Singer and television presenter Jamelia has introduced her new baby girl in an exclusive photoshoot and interview in HELLO! magazine.
"She's by far the easiest and most straightforward baby I've had," the singer says of her yet-to-be-named youngest daughter.
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"She's a good communicator, very chilled and has seamlessly imprinted herself onto the family. It's been a dream to have her."
Jamelia also has three other daughters: Teja, 21, Tiani, 17, and four-year-old True. "Being a mother to four daughters feels like the most incredible gift," she tells the magazine.
The star is a proud mum-of-four
"I feel so fortunate to have had pregnancies in my teens, 20s, 30s and now my 40s. It’s been my greatest blessing to experience motherhood at all these different times and being able to learn at different stages of my life."
In the interview, the former Loose Women presenter tells how she gave birth to her new daughter at just 36 weeks via emergency Caesarean on 4 October. Her waters broke at 32 weeks, after which she was closely monitored in hospital.
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"It was so scary," says Jamelia. "I felt like I was in labour for a month, but the main objective was to keep the baby in for as long as possible. I just had to hold on."
Four weeks later, the baby's heart rate dropped dangerously, and the team at Birmingham Women's Hospital decided to induce labour.
Jamelia welcomed a daughter on 4 October
"I'd only ever seen a C-section on the telly, and thought: 'Oh well, at least it's going to be straightforward and I'll be out in five minutes.' There's this idea of 'too posh to push' – that it’s the easier option. But I found it incredibly traumatic. And then you’re recovering from major surgery while looking after a newborn."
There by her side was 17-year-old Tiani, who had tossed a coin with her big sister Teja to see who would accompany their mum at the birth.
Her husband, meanwhile, was at home looking after True. Married for five years, Jamelia has always kept her husband’s identity out of the public eye.
"As selfish as it might sound, I wanted to share this experience with my girls. Seeing someone give birth should be a good contraceptive as well," she says.
To read the full article, pick up the latest issue of HELLO! on sale now. Subscribe to HELLO! to get the magazine delivered free to your door every week or purchase the digital edition online via our Apple or Google apps.
