Newborn Russia - Season 1

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.