Call the Midwife.

[Toddlerteaplease]

Anyone watching? Dr smug unfortunately appears fully recovered from the train crash.

@PaperwhiteTheGhost I'm a nurse and was exactly the same! Just get on with it woman!!

They've already done a menopause story line with violet.

Lucille’s actress was onstage in Small Island during filming of series 12. Hopefully that’s the only reason and she’s coming back :)

Usually people who leave get a mention in one or maybe two episodes and then it’s like they never existed. The drama around Lucille’s will-she-won’t-she return makes me think she will, just because it’s so different to other departures.

If I recall rightly "modern" CPR was only developed in the early 60s so I guess it's quite feasible that not every HCP would have known about it by the time this series was set, and certainly not everyone would have been trained. Even over the course of my career resuscitation training has changed and been extended dramatically. I can believe that a midwife who trained when Trixie did would not have been taught it, and as was apparent in last week's Nurse Crane storyline, they didn't have to do CPD in the way we are now familiar with, so I think it's probably quite realistic.
What I thought* was totally *unrealistic this week however was the new nun giving contraceptive advice to a room full of men. There is no way that would have happened! She's obviously meant to be a moderniser, but that's a step to far and not remotely believable.

Yeah that's fair. I guess in those days if you dropped dead that was it!

Someone is going to die in the Turner family. He was talking to Sheilah about how they have all the family they need, or along those lines, she says she's happy about not being pregnant! Almost like they are setting it up for a tragedy

Nah, there isn’t any sophisticated continuity!
It’s like the story team said, “1968 - what’s next in medicine? Ventouse, right - last week. Vasectomy - oh, let’s do that. Who have we got that’s older and wouldn’t want more kids - oh yeah, Shelagh, that’ll be so clever when Dr Smug does the talk.”

Now the topic will sink.

I thought it was interesting that Dr Turner said the cardiac issue woman was too young for sterilisation, despite pregnancy possibly being fatal for her. Would have been interesting to hear more on that. My sister had her 5th child at 28 in the 2000s, and really had to fight to be taken seriously for a sterilisation.

Maybe Dr Mansplainer is moving onto another acting gig 🙏

I've realised what's really bugging me is Lucille apparently settling back in to life in Jamaica.

She is a deeply religious woman so her marriage vows would mean everything. Are we really meant to believe that she'd just give Cyril up?

Shame Doctor Turner wasn’t around, he could have given a lecture in between mouth to mouth.

Or better yet, it should have happened a few years ago so he could discover CPR

Yea I was confused about this too, going from wanting to have a baby with him to just abandoning him. Her family also seem quite traditional so surprised they “allowed” it

I'm reminded about the other thing that really pissed me off last night. When they did the contraception talk, Dr Turner said he hoped vasectomy was going to be licensed soon, or words to that effect. So presumably it wasn't actually available yet. Why was he doing a talk all about a procedure that hadn't been approved yet?

Yeah I thought that, irs not remotely believable, her family would be telling her to go home to her husband!!

Unless there's something about Cyril we don't know, maybe he's terrible in bed 😉

Cyril's smile would light a room, I love him!
Totally agree, the nun eagerly explaining contraception to a room of men was just ridiculous.

@Testina I was confused as well. As one minute he told her she must never get pregnant again. But the next, that she was too young to be sterilised.

Also agree about Lucille's marriage vows being sacred to her.

His religious mother might have seen some of his rantings about demons as godly and seen it as a good thing. It might have helped if we'd seen a bit more of that before he started blaming the baby.

Now I think of it, I seem to remember Sheila doing CPR on the docker who got caught on the explosion, so it was definitely a thing and Trixie really should have known about it.

@PinkFrogss and @Girliefriendlikespuppies yes exactly! Her whole characterisation shows her to be deeply religious and very "proper"- to the extent she won't wear or do certain thing as they dont feel right to her. We also get the impression that this is how she was brought up so I can't see either her or her family just forgetting she is married!

Also on a relationship level, what an absolutely shitty thing to do- extending her trip by at least 6 months and not having the decency to book a phonecall to tell Cyril! So out of character for someone with such high moral standards.

And going back to work. When she was too unwell to work in England!

I think Lucille will come back at the end of the series. Heavily pregnant! Was told not safe to fly so made up a story so as not to worry husband.

Just a guess

This really annoyed me too!

Dr Oneface: OK guys, it's time to take responsibility for fertility! Hopefully in a few years' time we can do something. In the meantime, here's an expensive poster with some synonyms for condoms.

No wonder the NHS is on its knees with that sort of resource management. 😂

And nobody called them condoms then.

I think if I was Lucille I would feel much better working in the warmth of the Caribbean rather than Poplar!!!

With regards to the menopause mentioning - was that really talked about in the 1960s? My mum said that my gran never mentioned it and would certainly not have discussed periods or lack of them with grandad and they were a forward thinking couple! I always imagined Mrs Turner would be quite prim and proper and the statement 'my monthlies have arrived' would be more than enough never mind describing them being heavy and/or painful.

Exactly. CPR only came in just after the 2nd war.