0:00:02 > 0:00:06This programme contains scenes which some viewers may find disturbing.
0:00:06 > 0:00:09Three British workers - a bus driver, a midwife and a paramedic.
0:00:09 > 0:00:14They've all accepted the challenge to do their job under some of the toughest conditions on the planet.
0:00:14 > 0:00:17That was a really, really horrible birth.
0:00:17 > 0:00:21See that, one satisfied customer. He got off and he's alive.
0:00:21 > 0:00:23He's even smiling!
0:00:23 > 0:00:27How you guys do this in these conditions?
0:00:30 > 0:00:32Hello, gorgeous.
0:00:32 > 0:00:38Midwife Suzanne Saunders-Blundell is swapping her hospital in Sutton Coldfield
0:00:38 > 0:00:41for one in Liberia, West Africa.
0:00:41 > 0:00:44This is so different to the hospitals at home.
0:00:44 > 0:00:47In one of the world's poorest countries,
0:00:47 > 0:00:53Suzanne will join midwives stretched to the limit and lacking the most basic resources.
0:00:54 > 0:00:59Can we have some fresh water so we can keep sponging her? She's so hot.
0:00:59 > 0:01:03She'll get to grips with the local culture and cuisine.
0:01:03 > 0:01:05This is dry fish.
0:01:08 > 0:01:13But in a country where babies die every day and mothers risk their lives in childbirth,
0:01:13 > 0:01:17all Suzanne's resilience will be put to the test.
0:01:17 > 0:01:20I don't want to experience that again. That was awful.
0:01:41 > 0:01:45Oh, my gosh. Oh.
0:01:47 > 0:01:50Every day, Suzanne Saunders-Blundell
0:01:50 > 0:01:54holds the hopes and dreams of expectant parents in her hands.
0:01:57 > 0:02:00The best bit for me is to see a woman through labour.
0:02:00 > 0:02:02If it goes the way she wants it to go,
0:02:02 > 0:02:05that is the most fulfilling job in the world,
0:02:05 > 0:02:10and to see a mum and a dad with their newborn baby is just... It's amazing.
0:02:10 > 0:02:12It's the most amazing experience ever.
0:02:12 > 0:02:17Suzanne has been delivering babies for nine years and is now a labour ward coordinator
0:02:17 > 0:02:20at Good Hope Hospital in Sutton Coldfield.
0:02:20 > 0:02:23'It's quite important that we can ensure
0:02:23 > 0:02:25'both mum's and the baby's well-being.'
0:02:25 > 0:02:28This maps out your baby's heart rate.
0:02:28 > 0:02:32The heart monitor is just one of the hi-tech devices that helps Suzanne
0:02:32 > 0:02:35make birth as safe as possible.
0:02:35 > 0:02:38That's it. You're very welcome.
0:02:38 > 0:02:41But alongside all this technology, the midwives here
0:02:41 > 0:02:44are keen on natural childbirth.
0:02:44 > 0:02:47Suzanne helps women to have just the kind of birth they want.
0:02:47 > 0:02:51Take it easy. Put your hand on the side.
0:02:51 > 0:02:56I don't like to do too many examinations, cos it's quite invasive,
0:02:56 > 0:02:58so just take a watch and wait.
0:02:58 > 0:03:00Baby seems absolutely fine.
0:03:00 > 0:03:03Encourage her to go with what her body's telling her.
0:03:03 > 0:03:05Well done, well done!
0:03:05 > 0:03:07Hello!
0:03:07 > 0:03:09Hello, Jessica! Happy birthday!
0:03:11 > 0:03:12Are you OK?
0:03:12 > 0:03:17It was great. It was the best six hours of my life.
0:03:17 > 0:03:21I was in my own little world. I can't believe how fast it went.
0:03:22 > 0:03:27She was great. She was telling me to calm down and when to breathe.
0:03:27 > 0:03:30It was just like having your best friend at your side.
0:03:31 > 0:03:34Now Suzanne is off to West Africa,
0:03:34 > 0:03:40where she is expecting their midwifery to be more in line with her own style of natural childbirth.
0:03:40 > 0:03:44We are such a technology-based culture,
0:03:44 > 0:03:47and childbirth does tend to get quite medicalised,
0:03:47 > 0:03:51despite the fact we really try to make it as low-risk as possible.
0:03:51 > 0:03:54I might learn something that's really fascinating.
0:03:56 > 0:04:00Living and working in Africa is going to be tough.
0:04:00 > 0:04:03But Suzanne reckons she's ready to tackle anything.
0:04:03 > 0:04:07I kind of think if a man can do something, so can a woman.
0:04:07 > 0:04:10Whether that be running, playing rugby,
0:04:10 > 0:04:12there's something a bit different,
0:04:12 > 0:04:15and it appealed to me - I like a challenge.
0:04:18 > 0:04:20She's determined, independent,
0:04:20 > 0:04:22she's very focused on whatever she does,
0:04:22 > 0:04:27whether that be midwifery or her personal training or fitness.
0:04:27 > 0:04:31Suzanne's been with husband Dan since she was 17.
0:04:31 > 0:04:34She's only been abroad once without him.
0:04:34 > 0:04:3726 degrees Celsius... Oh, nice.
0:04:37 > 0:04:42Now she's heading to a country many people have never even heard of.
0:04:42 > 0:04:46"Founded and colonised by freed American slaves." Oh, that's good.
0:04:46 > 0:04:50'It's the idea of her going out there to Africa, of all places.'
0:04:50 > 0:04:52She's going off, but I'm staying at home -
0:04:52 > 0:04:56that's going to be weird, totally weird, actually.
0:04:56 > 0:05:01The first African nation with a female president.
0:05:01 > 0:05:04Well, it would be a better place with women in charge.
0:05:04 > 0:05:06OK.
0:05:09 > 0:05:11I like a challenge.
0:05:11 > 0:05:15I think I'm going to get a whole new perspective on life.
0:05:15 > 0:05:17I'm quite open to whatever opportunity,
0:05:17 > 0:05:19whatever experience is going to come flying at me
0:05:19 > 0:05:24and embrace it with both hands and give it a big hug.
0:05:24 > 0:05:26I'm ready for my world to be shaken up, I think.
0:05:35 > 0:05:39Liberia - population 3.5 million.
0:05:41 > 0:05:45The country was founded in the 19th century by freed American slaves,
0:05:45 > 0:05:49but in recent years, this promised land has been torn apart
0:05:49 > 0:05:52by one of the most brutal civil wars in African history.
0:05:56 > 0:05:59As warlords fought for control,
0:05:59 > 0:06:02a quarter of a million people were killed,
0:06:02 > 0:06:04and nearly 800,000 fled for their lives.
0:06:04 > 0:06:07Women were raped, houses burned,
0:06:07 > 0:06:12and child soldiers as young as ten held the power of life and death in their hands.
