Stacey Solomon has been applauded for bucking the temptation to ‘filter’ her newborn baby’s entrance to the world.
The TV personality gave birth to a baby boy on Thursday. It’s her third child, but her first with partner Joe Swash – and the pair shared a candid photograph to announce the baby boy’s arrival to fans.
In the post-birth shot, Solomon, 29, has her eyes closed. Her face shows pain and exhaustion, while the top of the baby’s head – covered in vernix (a chalky, grey-white layer covering the skin) – can be seen beneath her t-shirt.
She’s been praised for being ‘raw and real’, rather than giving in to the temptation to filter out the grim realities of birth – bloodstains and all.
Fellow TV and radio presenter Fearne Cotton said it was a “beautifully powerful picture” – while another mum described it as “amazing” and added: “This is what a new mum looks like”.
Other users said it “doesn’t get much more real than this”, while another wrote: “So raw and real. Powerful is the right word to describe this, this picture has given me goosebumps.”
One person also commented: “Thanks Stacey for showing it how it is. My post-birth picture is pretty similar and with all the other celebrity pics, you assume somehow that it’s not as grim. You rock. Congrats!”
TV presenter Kate Thornton also publicly congratulated the couple, and said she was “typing with teary eyes”. “Congratulations you two,” she wrote. “You are, and will be, the best parents any baby could hope for.”
She also gave them reassurance about having the baby early, as she gave birth to her son, Ben, at 35 weeks. “I know it’s scary. I’ve just put my 11-year-old prem baby to bed and it’s hard to believe that he was once a 5lb handful of love.”
In a heartwarming caption next to the photo, actor Joe, 37, who also has an 11-year-old son from a previous relationship, wrote that the baby had arrived “a lot earlier than planned”. “I watched the love of my life, bring a new life into the world,” he wrote. “Today I witnessed the impossible. I’m lost for words to describe how I’m feeling.”
The new dad has since been sharing photos of his newborn – one this morning showed the little one’s feet by his face. “Good morning son!” he proudly wrote.