Breaking: Harry Kane wife and new born baby kidnapped as Harry Kane attempted to commit suicide - Fabrizio Romano revealed in tears😭

Breaking: Harry Kane wife and new born baby kidnapped as Harry Kane attempted to commit suicide – Fabrizio Romano revealed in tears😭

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FabulousParenting

PAIN SHAME After Harry Kane’s boast his wife gave birth with no pain relief, mum-of-one says don’t pain-shame women who need drugs during labour

Nikki Watkins says Harry has haphazardly made thousands of other women, who did use pain relief, feel like failures

Joely Chilcott

ENGLAND captain Harry Kane faced criticism this week when he tweeted how proud he was of fiancée Kate Goodland for giving birth to their second child “with no pain relief”.

Sadly, it’s not just blokes like Harry making mums who have intervention, such as an epidural, feel like they’ve failed – women are at it, too. Nikki Watkins, mum to one-year-old Wilf, says it’s time to end pain-relief shame.

Kate was praised by her partner for not relying on pain relief to deliver their baby

THE delivery-room boast post is now so predictable that any dads who don’t declare admiration for their partner in a slushy social media statement will be in trouble.

After the birth of his second daughter, Vivienne Jane, Harry Kane, 25, took to social media to praise fiancée Kate Goodland, 24.

The England footballer wrote: “Our beautiful addition to the family! Vivienne Jane Kane. So proud of @kategoodersxx for having the most amazing water birth with no pain relief at all. #mygirls #hypnobirthing.”

Who can blame Harry for praising his fiancée at such a precious time, but he has haphazardly made thousands of other women, who did use pain relief, feel like failures.

I did feel a smidgen of sadness that I hadn’t experienced a drug-free childbirth

Women already have to contend with the gender pay gap, being penalised for taking maternity leave and constant questions about their reproductive intentions, and now they have to deal with labour shaming, too. To make matters worse, much of this scorn comes from other women.

At parenting classes, there are leaflets on pain-relief options but course leaders are keen to highlight drugs are not the best option and promote the “natural way”.

They suggest paracetamol or a TENS machine, which uses a mild electrical current to reduce lower-back pain, while you evacuate a watermelon-sized human from your body.

Harry told fans that as well as a water birth, Kate tried hypnobirthing, which uses elements of self-hypnosis, relaxation and breathing techniques. Don’t get me wrong, anything that helps during this frightening time is to be encouraged, but why Harry felt his other half’s lack of pain relief was something to be proud of is mystifying.

Societal pressure to have a pain-relief free birth didn’t stop when I left the hospitalCredit: Getty – Contributor

When you enter the labour ward, with the effects of convulsions of pain etched across your face, a haughty midwife may tell you it is better to avoid taking the drug pethidine and instead try yoga moves or breathing exercises.

Oh yes, because everyone knows the sweet relief of the “child pose” compared to proven medication. I am happy to admit that I opted for medication — and would do the same again.

I also tried hypnobirthing, gave pregnancy yoga a good go and waddled to Mothercare to buy a TENS machine. But an emergency caesarean meant I had an epidural, followed by morphine, strong codeine and ibuprofen. And I was grateful for every single milligram.

Relying on drugs did not take away my pride or feeling of achievement. I did feel a smidgen of sadness that I didn’t get the water birth I had planned for but, when I learned after the delivery that Wilf had been breech and the placenta was tearing away putting our lives at risk, that small fog of dissatisfaction was forgotten.

If you attend parenting classes, there are leaflets on the pain relief options available but course leaders are keen to highlight that drugs are not the best optionCredit: Alamy

Unfortunately, pressure to have a pain-relief free birth didn’t stop when I left the hospital. A woman in a baby class beamed as she told me how proud she was that she had popped out her little miracle using just breathing exercises and hypnobirthing.

I would have dosed up on morphine then and there just to block out her irritating voice. Another new mum, after hearing my labour story, kindly suggested: “Oh you must be so disappointed.”

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Breaking: Harry Kane wife and new born baby kidnapped as Harry Kane attempted to commit suicide – Fabrizio Romano revealed in tears😭

Breaking: Harry Kane wife and new born baby kidnapped as Harry Kane attempted to commit suicide – Fabrizio Romano revealed in tears😭

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