0:06:19 > 0:06:24Suzanne's arriving in Monrovia, Liberia's capital.
0:06:24 > 0:06:28The war's been over for seven years, but the country is struggling to rebuild.
0:06:31 > 0:06:37Today, eight out of ten people live on less than a dollar a day.
0:06:37 > 0:06:40And even in the capital, there's little electricity
0:06:40 > 0:06:42and no running water.
0:06:45 > 0:06:49- Hiya!- Hello! Bye!
0:06:51 > 0:06:55It's fantastic. Everyone's so curious about everything. It's very welcoming.
0:06:56 > 0:06:59This is Redemption Hospital,
0:06:59 > 0:07:03where Suzanne will be working for the next two weeks.
0:07:03 > 0:07:06Hiya, I'm here to see Rosalind, the head midwife.
0:07:06 > 0:07:08All right? Thank you.
0:07:11 > 0:07:17This is...so different to the hospitals at home.
0:07:17 > 0:07:19Hello!
0:07:19 > 0:07:23Like Suzanne, Rosalind Bro is a midwife supervisor.
0:07:23 > 0:07:25She runs the maternity unit.
0:07:25 > 0:07:28So you're going to show me the wonders of midwifery in Liberia?
0:07:28 > 0:07:30First stop is the delivery room.
0:07:30 > 0:07:34The facilities are not quite what Suzanne is used to.
0:07:34 > 0:07:35Wow!
0:07:37 > 0:07:40Right. Gosh!
0:07:46 > 0:07:48Do they all lie on their back?
0:07:48 > 0:07:50Yes, they lie on their back.
0:07:50 > 0:07:54Fascinating, absolutely fascinating. Brilliant.
0:07:59 > 0:08:00Right, OK.
0:08:02 > 0:08:04Right, so women in labour in here...
0:08:11 > 0:08:15- Right. OK.- Yes.- Gosh.- OK....
0:08:20 > 0:08:23How long are they in the labour ward until they come into here?
0:08:30 > 0:08:33You are welcome, you are welcome, you are welcome!
0:08:33 > 0:08:34Thank you very much indeed.
0:08:34 > 0:08:40It's... Wow, I really don't know what to say, it's so different.
0:08:40 > 0:08:43So many things and... Oh, I just...
0:08:43 > 0:08:45It's so, so different from home.
0:08:45 > 0:08:49Almost a trolley with stirrups at the end - that's where they give birth.
0:08:49 > 0:08:52At least they have got some beds to put the women in
0:08:52 > 0:08:54and they have got some equipment.
0:08:57 > 0:09:02Redemption Hospital was shut during the long years of the civil war.
0:09:02 > 0:09:05Charities have got it up and running again.
0:09:05 > 0:09:11Now it's back in government hands, medical director Dr Dada is trying to keep it going,
0:09:11 > 0:09:14despite a severe shortage of medical staff.
0:09:21 > 0:09:22Very busy.
0:09:22 > 0:09:26Situated in one of the poorest areas of the city,
0:09:26 > 0:09:30Redemption Hospital is inundated with patients every day.
0:09:37 > 0:09:40Is this the only free hospital in Monrovia?
0:09:40 > 0:09:41- So far.- So far.
0:09:58 > 0:10:04Lunch in the hospital canteen gives Suzanne her first taste of Liberian cooking.
0:10:04 > 0:10:05Wow! This looks great.
0:10:07 > 0:10:09Right, then, let's give this a whirl.
0:10:09 > 0:10:12- Really spicy. Like chilli. - Hmm?- Spicy.
0:10:12 > 0:10:14So what else have I got in here?
0:10:14 > 0:10:17- Fish.- Any particular fish?
0:10:17 > 0:10:20Any...any particular fish or just any fish?
0:10:20 > 0:10:22- Any fish.- OK.
0:10:22 > 0:10:25The midwives here are on government salaries.
0:10:25 > 0:10:28And in such a poor country, they aren't generous.
0:10:32 > 0:10:3460 US dollars?
0:10:34 > 0:10:35Yes, it's very small.
0:10:35 > 0:10:36For a month?
0:10:41 > 0:10:45How do you manage to live, if you don't even know if you'll get paid?
0:11:05 > 0:11:09And it's not just the staff suffering the effects of underfunding.
0:11:09 > 0:11:12Premature babies need specialist equipment to keep them warm,
0:11:12 > 0:11:14but in Redemption,
0:11:14 > 0:11:17tin foil and lamps are the best they can hope for.
0:11:26 > 0:11:28OK, no problem.
0:11:28 > 0:11:32Two brand-new incubators were donated by UNICEF six months ago
0:11:32 > 0:11:36but have been standing idle ever since.
0:11:36 > 0:11:39Your adapter definitely works?
0:11:42 > 0:11:45- Even they didn't know how to put it on?- Yeah.
0:11:45 > 0:11:47How do you feel about being unable to use it?
0:11:56 > 0:11:58There must be an on-off switch somewhere.
0:11:58 > 0:11:59So, we've got power.
0:11:59 > 0:12:02The air temperature - you need to set it.
0:12:02 > 0:12:06It should automatically, I would have thought, start to heat up.
0:12:06 > 0:12:10That's the idea...in theory. Oh, yeah, it's just gone up.
0:12:10 > 0:12:14Hopefully, we'll have a toasty warm incubator we can put a baby in.
0:12:14 > 0:12:17There you go. There you go, and close it.
0:12:17 > 0:12:19Suzanne, thank you.
0:12:19 > 0:12:20You're very welcome.
0:12:20 > 0:12:23Suzanne's beginning to realise
0:12:23 > 0:12:28that the hospital is struggling with even the most basic equipment.
0:12:28 > 0:12:30But there's no time to dwell on it,
0:12:30 > 0:12:33as there's an emergency in the delivery room.
0:12:33 > 0:12:37Well, it looks like a lady's come in who's bleeding.
0:12:37 > 0:12:39She's about 36 weeks pregnant.
0:12:39 > 0:12:45It's either a placenta praevia or placental abruption.
0:12:45 > 0:12:49Placenta praevia means the placenta is coming out ahead of the baby -
0:12:49 > 0:12:51a life-threatening condition.
0:12:51 > 0:12:56On the scan, it looks like there wasn't a heartbeat, but she's carried on bleeding.
0:12:56 > 0:13:00Her pulse is quite rapid, so they've put her in for an emergency section.
0:13:00 > 0:13:04Beatrice Woods is fortunate to have a doctor treating her.
0:13:04 > 0:13:07There are less than 100 in the country.
0:13:11 > 0:13:14It's OK. It's all right, it's all right.
0:13:22 > 0:13:25The baby isn't breathing, and its pulse is weak.
0:13:25 > 0:13:28We'll do CPR. I'll do three.
0:13:28 > 0:13:30One, two, three, right. One press from you.
