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Strictly Come Dancing’s Janette Manrara has opened up about the emotional struggle she faced after giving birth to her ‘miracle’ baby, Lyra. The dancer revealed that she was unable to hold her newborn for weeks due to the pain from her Caesarean section, which left her feeling “properly down”.
Janette, 40, shared her experience on Mirror’s Invite Only podcast, explaining how difficult it was not being able to carry Lyra as much as she wanted to. She said: “It was hard as a C-section, it’s a long recovery. I couldn’t carry Lyra as much as I wanted to. That was really hard for me emotionally. It’s weird because you’ve carried this baby in your belly for nine months you feel so connected to it. Then she’s born, and in the hospital you’re dealing with stitches, you’re dealing with all the drugs in your body.”
She also expressed her frustration at the perception of C-sections being an “easy options”, given the tough aftermath she experienced. Janette and her husband, fellow Strictly star Aljaz Skorjanec, 34, welcomed their “miracle” baby last July after two years of trying to conceive.
The new mum further explained: “I thought when I get home it’ll be fine. But then at home, obviously I still couldn’t, so Aljaz took the helm and I went properly down. I just thought, ‘How can I not hold my baby now? I’ve just done this and now I can’t hold her’. That was really tough.”
Janette was comforted by her friend Gemma Atkinson when she had a tough time. Gemma, who has two kids with another Strictly dancer, Gorka Marquez, also had a C-section. Janette shared: “[Gemma] really wanted to have a natural birth and we both had C-sections, and there’s this kind of thing where women are compared. It’s equally as difficult because when you have a vaginal birth, it’s painful… you’re in labour for hours.
When you have a C-section, you cut the incision and you’re done and you’re out but the aftermath is very hard. I think sometimes women can be each other’s worst friends. Gemma was like, ‘Equally, we struggle. No matter how you give birth to your child, both are hard and we’re all superwomen for doing it’. It’s true.”
Janette, born in Miami, married Aljaz in 2017. They had a hard time trying to have a baby and felt sad every month when they didn’t get pregnant. They were about to try IVF, but then Janette got pregnant naturally.
Aljaz said that talking to each other helped them stay strong during their tough times trying to have a baby. He explained: “We are always so good with communication and making sure we talk everything through I don’t think we could have gone through it without that. If you’re sort of left on your own, then you can feel like you’re on separate sides of the river.”
Despite being open about her life, Janette Manrara has faced criticism from some who say her return to work four months after having a baby makes it seem like all women should go back to work quickly. But Janette explained that she needs to take jobs when they’re available and can’t take a whole year off.
She shared: “If I felt physically ready to do that and Lyra was healthy enough, I don’t see where the problem lies. Aljaz is more than happy to be at home with Lyra so I can do It Takes Two. We’re 50/50. I think it’s wonderful she sees her mom is working and loves her job.”
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Source: NewsFinale
