Emmerdale spoilers: Ella comes to Dawn’s rescue as Bear gets weirdly creepy over breastfeeding
It was Ella Forster (Paula Lane)’s first day working at Emmerdale’s shiny new Brook Cottage Surgery in Monday (February 12)’s episode, and before work she popped in to the Woolpack for a spot of refreshment.
Dawn Taylor (Olivia Bromley) also came in to the pub, looking for a place to breastfeed her baby son, Evan.
Evan is only a few weeks old, having been born in December. Unlike most soap births, Evan’s arrival into the world was very calm and uneventful. Dawn went into labour at the Christmas fair, refusing to leave until daughter Clemmie (Mabel Addison) had sung her solo and keeping the pain at bay by crushing Aaron Dingle (Danny Miller)’s hand.
Back at home the baby was born in a water birthing pool with dad Billy (Jay Kontzle) proudly at Dawn’s side. She decided to name the little boy Evan after Billy’s dad, in touching scenes.
‘At the moment, at the moment, everything’s great. I think it’s important to have a period of happiness and joy for the characters,’ Olivia Bromley told us at the time before adding the warning, ’It’s not going to last long, I don’t think.’
It certainly seemed in this episode that motherhood was taking its toll on Dawn as she appeared exhausted.
All she wanted was a quiet corner to sit and feed her baby. Bear Wolf (Joshua Richards), who was in charge of the bar, decided to get involved. He offered to let Dawn use the sitting room at the back for more privacy, but she said she was fine.
If it was privacy she was after, she wasn’t in luck at Bear loomed over her as she got ready, assuring the baby, ‘Don’t you worry, kiddo, milk’s coming!’
Dawn shot him a glance, hoping he’d get back to his duties behind the bar, but he seemed enthralled by what was going on.
‘He’s like a bull at a gate,’ was his next, cringe-inducing comment. ‘Don’t worry, he’ll get the hang of it.’
Ella decided all of this was a bit creepy and told him, ‘Show’s over.’
Bear insisted that he wasn’t being pervy. ‘I’m an advocate,’ he said, showcasing his knowledge by telling Dawn that ‘that latch doesn’t look right to me.’ He said he’d had his eyes open to the benefits of breastfeeding when his granddaughter was born.
‘They don’t have to be so open now, do they?’ Ella remarked, pointedly. Insulted, Bear finally took the hint, offered Dawn a glass of water and left her to it.
Even without Bear’s weird interventions, Dawn was worried about feeding Evan so Ella suggested she pop by the surgery to see Wendy (Susan Cookson). The nurse confirmed that the baby was fine and his feeding pattern was normal.
Dawn seems to have made a new friend in Ella, who listened as Dawn told her how hectic things were having to look after Evan and give attention to her other two children.
When she got back home, an exhausted Dawn was met by Will (Dean Andrews) and Billy, who were irritated that she was supposed to be making a cake with Lucas (Noah Ryan Aspinall). Neither of them had thought to get any tea ready for the kids either. Billy said he’d knock something up but a weary Dawn said she’d manage – and then Evan started to cry.
It’s clear that Dawn is struggling and the men in her life are being less supportive than they could be. Could we be heading towards a post-natal depression storyline for Dawn?