Supermodel Gigi Hadid, who welcomed a daughter, Khai, with singer Zayn Malik, back in September, has opened up about her birthing experience in an honest new interview. Usually one to keep her family life private, it's rare for Gigi to speak so candidly – but no doubt her honesty will help many expectant and new mothers out there who've experienced something similar, or are due to soon.
Unfortunately there's no getting around the fact that giving birth can be painful, but Gigi (real name Jelena Noura Hadid) said that she "surrendered" to the pain during her home birth – which she opted for over a hospital-based one due to COVID – and that it was a positive experience. She also shared that she really wanted a natural birth: "I had to dig deep," she explained to Vogue in a new cover interview. "I knew it was going to be the craziest pain in my life, but you have to surrender to it and be like 'This is what it is' – I loved that." Her doula, an old classmate, also made an appearance on Zoom.
She also revealed that she had second thoughts on a natural birth and briefly considered an epidural (an injection in your back to stop you feeling pain in part of your body, sometimes used in childbirth), but that she was already past the point of being able to receive one. "My midwife looked at me and was like, 'You’re doing it. No one can help you. You’re past the point of the epidural anyway, so you’d be pushing exactly the same way in a hospital bed'."
In total her labour lasted for 14 hours and Gigi said that when her daughter finally made her entrance into the world, she didn't realise until she looked up and saw that Zayn was holding her. The model added that her mother, Yolanda, and sister, Bella, were also there throughout her labour, with a midwife and a midwife's assistant.
On her family's reaction to the birth, Gigi revealed, "I know my mom and Zayn and Bella were proud of me, but at certain points I saw each of them in terror. Afterward, Z and I looked at each other and were like, We can have some time before we do that again."
Go on, Gigi - you absolute bad ass!
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Jennifer Savin is Cosmopolitan UK's multiple award-winning Features Editor, who was crowned Digital Journalist of the Year for her work tackling the issues most important to young women. She regularly covers breaking news, cultural trends, health, the royals and more, using her esteemed connections to access the best experts along the way. She's grilled everyone from high-profile politicians to A-list celebrities, and has sensitively interviewed hundreds of people about their real life stories. In addition to this, Jennifer is widely known for her own undercover investigations and campaign work, which includes successfully petitioning the government for change around topics like abortion rights and image-based sexual abuse. Jennifer is also a published author, documentary consultant (helping to create BBC’s Deepfake Porn: Could You Be Next?) and a patron for Y.E.S. (a youth services charity). Alongside Cosmopolitan, Jennifer has written for The Times, Women’s Health, ELLE and numerous other publications, appeared on podcasts, and spoken on (and hosted) panels for the Women of the World Festival, the University of Manchester and more. In her spare time, Jennifer is a big fan of lipstick, leopard print and over-ordering at dinner. Follow Jennifer on Instagram, X or LinkedIn.
