, was affecting pregnancy and childbirth.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

As the name would suggest, the series, presented by Willis, addresses a range of subjects linked to childbirth – from the daunting prospect of giving birth alone due to hospital restrictions, through to increased postpartum isolation that comes as a result of lockdown measures.

Following on from Delivering Babies, which followed Willis as she trained to become a qualified maternity care assistant (MCA), the new series sees the presenter helping parents-to-be as they bring a new life into the world.

“We did everything remotely via Zoom from my house, and then when restrictions lifted, we very carefully went and met them in a place that they felt comfortable,” recalls Willis of the production.

“Last year messed with all of us in some way shape or form, so to be able to connect with other people and to be given an insight and the privilege of going on that little adventure with them, it’s a pretty big one.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“What we found most of the time with people was that (loneliness) wasn’t their main concern.

“And I think you can see that in the footage as well.

“Yes, the thought of it is absolutely terrifying, but you know, the hospitals, maternity wards are doing fantastic work there and doing everything they can to keep people safe. So hopefully that will be reassuring to anyone that’s kind of going in.”

Given her experience as both a parent and a qualified MCA, Willis is perfectly positioned to talk with both the first-time mothers-to-be and parents who have already tackled the joys and stresses of childbirth first hand.

“It’s always an honour to witness and if I really kind of think about it and put myself in their position, I wouldn’t have handled being pregnant in a pandemic very well at all,” she says.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“I could barely handle being a mum of three and not pregnant, let alone, you know, your body changing and possible other things happening as well as pregnancy; having to go into hospital regularly, being in that environment – which was an environment that none of us really wanted to go near.”

“I say that time, but we’re still in that time, aren’t we?” continues Willis pensively.

“So it was a real insight, actually.

“Obviously, a maternity ward is very different to a Covid ward, but there were a lot of changes on maternity as well, it was not the same experience you’d have had six months previously, so it’s a fantastic insight to kind of see what was happening.”

Willis says the show explores the emotional toll of the current situation with the pandemic and its impact on our way of life on the families with new arrivals.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“I think, because they obviously wanted to be a part of it, and to be a part of something that is so personal to you, you have to be willing to want to share that,” says Willis of the parents featured in the show.

“So we’re all very, very open. And I loved it.”

A combination of candid moments filmed remotely by the featured families and honest Zoom conversations with Willis about their concerns and expectation, the show tactfully balances understandable anxieties with warm and uplifting moments.

“Some of my favourite pieces of it are the dads in the cars, where you’re getting this insight into them,” she says.

“Personally, I feel really silly when I’m taking a selfie video.

“I get really self-conscious.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“But these blokes are just in the car kind of going, ‘Oh, my God’ and ready to get it all out, which I love.

“I love seeing a dad show their emotions, but also they must just feel so helpless as well at the same time; I do really feel for them.

“Not as much as the woman having a baby, but still, I do really feel for them.

“Also, we’re in this hideous situation and it is devastatingly sad and that’s kind of all you think about – the devastation and the sadness.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“But there are pockets all over the world of women having this amazing experience, so the mass devastation that’s happening in hospitals, there’s always also these incredible, joyous things happening as well. We all need a bit of happiness.”

When promoting the second series of Delivering Babies back in 2019, Willis explained that while she wouldn’t have necessarily been comfortable with a film crew being present at the births of her own children, the events had been filmed on his phone by her husband, musician Matt Willis.

“I’ve had a few [babies] and it is the most incredible thing to watch, because you’re so all over the place when it happens, and there are little things that you forget,” she said at the time. “I have footage of my babies coming out, and I watch it frequently, because it’s the most special thing in the world, so I do think it’s a great memory to have, and to show them one day.”

Series has been a ratings hit

The Delivering Babies series has been a top-rated show for the W channel.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Adam Collings, channel director for W, says: “I am so pleased we are continuing our journey with Emma and fans of this amazing series. Delivering Babies continues to be our highest performing show and it’s brilliant to be able to marry the universal nature of birth and parenthood with timely stories and experiences that a lot of our viewers are currently going through.”

Sam Emmery, head of documentaries at Firecracker Films and the executive producer for the new series, adds: “Although we are in the middle of a pandemic, babies are still being born and it’s a privilege to be able to capture this unique moment in time.”

Emma Willis: Delivering Babies In 2020 arrives on W from February 15.

Support The Yorkshire Post and become a subscriber today. Your subscription will help us to continue to bring quality news to the people of Yorkshire. In return, you’ll see fewer ads on site, get free access to our app and receive exclusive members-only offers. Click here to subscribe.  

Related topics:

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.