British actress and radio personality Gemma Atkinson became a mom for the first time this summer. The 34-year-old welcomed daughter Mia Louise with boyfriend Gorka Márquez in July. The new mom has been sharing some peeks at her adventures with her little girl. Like any new mom, she's also been hearing all of the unsolicited opinions of others. One comment about C-sections stuck with her so much, she decided to speak on it.
Although she planned to give birth naturally, it became necessary for Gemma to have a C-section. As Gemma detailed in an Instagram post about her birthing experience, Mia's heart rate began dropping after Gemma was induced, which is why doctors made the call to deliver by C-section.
In a later post, Gemma revealed that someone joked with her that a C-section was the "easy" way to give birth, which led to feelings of self-doubt that she'd gone about things the wrong way. Gemma was so affected by the comment that she decided to speak on why she doesn't agree with it.
British actress and radio personality Gemma Atkinson gave birth to a beautiful baby girl this summer. The 34-year-old and her boyfriend, Gorka Márquez, welcomed their first child, Mia Louise, in July.
The couple is so in love with their little girl, but Gemma recently revealed that Mia's journey into the world wasn't an easy one. She shared a picture of them in the hospital the day after Mia was born with an explanation of what happened.
"Mia was a tiny baby, 4lb 10. With that in mind the midwife was concerned she wouldn’t be strong enough to open my cervix," Gemma explained. "My water broke on a Tues & we gave her the benefit of the doubt but by the Wednesday evening despite her being in the perfect place & so low down, she still hadn’t managed it."
They decided to induce Gemma, but that made things more complicated: "With every contraction her heart rate dropped. On the 3rd one midwife Katie who was taking care of me at the time pressed the panic alarm & within 15 mins I was rushed out, prepped & delivered Mia via an emergency C section."
Gemma also revealed what kept her calm during the whole ordeal. "It wasn’t what I’d planned but thanks to my hypnobirthing despite the madness & panic, I was able to calmly keep my breathing technique & accept whatever is best for Mia just do it!"
Unfortunately, Gemma encountered a medical emergency of her own. "2hrs later I was alone with Gorks & Mia blissfully happy in a ward when I suddenly felt extremely unwell. Gorka got a doctor and she took 1 look at me & again pressed the panic button," she recalled.
"I was having a hemorrhage. A big one & I lost a lot of blood. I don’t remember much other than having around 9 doctors in the room, some injecting me, hooking me to drips, physically pulling clots out of me & one comforting Gorks who was beside himself in the corner," Gemma detailed.
"I woke in another room with Gorks & my family there, Mia sleeping soundly & a lovely midwife named Di who was checking my notes. The trauma was over & thanks to our NHS & incredible hospital staff we were ok," Gemma explained. "I’m fully aware for some people it’s a different outcome & I feel incredibly lucky that me & Mia are healthy & healed."
After Gemma's difficult birthing experience, you can understand why she was thrown way off when someone made a joke to her about C-sections being the "easy way" of giving birth. She took to Instagram to share her thoughts on the matter.
"A lady recently joked with me that id had the easy option when it came to having Mia as I didn’t experience 'proper labour,'" she began. "She wasn’t being nasty, she said it in jest and she was actually really lovely, but it did get me thinking when I got home."
"Had I failed? Had I not done it 'properly'? After a good chat with myself, I came to the conclusion that the only 'proper' way to have a baby is the way that’s safest for you and your baby," Gemma proclaimed.
Gemma realized the truth of the matter. "There is nothing easy about having a section. There is nothing easy about a vaginal delivery. They are both tiring, scary, emotionally draining and each have their own recovery process both mentally & physically," she wrote.
She also offered a note of encouragement for other moms. "However you brought your baby into the world was right for you and your baby at that time and that’s what matters. To any mums who like me, had to have a section and are feeling a little odd about it (which is normal) the above is for you ❤️," she concluded.
New moms will always have questions and doubts, so it's wonderful to see Gemma addressing this publicly. She's letting fans know that she's no different while also providing some insight into the situation. She's sounding like a great mom already.
