Call the Midwife season 14 has reunited us with all our Nonnatus House favorites as we arrive in 1070s Poplar for more twists, turns and, of course, expectant mothers and babies!
The Call the Midwife Christmas specials 2024 kickstarted the new series in style with Trixie returning from New York, Reggie going missing and panic for Nonnatus House as the building's future was thrown into jeopardy. Now we have reached the spring of 1970 and we have a new midwife arriving at Nonnatus House.
Here is everything that happened in Call the Midwife season 14 episode 4...
The fourth episode opens with Nonnatus House getting ready for the arrival of Sister Catherine, who is joining the team the following day. As her room is prepared, Fred calls that there is someone at the door, and it is Sister Catherine, who has arrived a day early.
While Doctor Turner is faffing about with his family's washing at the surgery, explaining to Miss Higgins that their washer is broken and Shelagh is going to collect it and take it to the laundrette, Miss Higgins points out they haven't had a very positive response to their Measles vaccination clinic invitation.
Meanwhile, still at the surgery, Peggy Rigley arrives, a 46-year-old mother of 7 who thinks she is pregnant again. She asks Doctor Turner for his help to get an abortion, and he tells her that although it is now legal, it needs to be signed off by more than one doctor. Doctor Turner refers Peggy to Mr Wilkins at St Cuthbert's and suggests that she also thinks about sterilisation so that she doesn't conceive again.
At the launderette, Shelagh asks Mrs Wallace for a service wash while a single mother, Jill, does her own washing with her son, Andrew.
Andrew, who is in a wheelchair, catches his hands in one of the washing machine doors so Shelagh helps dress the wound and talks to Jill about Andrew's seizures. Jill explains they were caused by him contracting measles at the age of 2 which resulted in brain damage, but it has only made her love him more, even though his condition made her husband walk out on them both.
Peggy comes to the mother and baby clinic with her eldest daughter, Gail, who is pregnant and has high blood pressure. Nurse Crane reassures her there is no sign of pre-eclampsia yet, but that she needs to rest, and with her son-in-law away, Peggy asks Gail to move back home with the rest of the family until the baby is born. As Peggy rushes around at home cooking dinner and organising things for her family, none of them have a clue that she is pregnant.
Shelagh is worried about Andrew and Jill and asks Sister Veronica to look into why the council took away his place at a special school. While Sister Veronica visits the council and tries to get answers, Shelagh visits Jill, who is under huge pressure and tells Shelagh that she feels completly alone.
Meanwhile, at Peggy's house, she gets home and is bleeding. Luckily Nurse Crane is there visiting Gail and she takes her to the bathroom and confirms she is sadly having a miscarriage. Doctor Turner arrives and tells Peggy that she is going to have to go straight to the hospital for a D and C as there is more blood than usual.
At the hospital, the doctor, Mr Wilkins, talks to Peggy about having a sterilisation at the same time as the D and C procedure and she agrees that it is for the best, and so goes Gail. As the operation goes ahead, things take a worrying turn when Peggy starts to turn blue, and it is only when her husband, Jimmy, turns up at the hospital that Mr Wilkins breaks the news to him and Gail that Peggy has died due to complications in the operating theatre, leaving them both devastated.
As Gail and her father blame one another for Peggy's sudden death, Sister Catherine and Nurse Crane look after the family, making sure they have everything they might need. Later, Nurse Crane is worried about Gail's blood pressure and takes her to the maternity home for rest, while Sister Catherine looks after Peggy's children until Jimmy comes home, and he is grateful for the help.
Elsewhere, Violet is surprised that the council have taken Andrew's place at the specialist school away, as she was under the impression he would still be funded for the place and transport to get him there.
When Jill sees Miss Higgins' poster advertising the measles vaccination campaign, she asks her for spare leaflets and heads to the local school, where she tells other mums that they have a chance that she and Andrew never had and should get their child vaccinated against measles. Soon the sign-up sheet is filling up, and it is all thanks to Jill. After a slight delay with the vaccines being delivered, Doctor Turner saves the day by collecting them himself and soon the clinic is underway.
Gail goes into labour and she's scared to deliver her baby without her mum by her side, despite the fact Sister Catherine and Nurse Crane are there to help her. In the end, Nurse Crane asks Gail's father to come into the delivery room to be with her, it isn't usual for men to be in the delivery room, but Nurse Crane thinks it will help Gail if she has a familiar face with her. With her father by her side, Gail delivers a healthy baby girl and soon the family gathers around her, eager to meet the new arrival.
There is also good news for Jill, because not only has Violet managed to pull some strings at the council and get Andrew a place at the local specialist school at the start of the new term, but Shelagh has also managed to get him a space at Cubs with Miss Higgins and Nurse Crane. He is the picture of happiness as other children surround him, while Jill gets a break and spends her free time with the other mums, feeling like she finally fits in once again.
At the end of the episode, we see Sister Catherine finally finding her place at Nonnatus House, putting her studying aside for a moment while she shows everyone her origami skills. It seems a chat that she had with Sister Monia Joan earlier that day about why she became a nun has reassured her she is doing the right thing - could this be the start of a long and happy life in Poplar?
In the UK Call the Midwife season 14 airs on Sundays on BBC One at 8pm. In the US the series will start in March 2025 on PBS.
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