There’s an emotion, a magic that fills the room when every baby is born
Highland Midwife Hazel Inglis
Hazel Inglis admits she simply can’t leave her work behind and bad days often have her shedding a tear at home.
But the joy of all the good days mean she wouldn’t change it for the world – and mums all over the north of Scotland don’t want her to go anywhere.
Hazel, 47, is one of the stars of Channel 5 hit The Highland Midwife, back for a new series this week. And there are more dramas and delights as the cameras follow the birth of babies in one of the largest, most remote midwifery areas in Britain.
Mum-of-one Hazel has helped bring more than 1000 babies into the world, and she says it never loses its magic.
“There’s an emotion, a magic, that fills the room when every baby is born,” said Hazel, a community midwife at Raigmore Hospital in Inverness.
“I don’t quite feel it until everything’s safe, but then it’s just wonderful.
“And it’s wonderful going to see the mums afterwards. You’ve followed this baby right through, from a bump to birth, and you’re seeing this family unit together for the first time.
“For me, there’s nothing better. I’ve got so much job satisfaction. If I could bottle it and sell it, I’d be a very rich woman.”
Hazel has a 22-year-old son Caillan and she says his arrival helped steer her towards midwifery.
“I had trained as a nurse at Ninewells in Dundee but it was after I had Caillan that I knew midwifery was what I wanted to do,” said Stonehaven-born Hazel, who qualified as a midwife almost 20 years ago.
“I still remember my midwife and I think that’s so common as the bond between a mum and her midwife is so close.
“You develop a relationship that means they know they can trust you and come to you at any time. And I still see them afterwards.
“It’s a nightmare going shopping with me as I bump into so many people who I’ve helped, it takes me hours.
“It’s lovely to see how the wee ones are growing and even though I might not remember every name I can tell you where they live and recall details about the pregnancy.”
Each episode of The Highland Midwife – which filmed 11 live births – follows three stories and the opening episode shows Hazel being the reassuring presence for Shelley Gill, a member of the Military Wives Choir who is terrified at the prospect of her third caesarean section.
Fellow midwife Ruth is looking after first-time mum Carrie Ann McGoldrick who ends up giving birth to her baby girl in the back of an ambulance – something Hazel can relate to.
“It was to be a home birth but the baby’s heart rate was dropping and we wanted to get to hospital,” says Hazel.
“But baby decided to make an appearance on the way. Thankfully everything went well and the baby was grand. The only shame was dad missed it all.”
The Highland Midwife, Channel 5, Wednesday 8pm.