0:13:30 > 0:13:33One, two, three from me. One press from you. That's it.
0:13:33 > 0:13:35He's got a very slow heartbeat.
0:13:35 > 0:13:38That's better. Are you going to give us a cry?
0:13:38 > 0:13:42Are you going to give us a cry, you naughty thing?
0:13:42 > 0:13:44Oh, what were you thinking?
0:13:44 > 0:13:46What happened?
0:13:50 > 0:13:53At just under 5lbs, the baby's very small,
0:13:53 > 0:13:56but Suzanne and Rosalind have saved his life.
0:14:01 > 0:14:04Yeah, placenta praevia.
0:14:05 > 0:14:07Yeah, it was, wasn't it? Good work, you.
0:14:07 > 0:14:12But Suzanne has been disturbed by the lack of consideration shown towards Beatrice.
0:14:12 > 0:14:17It's nothing like the mother-centred approach she practises in the UK.
0:14:17 > 0:14:20She was there, and everybody was making decisions around her
0:14:20 > 0:14:23and not really explaining to her what was going on.
0:14:23 > 0:14:28'I felt bad, the fact that nobody was talking to her, which was why I went over to her.
0:14:28 > 0:14:32'At least, if you're so scared, if somebody is at least paying you some attention,
0:14:32 > 0:14:35'it's better than being there on your own.'
0:14:36 > 0:14:38Does she get to cuddle him at all? Would she get to give him a cuddle?
0:14:38 > 0:14:40Not at the moment.
0:14:47 > 0:14:50Tonight, Suzanne's going home with Rosalind.
0:14:50 > 0:14:53She lives on the outskirts of Monrovia.
0:14:53 > 0:14:55So sometimes your journey home from work
0:14:55 > 0:14:58could be over two hours?
0:14:58 > 0:14:59Yeah.
0:14:59 > 0:15:03Gosh. That is a long way to travel to come to work.
0:15:03 > 0:15:05People are starting to leave work.
0:15:10 > 0:15:13This is the only public transport in Monrovia.
0:15:27 > 0:15:29This is completely mental!
0:15:30 > 0:15:33The people's driving, everything.
0:15:33 > 0:15:35It's absolutely mad.
0:15:35 > 0:15:38I think people in England would be a little bit miffed
0:15:38 > 0:15:41if you started just driving on the pavement.
0:15:41 > 0:15:44It's interesting, but I quite like theme park rides,
0:15:44 > 0:15:46so it's a bit like that, really.
0:15:46 > 0:15:48After a rattling bus ride,
0:15:48 > 0:15:51there's still one more leg of the journey.
0:15:52 > 0:15:54I really would rather not.
0:15:54 > 0:15:56I'd rather not.
0:15:56 > 0:15:57Well, he will drive you.
0:15:57 > 0:16:00No, I don't like motorbikes, I'm really sorry.
0:16:00 > 0:16:02I don't like motorbikes.
0:16:02 > 0:16:05Suzanne decides to treat them both to a taxi.
0:16:08 > 0:16:11Hiya. Oh, gosh, you're going to carry my bag!
0:16:11 > 0:16:14I think it's almost bigger than you -
0:16:14 > 0:16:16it might be too heavy.
0:16:16 > 0:16:19Four generations of Rosalind's family live under one roof.
0:16:19 > 0:16:22That is my father.
0:16:22 > 0:16:25Nice to meet you, sir, all right, very nice to meet you.
0:16:25 > 0:16:27The living room.
0:16:27 > 0:16:31Wow. Oh, how lovely. What a beautiful house you've got.
0:16:33 > 0:16:35Your room. Wow, look at this.
0:16:35 > 0:16:37This is beautiful.
0:16:38 > 0:16:42You have, you've worked so hard. But it is just...
0:16:46 > 0:16:49Even a small midwife's salary
0:16:49 > 0:16:52makes Rosalind better off than most Liberians.
0:16:52 > 0:16:55But she has to support ten people,
0:16:55 > 0:16:56so she does two jobs,
0:16:56 > 0:16:58often working 48 hours at a time,
0:16:58 > 0:17:00to put food on the table.
0:17:02 > 0:17:04Yeah, got a bit of fish here as well.
0:17:06 > 0:17:07Oh, lovely.
0:17:07 > 0:17:10If my husband at home could see me picking up a fish head,
0:17:10 > 0:17:12he would die laughing.
0:17:26 > 0:17:29Suzanne's sleeping on the floor in Rosalind's room.
0:17:29 > 0:17:31When Rosalind goes to bed,
0:17:31 > 0:17:33the generator gets switched off.
0:17:33 > 0:17:36So, yeah, that was quite funny,
0:17:36 > 0:17:38having a generator go off mid-wee,
0:17:38 > 0:17:43in the bathroom, with no torch. And no idea where the loo paper is.
0:17:43 > 0:17:45And no idea where the door is.
0:17:45 > 0:17:47So it's good fun.
0:17:51 > 0:17:54It's 25 past 5
0:17:54 > 0:17:57and time for work. And I'm tired.
0:17:57 > 0:17:58SHE LAUGHS
0:17:58 > 0:18:01Cold water.
0:18:01 > 0:18:04Cold water, here we come.
0:18:04 > 0:18:08'Rosalind's very lucky - she's worked so hard to actually...
0:18:08 > 0:18:09'it's really nice.'
0:18:09 > 0:18:13And everything doesn't seem to matter so much.
0:18:13 > 0:18:17You know, yeah, you tip a jug of cold water down yourself in the morning,
0:18:17 > 0:18:18but this is life.
0:18:41 > 0:18:43It's 8am.
0:18:43 > 0:18:46Rosalind and Suzanne are taking over from the night shift.
0:18:46 > 0:18:49- Have you had many deliveries in the night?- Yes.
0:18:49 > 0:18:52Really? Six, seven, eight?!
0:18:52 > 0:18:54Yeah, a very busy night for you.
0:18:54 > 0:18:56So you need your sleep now.
0:18:56 > 0:19:00It's not long before Suzanne gets her first patient of the day.
0:19:00 > 0:19:04And once again, it's not straightforward.
0:19:04 > 0:19:05I'm opening the...
0:19:05 > 0:19:07No, I gathered that.
0:19:07 > 0:19:09I help you.
0:19:09 > 0:19:11Yeah, yeah. OK, so...
0:19:14 > 0:19:15WOMAN SCREAMS
0:19:15 > 0:19:17Rebecca Cara's baby is dead,
0:19:17 > 0:19:20but she still has to give birth.
0:19:20 > 0:19:22We'll wrap the baby in that once it's born.
0:19:22 > 0:19:24- It's not alive.- OK.
0:19:25 > 0:19:27WOMAN MOANS
0:19:29 > 0:19:31Yeah, I think that's a foot.
