Photo of baby Warren in Call the Midwife
TV

Call The Midwife viewers in tears as newborn baby dies from heart defect

One of the most emotive episodes so far

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Fans of Call The Midwife were reduced to tears during last night’s heartbreaking episode, which centred on a poorly newborn baby.

In Sunday’s (February 9 2020) instalment, expectant mother Maureen, cousin of nurse Valerie Dyer (Jennifer Kirby), gave birth to a bay boy called Warren.

But it quickly became clear that something wasn’t right. When Doctor Turner examined him, he said: “Mrs Bryant, I don’t want to alarm you, but I would like Warren to be admitted to hospital for examination… I’d like them to look at a couple of things. There’s a cloudiness in his eyes, which could mean that his vision is less than perfect.”

Dr Turner in Call the Midwife
Dr Turner was concerned about baby Warren (Credit: BBC)

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He also pointed out a bluish colour around the tot’s mouth and on his fingertips and toes.

“I’m afraid it may signify some sort of problem with Warren’s heart,” Dr Turner said.

Warren was whisked to hospital and lay in an incubator while the nurses tried to figure out why he was ill, since previous checks had shown no problems.

Baby Warren in Call the Midwife
The nurses discovered the cause of Warren’s heart problem (Credit: BBC)

Nurse Trixie Franklin (Helen George) said, puzzled: “[Maureen’s] hardly been to the doctor all year.”

Valerie recalled: “Well, I saw her there… but I think it was the kids poorly, not her. Yes, that’s right. She was worried that they’d got diphtheria, but it turned out… it turned out to be German measles.”

“Rubella?” said nurse Lucille Anderson (Leonie Elliott), gravely.

Later in the episode, Mauren slept with Warren in the cot at her bedside, and when she felt for his hand, she gasped as she realised the little one had passed away.

A mother holding her baby's hand in Call The Midwife
The little one didn’t make it (Credit: BBC)

At the end, during a garden competition, Sister Monica Joan created a ‘flower garden’ of babies, beaming as she called them the “Flowers of St Raymond”.

And Lucille made sure Warren was remembered, pinning his photograph to a put of flowers.

Reacting to the heartbreaking scenes on Twitter, one viewer said: “This is one of the best shows, yet one of the saddest shows. That poor family losing their baby. And The Turners. My heart goes out to them.”

There were tears… lots of tears.

Another wrote: “I thought it had been awhile since a baby died in the show and we were due a real tragic case. My god, what an emotional episode, most I’ve cried during the show this series. #callthemidwife.”

A third said: “Another beautiful episode. #callthemidwife There were tears… lots of tears. Thinking of our angel baby and all the parents who have sadly experienced the loss of a child.”

Someone else tweeted: “Thank you @CallTheMidwife1 for your delicately-handled child loss story tonight, particularly for the last piece of narration comparing babies to flowers. Having lost a baby last November, it meant a lot. Thank you. @BBCOne #callthemidwife.”

https://twitter.com/Angiey2020/status/1226676799356252160

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A fifth wrote: “#Callthemidwife what a tearjerker but lovingly done. And Sister Monica Joan at the end with her garden of babies that just finished me off. Call The Midwife thank you for making Sunday evenings great and please don’t ever end.”

“#CallTheMidwife had my tear ducts working overtime tonight omg,” tweeted another, adding: “Heartbreaking.”

Another heartbroken viewer said: “That was probably the most emotional I’ve been during an episode of #callthemidwife I’ve ever been – the story line of baby warren echoed Finley’s story so much my heart broke in a million pieces watching that tonight.”

“Could #callthemidwife be any more heartbreaking? #devastating,” someone else tweeted.

https://twitter.com/Lane1812/status/1226637859383336960

Call The Midwife continues on Sunday (February 16 2020) at 8pm on BBC One

What did you think of last night’s episode? Leave us a comment on our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix and let us know.


Nancy Brown
Associate Editor

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