Lauren, who's 33, and Rachel, who's 36, have one daughter together, who was conceived by a donor and who Lauren carried. Rachel always wanted to be a genetic parent too, but after an egg-sharing process failed and she had a miscarriage, she accepted that she may never be a genetic parent, and now Lauren is carrying their second child, as they plan to become a family of four. Laura, who's 37, and Paul, who's 40, were friends for years, and then love blossomed. Between them they have nine children and now they have another one on the way.

Rose, who's 26, and Darren, who's 31, are expecting their first child together. But Rose had a stroke while she was pregnant and, during surgery, she lost sight in one eye. The medication she's on poses a risk to the baby, so they hope that all will go well when they arrive at the hospital for their planned C-section. Unplanned pregnancies are nothing new for Chynna and her partner Spencer, who are both 21.

After a string of failed relationships, Jess, who's 27, met perfect gentleman Leon, who's 33, on a bus. Leon's a drummer from a musical family, but doesn't yet have the rock 'n' roll lifestyle he dreams of. He has a teenage daughter from a previous relationship and it breaks his heart that he doesn't see her as often as he'd like, so he's looking forward to starting family life together with Jess. Sarah, who's 40, was desperate to become a mum, but couldn't find the right man to be a dad. Then 'fate' brought her and Tom, who's 29, together. The age gap didn't hold them back and the last five years have been a whirlwind.

Chantell, who's 34, had a troubled upbringing and never thought she'd find love or have a family of her own. Then she met Phil, who's 33, and everything changed. They've overcome all the challenges life has thrown at them and are looking forward to the birth of their third child together. Meanwhile, after turning to an old wives' tale, and some bicarbonate of soda, to discover the gender of their unborn baby, Emily, who's 20, and Nathan, who's 25, went for a scan and discovered that they were right, it was a boy.

After seven years trying and two failed rounds of IVF, 33-year-old Jo and 47-year-old Pat thought they would never have children, until a visit to a clairvoyant offered them hope. They arrive at Birmingham Women's Hospital to be induced, but discover that getting their baby out into the world is almost as troublesome as getting pregnant in the first place. April, who's 27, is having her third baby, with support from her little sister Chloe, who's 20. They fought like cat and dog when they shared a bedroom, but grew closer when April had children and Chloe stepped in to help. They hope that April's new baby and its siblings will have as close a bond as they now have.

Beth, who's 23, found love with 24-year-old David on a Harry Potter website. But he lived 6000 miles away in the US so they've only spent two weeks together. But now he's back in Birmingham for the birth of his baby daughter. Kathereen from Colombia, who's 28, and Birmingham-born Nick, who's 40, found love in an Irish pub in China. Now they're expecting baby number two. And, when Gavin met Carla 15 years ago she wasn't remotely interested in him, but two years later they met again and fell in love. They hope their new baby son will be their second miracle.

Sunny, who's 41, fell in love with 32-year-old Shay on the set of a Bollywood film but Shay's mother didn't approve of their relationship. Now, 14 years later, the couple are expecting their first child. And Ashley, who's 35, is determined to right the wrongs of his own childhood with a family of his own. He and Gemma, who's 30, are expecting their fourth child together.

Samantha, who's 25, was determined not to marry into the army, but when she met military man Tony, who's 29, love blossomed. Having had leukaemia as a child, Samantha struggled for years to conceive, and heartbreakingly the couple lost their first child at 25 weeks. They return to Birmingham Women's Hospital hoping to welcome their new baby in to the world, but, with Samantha's complicated medical history, the birth isn't without challenges. Meanwhile, 44-year-old Rav didn't plan to meet someone at work.