There could be a turbulent path ahead for Call the Midwife favourite Sister Veronica (Rebecca Gethings), as she appears set on becoming a mother.
This would mean huge upheaval for a woman who has made vows of poverty, chastity and obedience, and is essentially married to god.
(Image credit: BBC / Neal Street Productions / Olly Courtney)
Does Sister Veronica have a baby in Call the Midwife?
Presently, it appears Sister Veronica has made up her mind that she will be having a child, whatever the consequences.
The series looks set to follow her journey as she tries to make this dream a reality. Her friendship with Trixie’s brother Geoffrey (Christopher Harper) is blossoming, and she clearly sees him as a confidante.
Meeting him on a park bench for a secret conversation, Sister Veronica says, “The thing people don’t understand about the life I chose, is that so much is silence.”
“It isn’t about when we can’t speak, it’s about what we can’t say – what we can never name, because that might expose us.” Here, the nun is referring to not having the freedom to voice her desires, because she isn’t supposed to have any in her commitment to working for god.
Adding that she can no longer “silence the howling” of her growing need for motherhood, Sister Veronica continues, “I want a child. I want a child of my own, to hold in my arms and keep safe and cherish, always.”
With conviction, she concludes, “I want a child before it becomes impossible.”
She also asks her friend to call her “Beryl,” the name she left behind when she joined the order – another sign she has already internally set the wheels in motion to become her old self again and eschew “Veronica.”
(Image credit: BBC / Neal Street Productions / Olly Courtney)
By saying she wants a child before it’s “impossible,” it can be assumed Sister Veronica is talking about becoming too old to become pregnant.
It can also be supposed from this statement that she would like a biological child – there’s less of a time limit if she were considering adopting, and she could be older and do this.
We aren’t sure how old she is, but it’s thought she’s in her early 40s, in which case she would need to start on her path to motherhood fairly quickly.
However, there isn’t just age to consider. Sister Veronica could still have some fairly old-fashioned values. Even if she leaves The Order, she will remain religious, as those convictions are unlikely to disappear with the name “Veronica.”
It would be very difficult for a woman like her to be an unmarried mother, even in a time where the stigma surrounding this has dramatically reduced.
Time really isn’t on her side if she hopes to look for a potential husband to be a father to her child.
On the other hand, she could be so set on this path to motherhood that she can push aside caring about what society thinks of her if she does do this alone.
It did appear for a moment that she might ask Geoffrey to “help” her out, a theory we aren’t ready to let go of just yet.
Sister Veronica is a strong woman, but she will need to pull every ounce of strength she has, to knock down the potential obstacles that could prevent her fulfilling her motherhood dream.
Call the Midwife airs every Sunday at 8pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