0:19:31 > 0:19:32WOMAN SCREAMS
0:19:32 > 0:19:34There's an added complication -
0:19:34 > 0:19:36it's a breech birth.
0:19:36 > 0:19:38The baby is coming feet first.
0:19:41 > 0:19:43The arms...
0:19:43 > 0:19:44the arms are like that.
0:19:48 > 0:19:51Suzanne's been dropped in the deep end.
0:19:51 > 0:19:53WOMAN SCREAMS
0:19:53 > 0:19:55Hang on.
0:19:55 > 0:19:57It needs... The arms are extended.
0:19:57 > 0:20:01At home, she has never dealt with a situation like this.
0:20:01 > 0:20:03SHE SCREAMS
0:20:10 > 0:20:12Yeah. It's a little boy.
0:20:15 > 0:20:17Where's the baby going now?
0:20:20 > 0:20:21OK.
0:20:26 > 0:20:27Right. OK. OK,
0:20:27 > 0:20:31so it just rests on the side?
0:20:31 > 0:20:32You just pop it on this?
0:20:34 > 0:20:36OK. OK.
0:20:39 > 0:20:42It seems like the baby's actually been dead for quite a while.
0:20:42 > 0:20:46It was quite difficult to deliver the body.
0:20:46 > 0:20:48And what was very strange was
0:20:48 > 0:20:50the woman just thanked everybody.
0:20:50 > 0:20:51She didn't cry,
0:20:51 > 0:20:53or didn't seem particularly upset.
0:20:53 > 0:20:55Very matter of fact here, really.
0:20:55 > 0:20:58I don't know if it's because it happens so often,
0:20:58 > 0:20:59people are more accepting.
0:20:59 > 0:21:02One in 25 babies in Liberia
0:21:02 > 0:21:06is stillborn, or dies within 24 hours.
0:21:06 > 0:21:07At Redemption Hospital,
0:21:07 > 0:21:10this is the third stillbirth this week.
0:21:12 > 0:21:14Almost immediately,
0:21:14 > 0:21:18another woman staggers into the labour ward demanding help.
0:21:24 > 0:21:28There's no time to get her into the delivery room.
0:21:44 > 0:21:47Rebecca, who lost her child less than two hours ago,
0:21:47 > 0:21:50is watching from the next bed.
0:21:50 > 0:21:52Suzanne is shocked by the lack of sensitivity.
0:21:52 > 0:21:54They've got a woman with diarrhoea
0:21:54 > 0:21:57next to a woman who's just had a stillbirth,
0:21:57 > 0:21:59straight next to a woman who's got a live baby,
0:21:59 > 0:22:01next to somebody who's just had an abortion.
0:22:01 > 0:22:04It seems bizarre that all these women are just put together.
0:22:07 > 0:22:09- Full term?- Yeah.
0:22:09 > 0:22:11As she gets on with the paperwork,
0:22:11 > 0:22:14she let's slip that it's her husband's birthday today.
0:22:14 > 0:22:17It's a chance for the midwives to lighten the mood.
0:22:18 > 0:22:20She had oxytocin?
0:22:20 > 0:22:22Yes.
0:22:22 > 0:22:25# Happy birthday to Suzanne husband
0:22:25 > 0:22:29# Happy birthday to Suzanne husband
0:22:29 > 0:22:33# Happy birthday to him! #
0:22:33 > 0:22:35He would have loved that.
0:22:35 > 0:22:38# Bless him
0:22:38 > 0:22:41# We wish him long life
0:22:41 > 0:22:45# We wish him prosperity
0:22:45 > 0:22:50# Happy birthday to Suzanne husband! #
0:22:50 > 0:22:5235.
0:22:52 > 0:22:54THEY CHEER
0:22:56 > 0:22:58But the laughter is short lived.
0:22:58 > 0:23:02Suzanne's challenging shift is about to take a turn for the worse.
0:23:02 > 0:23:06WOMAN SCREAMS
0:23:06 > 0:23:08As she goes into the delivery room once more,
0:23:08 > 0:23:11there's a young mum who's too shy to be filmed.
0:23:11 > 0:23:12WOMAN SCREAMS
0:23:12 > 0:23:14- Go on.- N-o-o!
0:23:17 > 0:23:19BABY CRIES
0:23:19 > 0:23:22It's a healthy baby,
0:23:22 > 0:23:25but Suzanne's appalled by what she's seen.
0:23:25 > 0:23:29That is NOT how we do it at home.
0:23:29 > 0:23:30No, I need, er, a minute.
0:23:33 > 0:23:36A very shocking experience, actually.
0:23:36 > 0:23:39Um, I didn't think, um, that...
0:23:39 > 0:23:41I'm really sorry.
0:23:42 > 0:23:47Um. That was a really silly outburst, I don't normally...
0:23:47 > 0:23:49That was a really, really horrible birth.
0:23:49 > 0:23:52Obviously, my personal practice is very hands off.
0:23:52 > 0:23:54It's very personal.
0:23:54 > 0:23:56And birth here is obviously
0:23:56 > 0:23:58not personal in any way, shape or form.
0:23:58 > 0:24:00And then, to physically,
0:24:00 > 0:24:03literally put their hands on her stomach
0:24:03 > 0:24:06and physically push the baby out,
0:24:06 > 0:24:08I just find very, very brutal,
0:24:08 > 0:24:11and not a happy experience. And I think, um,
0:24:11 > 0:24:14I really don't want to experience that again, to be honest,
0:24:14 > 0:24:16that was awful.
0:24:25 > 0:24:29Tonight, Suzanne's staying at a local guest house.
0:24:29 > 0:24:32It's an opportunity to reflect on her hopes of seeing
0:24:32 > 0:24:35a natural approach to childbirth here in Africa.
0:24:37 > 0:24:40Quite an intense day, really.
0:24:40 > 0:24:42There is so much that's been thrown at me.
0:24:42 > 0:24:44So much I've had to take on board.
0:24:44 > 0:24:46So much that I've seen.
0:24:46 > 0:24:50I really thought there'd be a lot more tradition, a lot more
0:24:50 > 0:24:52that these midwives could teach me, signs,
0:24:52 > 0:24:54you know, of how a labour advanced,
0:24:54 > 0:24:56not having to intervene.
0:24:56 > 0:24:57And it's none of that.
0:24:57 > 0:25:00It's a big shock, and it's a big disappointment
0:25:00 > 0:25:02that these are the people who really should be
0:25:02 > 0:25:04getting back to nature,
0:25:04 > 0:25:07to improve the care they give, but not dominate it.
0:25:16 > 0:25:19After a restless night, Suzanne's back on shift.
0:25:19 > 0:25:22- Morning. How are you? - Yeah, good morning.
0:25:22 > 0:25:25Today, she's meeting Lucy Barr,
0:25:25 > 0:25:28Redemption Hospital's most experienced midwife.
