“All our plans fell apart” Jessica Biel’s struggle after emergency c-section
Birth plans are obviously brilliant and a really important part of preparing for labour and investigating more about delivery. That said, babies and bodies sometimes have their own plans at this transformative time.
“Totally in shock”
Jessica Biel, who is married to Justin Timberlake, just shared details of the new plans she made when things didn’t go as expected during her son’s birth.
She’s opened up about what followed Silas’ (who turns three next week) delivery in a brand new book released by so-called nanny to the stars, Connie Simpson.
Read more about Jessica and Justin:
People threaten to call social services on Jessica and Justin
Jessica Biel admits her two-year-old makes her crazy
Jessica Biel snacks in the shower (no, really!)
In The Nanny Connie Way: Secrets to Mastering the First Four Months of Parenthood, Jess explained she and Justin had made plans for a natural birth, but when things took a different direction the couple struggled to adjust.
“Our birth plan was anything but normal,” Jess admits. “We had two midwives, one doula, one meditation birthing class, a ton of hippie baby books, and a lovely home in the Hollywood Hills that we had turned into a labor training facility that we called The Octagon. So, not exactly normal.”
“All our plans fell apart”
Navigating pregnancy, childbirth and parenthood is a super steep learning curve, and this mum-of-one quickly realised it’s not always possible to be in the driver’s seat.
“When all our plans fell apart and the serene, natural childbirth we had envisioned ended with a transfer to the hospital and an emergency c-section, we arrived home exhausted, disillusioned, and totally in shock,” Jess revealed.
As if this shock and bewilderment in the wake of their unexpected c-section wasn’t enough, Jess was putting pressure on herself (and others!) to parent perfectly from the get-go, too.
“I was obsessed with everything organic, toxin-free, natural, and homeopathic for our kid, who came into this world in an operating room through an incision. I was a dictator, making myself and my husband insane!”
Call in the experts
Luckily this couple have the resources to enlist some expert help – and took the plunge. They called in world famous baby whisperer, Nanny Connie, who helped ease the pair into parenthood and realign their expectations of mum and dad life.
Connie has cared for over 250 babies in her 30 year career, including the children of Emily Blunt, Brooke Shields, Jessica Alba and Matt Damon (to name a few!).
“Nanny Connie was our lifeline. She gave us the tools we needed to thrive as parents and did it with a sense of humour and a whole lot of butter,” Jess admits.
That sounds pretty excellent – and buttery – to us!
Be like Jess!
While it’s sad to hear that Jess and Justin struggled with Silas’ birth, it’s not at all unusual for parents to be left feeling traumatised when things divert from best laid plans. We can learn a lot from this couple’s response to the challenges parenting can bring.
Granted, not all of us are able to call on helpers like Nanny Connie, but asking for help IS something all parents are able to do.
Perhaps it’s not a superstar nanny that helps in this tricky adjustment period, but maternal child health nurses, GPs, doulas and midwives are all excellent alternative places to start (when you’re not a millionaire).
