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THE ROTUNDA

The Rotunda Image Name: The Rotunda
The Rotunda - Prof Afif El Khuffash, consultant neonatologist Image Name: The Rotunda - Prof Afif El Khuffash, consultant neonatologist
The Rotunda - Michael Boyle, Consultant Neonatologist Image Name: The Rotunda - Michael Boyle, Consultant Neonatologist
The Rotunda - Michael Boyle, Consultant Neonatologist Image Name: The Rotunda - Michael Boyle, Consultant Neonatologist
The Rotunda - Michael Boyle, Consultant Neonatologist 1 Image Name: The Rotunda - Michael Boyle, Consultant Neonatologist 1
The Rotunda - Mark and Olivia with baby Cillian Image Name: The Rotunda - Mark and Olivia with baby Cillian
The Rotunda - Dr Kushal Chumman, consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist Image Name: The Rotunda - Dr Kushal Chumman, consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist

Elsewhere This week in the Rotunda, Dublin mother of two, Olivia attempts to go through childbirth drug-free while doctors in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit attempt to save the life of baby Michael, born at just 390 grams.

The Rotunda, Episode 2 of 6, RTÉ2, September 20th at 9.30pm

Mother of four Nikita gets used to the idea of a male midwife delivering her fifth child and Brazilian couple João and Marianna anxiously await the arrival of their first child together who appears to be in no hurry to join them!

Series Overview

Welcome to The Rotunda, the world’s longest running maternity hospital where close to one million Dubliners have been born and some 24 new babies are added to that number every day.

It’s a place of extreme highs and devastating lows. Agony and ecstasy, all happening second to second. Come behind closed doors with parents and staff as they meet in the most intimate of ways, experiencing moments that will change their lives and be remembered and retold for generations to come.

Over the course of 2018, Scratch Films and RTÉ followed the comings and goings of The Rotunda hospital in Dublin, 24 hours a day for a total of 21 days. It’s one of the most active maternity hospitals in all of Europe and the resulting series encapsulates a multitude of emotions that are part and parcel of the everyday life of this Irish institution. From the screams of childbirth and the resulting highs of a new born baby, to the devastating lows when a baby in the womb has a life threatening condition or ends up in NICU with a team fighting to save its life.

Throughout, however, it is the humanity of the staff that shines through as we meet couples and learn about their own story together and share with them their personal experiences of bringing new life into the world.