0:25:28 > 0:25:31So how long have you worked here?
0:25:34 > 0:25:3614 years.
0:25:41 > 0:25:43So you can teach me loads of stuff.
0:25:45 > 0:25:49Lucy's head of the Liberian Midwifery Association,
0:25:49 > 0:25:52so she's interested to hear how Suzanne's getting on.
0:25:52 > 0:25:56It's not how I imagined at all.
0:25:56 > 0:25:58I imagined it would be very,
0:25:58 > 0:26:00um, very natural,
0:26:00 > 0:26:02but I find it very difficult,
0:26:02 > 0:26:05because all women lie on their back here.
0:26:05 > 0:26:07Yes, it's quite different.
0:26:07 > 0:26:08Very different.
0:26:11 > 0:26:13Yeah. Is there any particular reason
0:26:13 > 0:26:15why everybody does it that way?
0:26:22 > 0:26:25And the other thing I've found quite shocking for me
0:26:25 > 0:26:28was that you do a lot of fundal pressure to deliver.
0:26:28 > 0:26:29Fundal pressure.
0:26:38 > 0:26:41I did see it, and thought, "Oh, that's really something."
0:26:41 > 0:26:45I don't think the midwives here listen to the heartbeat
0:26:45 > 0:26:47as often as they could do at home,
0:26:47 > 0:26:49that's something I've observed.
0:26:57 > 0:26:59And it's very difficult.
0:26:59 > 0:27:02If it's two of you to a full bay,
0:27:02 > 0:27:04you've got to just do what you can, really.
0:27:04 > 0:27:06Yes.
0:27:06 > 0:27:10It's quite interesting to get Lucy's view on things.
0:27:10 > 0:27:13She's obviously a lot more experienced.
0:27:13 > 0:27:15And she seems very much more open
0:27:15 > 0:27:18to new, different ideas, different way of working.
0:27:18 > 0:27:22I really didn't think that birth would be the way it is here.
0:27:22 > 0:27:24I really didn't think it would be
0:27:24 > 0:27:25so medicalised,
0:27:25 > 0:27:27um, to be honest.
0:27:27 > 0:27:30I thought it would be more how we're trying to encourage women to be,
0:27:30 > 0:27:34very much more natural and observational
0:27:34 > 0:27:35and, you know, the kind of,
0:27:35 > 0:27:38don't worry, you know, this is happening,
0:27:38 > 0:27:40we don't have to intervene just yet.
0:27:51 > 0:27:53- So this is where you live?- Yes.
0:27:53 > 0:27:56Lucy has invited Suzanne to her home in Logantown,
0:27:56 > 0:28:00one of the oldest and poorest communities in Monrovia.
0:28:01 > 0:28:04- This one, the green one? Oh, wow! - Yes.
0:28:04 > 0:28:07Suzanne, this is my house, this is your home.
0:28:12 > 0:28:16Oh, wow. Fabulous. Oh.
0:28:16 > 0:28:17This is beautiful.
0:28:17 > 0:28:20Ah.
0:28:20 > 0:28:22Oh, wow.
0:28:22 > 0:28:23That's fantastic.
0:28:23 > 0:28:26This is my daughter.
0:28:26 > 0:28:28Hello. Nice to meet you, I'm Suzanne.
0:28:28 > 0:28:30Lucy lives with a large extended family.
0:28:30 > 0:28:32Who's this little one?
0:28:32 > 0:28:34That's his daughter.
0:28:34 > 0:28:36So your, your granddaughter?
0:28:36 > 0:28:37- Yes.- Aww!
0:28:37 > 0:28:39I can shake you by my elbow,
0:28:39 > 0:28:41I'm peeling the paw paw.
0:28:41 > 0:28:47Lucy's husband Edward is a nurse anaesthetist at Redemption Hospital.
0:28:47 > 0:28:48What are they?
0:28:51 > 0:28:53- This is a dry fish.- Ooh.
0:28:53 > 0:28:55What, what kind of fish?
0:28:57 > 0:29:00Do you use that a lot in your cooking or do you just kind of eat it?
0:29:02 > 0:29:03Is that the kind of fish I'm eating?
0:29:03 > 0:29:07- Uh-huh. Yes. - Yeah, the teeth and everything.
0:29:07 > 0:29:10Yeah, everything in there.
0:29:10 > 0:29:13Oh, yeah, and the eyes. Everything.
0:29:15 > 0:29:16Sweet, it's sweet.
0:29:19 > 0:29:22OK. Wow.
0:29:29 > 0:29:31Amen.
0:29:31 > 0:29:34Fufu.
0:29:37 > 0:29:38OK, so, fish.
0:29:38 > 0:29:40It's huge.
0:29:40 > 0:29:43Some juice.
0:29:46 > 0:29:50Or I can chew it. It's quite chewy.
0:29:50 > 0:29:51A bit like, er...
0:29:54 > 0:29:58I have no idea what it's like, I really can't describe it.
0:30:04 > 0:30:06I think I prefer chewing.
0:30:10 > 0:30:12No, we pretty much chew everything.
0:30:14 > 0:30:17Lucy has lived here all her married life. It's a close-knit community
0:30:17 > 0:30:20and everyone's heard about Suzanne's visit.
0:30:22 > 0:30:24I have no idea what is going on.
0:30:32 > 0:30:34Keep going!
0:30:40 > 0:30:46Well, we're playing game of kick ball, which is like, er, baseball, but you kick the ball.
0:30:46 > 0:30:49Er, and it's quite hard work.
0:30:49 > 0:30:53It's interesting, it's all the women playing, not men.
0:30:53 > 0:30:55Thank you too. Welcome.
0:30:55 > 0:30:59I'm beginning to see sort of how, once you get past the initial shock
0:30:59 > 0:31:04of everything, it's every little neighbourhood, every area taking their own bit of character.
0:31:07 > 0:31:11Really nice, it's been a really nice day in terms of learning about
0:31:11 > 0:31:15the importance of community and family, it really, really has.
0:31:15 > 0:31:17The fact that everybody's so welcoming.
0:31:17 > 0:31:20I don't know if everybody would get this kind of reception at home.
0:31:27 > 0:31:3263% of all births in Liberia happen away from hospital.
0:31:32 > 0:31:37Many women live in remote villages where the roads are bad and they have no transport.
0:31:39 > 0:31:45Their babies are often delivered by traditional birth attendants, local women with few medical skills.
0:31:46 > 0:31:50Lucy has invited Suzanne to meet some of them.
0:31:52 > 0:31:56I'm so excited to meet some traditional birth attendants because, really, when I came
0:31:56 > 0:32:00over to this country, that's how I thought birth would be.
0:32:00 > 0:32:04On behalf of the TTM and the TBS, we say you are welcome,
0:32:04 > 0:32:07you are welcome,
0:32:07 > 0:32:13- and this is your home. - OK, you are more welcome. Yeah.
