C-section scar makes me smile
ACTRESS ON GIVING BIRTH: ‘I’D GO THROUGH IT ALL AGAIN IN A HEARTBEAT’
GEMMA Atkinson has made a brutally honest admission about her C-section star that initially left her ‘saddened.’
The Bury actress gave birth to her first child, Mia Louise Marquez, with Strictly Come Dancing star partner Gorka Marquez back in July.
Gemma opened up on the dramatic birth earlier this year which left her needing an emergency cesarean when Mia’s heart rate dropped after every contraction.
Hours after Mia’s arrival, attentions quickly turned to the new mum as she began to haemorrhage. Gemma praised the ‘incredible’ NHS staff at the Royal Bolton Hospital who saved her after the ordeal-filled childbirth. Now, the 35-year-old has opened up on her scar by sharing an adorable candid snap to Instagram of her and baby daughter, admitting she struggled at first but has now realised she’d ‘go through it all again in a heartbeat.’ Writing to her 1.3m followers, Gemma said: “This morning I stood and examined my C section scar. A neat 8cm scar on my lower abdomen.
“When I was told a section was our only option and that panic button was pressed my only thought was about Mia and her safety.
“It was only at home afterwards when I felt the numbness, saw the swelling, stitches and bruising that saddened, I thought ‘what a mess my tummy is.’
“Throw in walking like a T. rex, being unable to even sit up from bed unassisted & a load of new parent hormones I felt anything but myself. I was a new mum, yet I still had to be mothered myself.”
The ex-Emmerdale star then added what turned her sadness around.
“Now, 22 wks later seeing Mia thrive and play and respond to her name and smile away all the time makes me realise I’d go through it all again in a heartbeat. Mentally strong again and physically back to my training I feel Amazing!
“Because of my scar I have a constant reminder of the day she was born and every single day when getting dressed I run my fingers over it and smile.
“The day Mia points and ask me ‘what’s that mum?’ I’ll be able to say it’s where you lived and where you came from.
“I’ll probably liken it to a kangaroo carrying her joey with its head popping out.”
Offering her own advice to fellow mums who may be experiencing the same feelings, she said: “It’s the love & sacrifices you have & make for your baby that count.
“To any new mums or dads currently feeling a little blurry, not like you and like its just all going wrong, Don’t worry.”
I was a new mum, yet I still had to be mothered myself
Former Emmerdale actress Gemma Atkinson