38-hour labour with first child
Olivia's labour with son Abel lasted 38 hours, ending with forceps delivery after Abel was born not breathing having swallowed meconium.
Snapshot · We Need To Talk with Paul C. Brunson
Olivia Bowen: I Lost Myself After Giving Birth & What Love Island Never Showed
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Jul 14, 2026
Where this was said
Olivia Opens Up About Pregnancy and Postnatal Depression
At 1:22:25 · chapter starts 1:12:45
After years of telling herself she never wanted to be a mother, Olivia found pregnancy itself beautiful. It was what came after that broke her. Abel's birth was 38 hours long, ended with forceps after a near-caesarean, and he arrived not breathing having swallowed meconium. The contrast between the event-filled celebrity life she and Alex had built and the sudden, relentless reality of new parenthood was catastrophic. Alex, an only child who had grown up without a father, was equally lost. Olivia became consumed by baby-tracking apps, refused to be called 'mum', stopped speaking and getting out of bed. She identified the familiar signs — the same warning signals from when she was 14 — but couldn't stop the spiral. Her bad habits returned. Alex found out. [1] — Olivia Bowen "After Abel's traumatic 38-hour labour and forceps birth, Olivia spiralled. She became obsessed with baby-tracking apps, dreaded being calle…" 1:16:00
Postnatal Depression: Losing Herself After Abel
After Abel's traumatic 38-hour labour and forceps birth, Olivia spiralled. She became obsessed with baby-tracking apps, dreaded being called 'mum', stopped getting out of bed, and eventually the self-harm she thought was behind her returned. Alex was struggling too — and for the first time, neither of them could hold the other up.
The Look on Alex's Face
When Alex found out about Olivia's self-harm relapse after postnatal depression, he didn't shout. He just held her. That silence and that hug became her turning point — the moment she realised this had to stop and they both needed therapy immediately.
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