0:32:14 > 0:32:17THEY SING
0:32:25 > 0:32:29Hello, and thank you for welcoming me so wonderfully.
0:32:36 > 0:32:38Oh, right, OK.
0:32:51 > 0:32:56It's not long before they let Suzanne in on a few of their trade secrets.
0:33:04 > 0:33:06And bite it.
0:33:06 > 0:33:08Just coal?
0:33:08 > 0:33:11Wow! Yeah!
0:33:11 > 0:33:13It will stop.
0:33:31 > 0:33:32Yes.
0:33:35 > 0:33:36Really?
0:33:36 > 0:33:39Do you know, I might have to try these at home?
0:33:39 > 0:33:41Somebody's going to think I'm absolutely bonkers.
0:33:45 > 0:33:51It is a calling that you really want to do, but you dedicate your life to it as much as you can, really.
0:33:51 > 0:33:55But traditional midwives have no way to treat medical emergencies.
0:33:55 > 0:33:58And Lucy teaches them to recognise their limitations.
0:34:59 > 0:35:03I found it really, really touching, very motivating.
0:35:03 > 0:35:08The birth attendants here are all so passionate, really, really passionate about midwifery,
0:35:08 > 0:35:13really passionate about the health and the wellbeing of the mums they care for and the babies.
0:35:13 > 0:35:17'They are spreading the word of the midwives from the hospitals downwards.
0:35:17 > 0:35:22'They are the, the unsung heroes, really, of the midwifery world here.
0:35:22 > 0:35:23So is that clear?
0:35:23 > 0:35:24ALL: Yes.
0:35:24 > 0:35:25Is that clear?
0:35:25 > 0:35:26ALL: Yes!
0:35:26 > 0:35:27Is that clear?
0:35:27 > 0:35:28ALL: YES!
0:35:41 > 0:35:49I'm coming round to this place, you know? You know, it's such a welcoming nation, everybody is so, so nice.
0:35:49 > 0:35:52It really makes you want to be here, to be honest.
0:35:55 > 0:35:59Back in the hospital, there's an emergency which highlights the problems with home births.
0:36:00 > 0:36:02She delivered.
0:36:02 > 0:36:06A woman has been brought in after giving birth to a stillborn baby.
0:36:06 > 0:36:09She's losing a dangerous amount of blood.
0:36:12 > 0:36:15And there's certainly no tear. There's no membrane there.
0:36:15 > 0:36:17She's got a really, really weak pulse.
0:36:21 > 0:36:26No, as you can see, she's had quite a substantial bleed and she's not really very conversant.
0:36:34 > 0:36:37Yeah, I think she's just completely shut down.
0:36:37 > 0:36:4339 year-old Jeanette's stillborn baby was delivered at home by an unqualified neighbour.
0:37:01 > 0:37:05Jeanette's fighting for her life and Suzanne is getting more and more worried.
0:37:05 > 0:37:07Do you need to get a doctor?
0:37:07 > 0:37:09He needs to see she's still bleeding.
0:37:33 > 0:37:36The doctor thinks he's stemmed the bleeding, but he's furious
0:37:36 > 0:37:39with Jeanette's friend who delivered the baby at home.
0:38:01 > 0:38:03- A bit like...- Like this.
0:38:03 > 0:38:04But it's...
0:38:04 > 0:38:06Do you find that really frustrating?
0:38:27 > 0:38:31Suzanne is starting to see the realities of being a midwife in Liberia.
0:38:32 > 0:38:37The country has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world.
0:38:37 > 0:38:40Here, one in 12 women will die in childbirth.
0:38:45 > 0:38:50Jeanette has survived, but she's had to have a major blood transfusion.
0:38:50 > 0:38:53Now she's recovering in the postnatal ward.
0:38:53 > 0:38:56Hiya! How are you doing, Jeanette?
0:38:56 > 0:38:58You look a lot better.
0:38:58 > 0:39:00You had two more pints of blood?
0:39:03 > 0:39:05Wow, that's so expensive.
0:39:05 > 0:39:09Not everything at Redemption Hospital is free.
0:39:09 > 0:39:14Jeanette's blood transfusion has cost more than most Liberians earn in a month.
0:39:15 > 0:39:19With a large family to support, it's money she can't afford to pay.
0:39:30 > 0:39:37One thing I've learned coming here, everybody works very, very hard for small, small money.
0:39:37 > 0:39:42Out of the blue, Jeanette makes a desperate plea for her children's future.
0:39:51 > 0:39:54She gave me her phone number and actually what she wanted
0:39:54 > 0:39:58was for me to go to her home and take one of her children off her.
0:39:59 > 0:40:03It's heart-breaking to see and, if that's just one person,
0:40:03 > 0:40:08you know, just one woman on the ward, and I'm sure everybody is like it.
0:40:08 > 0:40:14I just can't imagine the life that these people are living to be that desperate.
0:40:14 > 0:40:17And she at one point was then saying that she wished she'd die
0:40:17 > 0:40:22because then she wouldn't have a, have to find a way out of the situation she was in then.
0:40:25 > 0:40:30As soon as Jeanette's released from hospital, Suzanne heads to her home with some supplies.
0:40:30 > 0:40:33- Hello, Jeanette.- Hello.
0:40:33 > 0:40:38How are you? I've brought you some rice. Cassava.
0:40:38 > 0:40:40- Yeah.- OK? It's quite heavy, you all right to carry it?
0:40:40 > 0:40:45Jeanette lives in New Georgia on the southern edge of Monrovia.
0:40:45 > 0:40:49Her family of seven live in a small tin shack.
0:40:49 > 0:40:52- We live here, yeah. - All of you, in this space?
0:40:52 > 0:40:55- Yes.- That must be, that's quite, quite cramped.
0:40:55 > 0:41:00There's a lot of you to fit in into a small space, and look at all these toys!
0:41:00 > 0:41:04- Gosh, and is that you, Jeanette? - Yeah, that is.- Ah!
0:41:04 > 0:41:06That's lovely.
0:41:25 > 0:41:29You've got such lovely children, you know, and I know once you're feeling
0:41:29 > 0:41:34better, you know, and things won't be such a struggle, and feel as bad.
0:41:44 > 0:41:48I know it's difficult, I can see it's very, very difficult for you.
0:41:48 > 0:41:53A gift of money will help Jeanette's immediate problems, but it doesn't feel enough.
0:41:53 > 0:41:56Bye-bye.
0:41:56 > 0:42:03You feel like you want to do more, but you don't quite know how to do more and it's quite awkward, really.
0:42:03 > 0:42:05And then you just feel like you've not done enough.
0:42:05 > 0:42:08And I don't know how she's feeling now.
