MATERNAL ITV MON 9pm. TV PACE. NO SPOILERS

[Blondeshavemorefun]

One of the recent shows in the slate of new dramas is also Maternal, a six-part medical drama that centres on three women who are not only juggling their lives as new mothers, but also the post-pandemic world of frontline medicine.

We follow Maryam, a paediatric registrar, Catherine, a general and trauma Surgeon, and Helen, a registrar in acute medicine, who are played by Parminder Nagra (DI Ray), Lara Pulver (The Split) and Lisa McGrillis (King Gary) respectively. It's a stellar cast with an important plot line.

Maternal tells the stories of the three leading doctors as they each attempt to balance their increasingly demanding jobs in post-pandemic frontline medicine with their lives as new mothers. It's a series concerned with motherhood, as much as it is about the NHS and the intense demands of working in it.

According to the synopsis: "Maternal explores working motherhood with wit, warmth and humour and offers a unique perspective on our beloved, overstretched NHS, and the people who hold it together. Sometimes."

I have caved. I am binging.🙂

Where did you get that from? I think I missed it.

When they spoke to the adoption advisor.

Maybe they’d decided to adopt because they had struggled to conceive and then she got pregnant soon after they brought the first baby home?

Catherine knew Lars was married, he talked about his wife. Don’t they have children as well?

I’m finding Helen the most interesting at the moment; the spiky career-focused shagger and the “panicky doctor facing a malpractice case” are a little cliched.

I'm really enjoying this. I didn't pick up on only one of the children being adopted? It's very stressful just watching the episodes though - I wouldn't want that life!

I missed that about adoption

So adopted the now 3yr as a baby

Was about to go back to work /got preg so had 2yrs off in all

And now have a chance of 3rd chicken
So will be 3 under 4 when born

Just getting their life back and van now offer of a girl hence she's tempted

Finished! Really enjoyed the series. No spoilers except to say I have Helen’s jumper in episode 6, except mine is lilac. TKMaxx bargain.

I missed the start last night, the surgeon who has the baby girl with the married guy....are him and his wife now taking the baby to live with them... just like that? did she agree with that? also is his wife cool with the fact he had a fling and there is now a baby in the mix....thanks 🙂

Just seen the first one.

Thanks for the recommendation Blondes!

Hate Catherine-love her mum!

So the guy in the cupboard with Catherine thought that he might be the dad?

All these medical staff that haven't heard of/don't use contraception!

Yes. He may still Be the dad

I didn't think she knew lars was married

So she was actually seeing cupboard guy & it didn't occur to her that he might be the father??!!

Scary!

@Blondeshavemorefun - "Baby looks too pale to be Lars"

I'm about Lars colour, I'm Indian origin with black hair, my husband is white, dark hair and tho he is white he's not pale, like red haired skin tone people, and our kids are olive coloured with brown hair - it is possible to be pale with a dark ethnic person. Usually they make mixed race children (other than black mixed race children) more ethnic looking or just ethnic looking, my children don't look Indian they look Mediterranean despite me being dark like Lars !

"it is possible to be pale with a dark ethnic person" - I meant "parent" not person

Sorry didn't mean to offend by what I wrote 💐

Thanks blonde I wasn't offended xxx

I think there is deliberately supposed to be that ambiguity about baby Elis's father isn't there? From the look on the surgeon's face, there is the possibility that either could be the father.

I didn’t think there was ambiguity regarding the father, only from his point of view where he thought he might have been but Catherine was hugely pissed off when she realised he thought that but then hasn’t bothered to get in touch to find out.

@ilovebrie8 no they didn’t take the baby to live with them, they just had her for the day. They did mention getting her another passport so she could visit them though.

I think they have children already.

So I watched back on the first episode to see exactly what Mariam said regarding microbiology and she said, to the parents, “WE are going to call microbiology” she then didn’t instruct the doctor to make the call nor state that she would make the call

So I watched back on the first episode to see exactly what Mariam said regarding microbiology and she said, to the parents, “WE are going to call microbiology” she then didn’t instruct the doctor to make the call nor state that she would make the call

Can any medics around tell us - in that situation, is the junior supposed to be making a note of everything the senior is saying and taking it as an instruction where it involve a statement to a patient that something is going to be done?

I thought Maz meant that she was going to call microbiology herself and hadn't issued an instruction. My DH was sure she had asked the junior doctor to do it.

For a new patient being brought in who the F1 had done the initial work up on it would usually be the F1 doing the subsequent jobs like ringing micro, as the registrar is busy doing other stuff like attending labour ward. So I'd expect them to be listening and write it all down. However as they'd never worked together before if I was the reg I'd probably clarify the plan with the F1 (can't remember if Maryam was called away straight away though).

They have clearly taken inspiration from the Bawa-Garba case for this scenario - complex patient with sepsis, doctor just back from maternity leave and put on call straight away... However consultant was not unavailable and the computers all seemed to be working.

It's deffo drama Dr ing not actual Dr ing but I'm enjoying it. Samples are sent to see which antibiotics would be best. results typically take 48 hrs to grow report though early info is reported by the lab.

Antibiotics would be started in the meantime.

So I'd expect them to be listening and write it all down. However as they'd never worked together before if I was the reg I'd probably clarify the plan with the F1 (can't remember if Maryam was called away straight away though).

She was issuing a list of instructions wasn't she when she then said "we..." so you'd think that it was common sense that that was included in what he had to do.
He had already not done half hourly obs though & she said to him "I told you to do it".
So it seems to be her not being clear enough for him doesn't it?

Yes. Can we means will you

The royal we !!!

So both their fault

She should have clarified she meant him

He should have said shall I do that or you

I got the impression lars and wife wanted baby to stay with them while she struggled with long hours

Dna - I'm hedging bets it will be other doctors baby's and then has to work with him

Where as lars is diff country and married

Well in this context I agree.

I think it's slightly skewed though by him already having not done the obs & not thought to mention the uti.

So perhaps needs directly telling.

He shouldn't but isn't the onus on her to do this?

The buck stops with her doesn't it?

Will be interesting to see how it plays out.

There's the chance of the baby girl, things are already shit at work...