We’re loving the new series of BBC’s Call the Midwife.
Actress Laura Main, who plays Shelagh Turner on the show, chats to us about the latest season and what it’s like to work with babies.
Laura, 35, who is single and lives in London, shared her experiences with us:
Working with so many babies on Call the Midwife does make me broody.
I hope I’ll have children of my own at some point, but you never know what the future holds, do you? There’s a lot of pressure on women to try to do it all, but fortunately I think society’s ‘rules’ are loosening up a bit.
One of my friends recently said, ‘There’s a lot you can do by not having kids’ – and it’s nice to know that the alternative is accepted as well.
Call the Midwife star Laura Main. Source: Getty Images
If you’ve started watching the new series of Call the Midwife, you’ll know that my character, Shelagh, is pregnant – and it’s a bit of a shock!
Having previously discovered she couldn’t conceive (she had TB in series two), she decided to adopt and she’s now a stepmom, too, so trying to fall pregnant wasn’t on her agenda.
I was dying to share the storyline with my mom and sisters, but didn’t want to spoil it for them – so, instead, I spent a lot of time talking to the female members of the cast, picking their brains about the various stages of pregnancy.
I feel incredibly lucky to have two nephews and a niece (aged four to seven), and I have to admit, the joy is not having to set the rules.
Even though we don’t live down the road from each other, we have a strong bond and when I visit them, I even find myself doing the school run! I love going out cycling and walking with them.
But now they’re at that age where they’re the ones coming up with the ideas of what to do – and I just go along with it.
One thing I’ve realised about romantic relationships is that it’s important not to lose yourself in them.
I’m single at the moment and I’m enjoying rediscovering what I like to do with my time and how I want to spend it.
But the reality is that, actually, if you keep doing the things you love when you’re in a relationship and make sure you take time for yourself, too, everyone benefits from it.
One of my mantras is to say yes more often than not.
Even if you’re not sure about something, what’s the harm in giving it a try?
I’ve just said yes to running a marathon for charity, and having never been a runner, I’ve got a lot of work to do! And my next challenge? I’d love to do Strictly Come Dancing. I actually think twice about going out when it’s on.
I don’t worry about how I look at all times because fortunately no one recognises me, but I do swear by having a decent facial.
I trek all the way across London to have an Environ facial (using natural vitamins to repair the skin) and it’s brilliant. We have a bit of a chinwag for the first half hour, then I just completely zone out.
There are lots of other things I should do like get to bed earlier, drink more water and eat fewer roast potatoes – but, I think the word ‘should’ says it all!
I don’t know what’s next for me, but I want to spend more time nurturing my friendships.
I don’t know about you, but I find it pretty overwhelming keeping on top of it all – there’s the WhatsApp group with all the Call the Midwife girls, then there’s the SMSs, e-mails, and Facebook messages between all my old school friends.
They’re the champions in my life though – and we could all use more of those.
Call the Midwife airs every Sunday at 8pm BBC First, DStv channel 119.