0:42:08 > 0:42:13I don't know if she's disappointed or angry with me, cos I haven't taken one of her children away or, or what,
0:42:13 > 0:42:17really, but I suppose they've gone through what probably is the worst,
0:42:17 > 0:42:21and it's just keep on going and hopefully things will get better.
0:42:27 > 0:42:34It's the first time Suzanne's seen close-up the hardship of daily life for most Liberians.
0:42:37 > 0:42:41The people here, they literally live hand to mouth, just to eat.
0:42:41 > 0:42:45You want to help everybody because everybody's deserving of something.
0:42:45 > 0:42:50Everybody deserves to have their lives made a bit better,
0:42:50 > 0:42:54but you can't. It's so very difficult.
0:42:56 > 0:43:03It's becoming clear how badly everyone's life has been affected by the long years of civil war.
0:43:03 > 0:43:06It's really sad to see that they've got all the pipes,
0:43:06 > 0:43:09they've got all the taps and everything in the shower,
0:43:09 > 0:43:13for the running water, there just isn't any running water because of the war.
0:43:14 > 0:43:17- Ta-da!- Hey, how are you?
0:43:17 > 0:43:21- All right, what do you think? - Oh, it's beautiful.
0:43:21 > 0:43:26Just really curious cos I don't really know much about Liberia and the civil war,
0:43:26 > 0:43:31because obviously you moved here over 20 years ago and have lived through it.
0:44:28 > 0:44:31I suppose that must have been even more scary for you
0:44:31 > 0:44:33because of being pregnant and it...
0:44:38 > 0:44:41What brought about the end of the war?
0:45:03 > 0:45:06I've observed a lot about women in this country
0:45:06 > 0:45:09and you seem to have a very predominant role.
0:45:19 > 0:45:22I really can't imagine being in that kind of situation
0:45:22 > 0:45:25and where you draw your strength from.
0:45:25 > 0:45:28She's a very amazing woman, she has got such strength
0:45:28 > 0:45:31and such faith. And courage, just to get through it.
0:45:31 > 0:45:35It makes you want to aspire to her, she's truly a fantastic woman.
0:46:02 > 0:46:04I think when I go home it's going to be quite difficult
0:46:04 > 0:46:07to readjust to what I've seen here.
0:46:10 > 0:46:12It makes me feel woefully inadequate
0:46:12 > 0:46:14and it makes me really feel
0:46:14 > 0:46:17that I've really not achieved that much, really
0:46:17 > 0:46:21and I've certainly not achieved my full potential as a midwife
0:46:21 > 0:46:23or a woman yet, to be perfectly honest.
0:46:32 > 0:46:36And then you see the midwives in hospital,
0:46:36 > 0:46:39there are a lot of them that you meet have got two or three jobs,
0:46:39 > 0:46:43they're still the major breadwinners, they're all absolutely amazing women
0:46:43 > 0:46:47and it certainly makes you look at it from a completely different angle.
0:46:49 > 0:46:51Thank you. Thank you very much.
0:46:54 > 0:46:58Back on the ward, a 21-year-old woman who's four months pregnant
0:46:58 > 0:47:00has been brought in with stomach pains.
0:47:00 > 0:47:03Hannah has been in the labour ward for three days,
0:47:03 > 0:47:06but is reluctant to be examined.
0:47:06 > 0:47:08She's frightened and confused.
0:47:14 > 0:47:18Dr Cooper has seen cases like this before.
0:47:18 > 0:47:21She thinks she knows what may have happened.
0:47:58 > 0:48:02The reason for Hannah's reluctance is becoming clear.
0:48:02 > 0:48:04Most abortions in Liberia are illegal
0:48:04 > 0:48:08and she has taken desperate measures to end her pregnancy.
0:48:08 > 0:48:11You don't have to be scared.
0:48:13 > 0:48:16The examination shows that Hannah's baby has died
0:48:16 > 0:48:18and is now infecting her body.
0:48:22 > 0:48:25She's not had any pain relief.
0:48:25 > 0:48:29They don't even have the antibiotics they need to treat her.
0:48:40 > 0:48:44Try and help you now. Yeah, we'll help you now.
0:48:44 > 0:48:46Without antibiotics, all the doctor can do
0:48:46 > 0:48:50is try to clean out the infection caused by the traditional treatment.
0:48:52 > 0:48:53I find that quite difficult.
0:48:53 > 0:48:55If we had somebody who was that poorly,
0:48:55 > 0:48:57they'd be in a high-dependency room.
0:48:57 > 0:49:01We'd be aim to give them one to one midwifery care.
0:49:01 > 0:49:04She'd have all sorts of monitoring
0:49:04 > 0:49:06so we could see if she's deteriorating or not.
0:49:06 > 0:49:11But the cost of life here, oh, it just seems worthless in some cases.
0:49:18 > 0:49:23In the next three days, Hannah's condition steadily deteriorates.
0:49:27 > 0:49:31I just keep trying to find out what's happening but I don't really know at the moment.
0:49:31 > 0:49:33I've just been given some gloves. She's so hot.
0:49:33 > 0:49:36Have we got another cloth and I'll sponge her as well?
0:49:36 > 0:49:38She's developed a high fever.
0:49:47 > 0:49:50She still has the dead foetus inside her.
0:49:50 > 0:49:52Two attempts at inducing it have failed.
0:49:54 > 0:49:57But now, at least, they've finally got hold of some antibiotics.
0:50:05 > 0:50:09Can we have some fresh water so we can keep sponging her? She's so hot.
0:50:22 > 0:50:26No more can be done now except pray for Hannah to live long enough
0:50:26 > 0:50:28for the antibiotics to take effect.
0:50:29 > 0:50:31I can't quite put into words how I feel.
0:50:31 > 0:50:33I know I felt like crying at one point.
0:50:33 > 0:50:35I don't know if I come in tomorrow,
0:50:35 > 0:50:37I don't know if Hannah's going to be alive or not.
0:50:37 > 0:50:40I hope she is, but I don't know what they're going to do to make her
0:50:40 > 0:50:43better cos they're giving her pretty much every single antibiotic
0:50:43 > 0:50:46that they've got and every other treatment they've got going.
0:50:46 > 0:50:47But I also have to say,
0:50:47 > 0:50:51if she dies at least she's not suffering any more.
0:50:56 > 0:51:00Not long after, Hannah loses her fight for life.
0:51:09 > 0:51:11The tragedy has brought home
0:51:11 > 0:51:15what a harsh world Lucy and the other midwives work in.
0:51:15 > 0:51:19Where the medicines they need to save lives are hard to come by
0:51:19 > 0:51:24and the traditional remedies people turn to can do more harm than good.
0:51:45 > 0:51:47We don't have all the struggles that you have,
0:51:47 > 0:51:50and it's very hard to see...
0:52:05 > 0:52:07I've never watched anybody die.
0:52:07 > 0:52:10It was like she was almost dying in front of my eyes,
0:52:10 > 0:52:13is the best way I can describe it. You just feel so helpless,
0:52:13 > 0:52:16don't know what to do, don't know what to say,
0:52:16 > 0:52:19but she must have been in an awful lot of pain.
0:52:19 > 0:52:21THUNDER RUMBLES
0:52:26 > 0:52:28It's Suzanne's final day,
0:52:28 > 0:52:31so she's cooking Lucy an English breakfast of scrambled eggs
0:52:31 > 0:52:33as a thank you for her stay.
0:52:33 > 0:52:37They normally fry them, if they're going to do eggs,
0:52:37 > 0:52:40but I did suggest that we do some scrambled egg
0:52:40 > 0:52:44because of the amount of oil that I seem to be consuming.
0:52:49 > 0:52:52You can be honest, you tell me what you think.
0:52:52 > 0:52:55Wonderful. It's wonderful.
0:53:05 > 0:53:08- Hello, good morning.- Good morning.
0:53:08 > 0:53:10On her final shift in the maternity unit,
0:53:10 > 0:53:13Suzanne's decided to show the other midwives
0:53:13 > 0:53:16how she conducts a birth at home.
0:53:16 > 0:53:20Slow...
0:53:20 > 0:53:23She wants to demonstrate how labour doesn't need to be rushed
0:53:23 > 0:53:25to deliver the baby safely.
0:53:25 > 0:53:30Her name's Corpo, she's 18, it's her first pregnancy,
0:53:30 > 0:53:32she came in in labour overnight.
0:53:34 > 0:53:35I know, I know.
0:53:35 > 0:53:38At this stage, the midwife would normally take Corpo
0:53:38 > 0:53:41into the delivery room to encourage a quick birth.
0:53:43 > 0:53:45OK. So you, OK.
0:53:46 > 0:53:50OK, all right then, well, I would wait and see.
0:53:50 > 0:53:54Things are progressing. And I'd leave her alone for now.
0:53:54 > 0:53:56And that's my way of doing things.
0:54:00 > 0:54:03Yeah, well we would just watch and wait, OK.
0:54:03 > 0:54:06It's all right, it's all right. Slow, Corpo, Corpo.
0:54:11 > 0:54:13All right, all right.
0:54:14 > 0:54:16That's it, it's OK, it's OK...
0:54:18 > 0:54:19All right, darling.
0:54:29 > 0:54:31CORPO MOANS
0:54:34 > 0:54:35It's all right.
0:54:42 > 0:54:44She's going slowly, OK.
0:54:45 > 0:54:47And it's OK of the leave it a couple of minutes,
0:54:47 > 0:54:50she'll feel movement, then she'll get a contraction
0:54:50 > 0:54:52and then we deliver the baby.
0:54:53 > 0:54:56Oh, happy birthday! Hello, baby! Well done.
0:55:01 > 0:55:05And we put our babies next to mums, OK, like that.
0:55:06 > 0:55:08So they get to stay nice and warm.
0:55:10 > 0:55:12Thank you.
0:55:18 > 0:55:21That was nice, nice they actually stood back and let me do,
0:55:21 > 0:55:23conduct a delivery how I wanted,
0:55:23 > 0:55:24so all's good, really.
0:55:24 > 0:55:29Got a nice happy mum and nice safe baby, nice well baby.
0:55:29 > 0:55:32Well, I think if you wanted to change the way of working here
0:55:32 > 0:55:34to something different, you have to compromise,
0:55:34 > 0:55:36that's the only way to do it here, I think,
0:55:36 > 0:55:40is just to do little things and explain why you do little things.
0:55:40 > 0:55:43You can't just go all guns blazing and do a great big change,
0:55:43 > 0:55:47it doesn't work that way because people won't be accepting of it.
0:55:50 > 0:55:52In her two week stay at Redemption Hospital,
0:55:52 > 0:55:56Suzanne's come to realise how much dedication is needed
0:55:56 > 0:55:58just to get through each day.
0:55:58 > 0:56:01Every midwife is passionate about what she does.
0:56:01 > 0:56:04These midwives here, who have nothing, get paid a pittance
0:56:04 > 0:56:10and just do it for the absolute love and the passion of the job.
0:56:10 > 0:56:12And it really restores your faith.
0:56:12 > 0:56:14I'm never going to forget this experience.
0:56:17 > 0:56:18Ta-da!
0:56:41 > 0:56:45Oh, thank you for having me in the hospital,
0:56:45 > 0:56:48and also thank you for having me in your home, it's been lovely.
0:56:48 > 0:56:51- I won't forget you. - Wish you happy back.- Yes.
0:56:52 > 0:56:54I've encountered so much and I've seen so much
0:56:54 > 0:56:56and taken on board so much of this country
0:56:56 > 0:57:00and I hope that the reason for me coming here
0:57:00 > 0:57:02is to make me a better person
0:57:02 > 0:57:04and to make me fulfil some sort of potential that I've got
0:57:04 > 0:57:06in every aspect of my life.
0:57:15 > 0:57:19Six weeks later, Suzanne's back at work in Sutton Coldfield.
0:57:19 > 0:57:22But her experience in Liberia is still raw.
0:57:24 > 0:57:27Real mixed feelings when I got back, real mixed feelings.
0:57:27 > 0:57:29All the time you're thinking we're very privileged,
0:57:29 > 0:57:32and then on the other hand you're thinking
0:57:32 > 0:57:35and there's people that don't have access to this.
0:57:35 > 0:57:38So there's a tinge of resentment, you know,
0:57:38 > 0:57:42when you've got a woman who is demanding an epidural, say,
0:57:42 > 0:57:46there's some women that don't even have access to paracetamol, really.
0:57:46 > 0:57:48It made me look, then, at birth in a different light
0:57:48 > 0:57:52and think that we're very incredibly privileged in this country.
0:57:52 > 0:57:55Looking at birth in Liberia,
0:57:55 > 0:57:57it's natural birth in a completely different way.
0:57:57 > 0:58:00It's because there is nothing else, there is no technology.
0:58:00 > 0:58:04I think it's given me a lot more passion for midwifery again
0:58:04 > 0:58:10and to really give women the best experience that they can do,
0:58:10 > 0:58:13knowing that it does make such a difference.
0:58:18 > 0:58:20Women in Liberia are very strong.
0:58:21 > 0:58:23All wanted to achieve,
0:58:23 > 0:58:25all wanted to do the best they could do
0:58:25 > 0:58:27for themselves and for their families.
0:58:27 > 0:58:32They are the backbone, really, to everything, from the President down.
0:58:32 > 0:58:35So it's nice, nice in terms of being a woman that, you know,
0:58:35 > 0:58:38there is a little country somewhere that hasn't got a lot,
0:58:38 > 0:58:42but there's certainly women fighting to get things better.
0:59:12 > 0:59:15Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:59:15 > 0:59:18E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk