Olivia Bowen says she felt like a ‘failure’ for not being able to give birth to son Abel naturally

She welcomed her son Abel again for five months.

And now Olivia Bowen has opened up about her birth experience and admitted that she felt like a “failure” by not having a natural birth.

In a new interview, the Love Island star, 28, spoke candidly about the unsettling birth and how she should have made quick decisions to save her child’s life.

‘Failure’: Olivia Bowen has opened up about her birth experience and admits she felt like a ‘failure’ by not having a natural birth

Olivia revealed that she was determined to have an all-natural birth and had even turned to hypnobirthing — a natural form of pain management that focuses on breathing techniques and a positive mindset.

However, after Abel’s heart rate dropped and her waters had not yet broken, she had to be induced and given an epidural, while her son was pulled out with tweezers.

Speaking to Grazia, Olivia explained, “I wanted a natural birth so badly and I’m not even sure why. I think I wanted to be like this raw, natural woman who could breathe through her contractions and be fine. I wanted to be like those strong women I had seen everywhere.’

She added, “I feel like my childbirth experience has taken away from me a little bit. I’ve always believed I’d be that person who thought, “It doesn’t matter how they get here, as long as they get here happy and healthy,” but I’ve realized that it does matter to me. Sometimes I was disappointed in myself that I couldn’t handle the pain. I keep thinking there’s more than I could have done. There’s this idea that women are built to give birth and I feel like a failure that I couldn’t do it naturally.’

She also spoke of how she lost “nearly a liter of blood” during the traumatic delivery and acknowledged how hard the experience had been for her husband Alex.

Opening: In a new interview, the Love Island star, 28, spoke candidly about the unsettling birth and how she should have made quick decisions to save her child’s life

She said: ‘As much as the focus should be on the woman, the partner should also be supported afterwards, because they are going through a lot. Alex is such a sensitive soul, and he was basically left in the dark about a lot of the decisions I had to make for Abel and I know it was really scary for him.”

Olivia says the experience hasn’t stopped her from having more kids, saying she and Alex want two kids.

But the reality star added that they plan to wait until she turns 30 and have sought therapy to prepare for the second.

Olivia added that she first spoke about Abel’s birth to make sure women are prepared for any eventuality.

Traumatic: After Abel’s heart rate dropped and her waters had not yet broken, she was forced to be induced and given an epidural, while her son was pulled out with forceps

Earlier this month, Olivia said she feels like an “alien” in her own body after giving birth to her first child.

The star spoke to MailOnline about how she coped with postpartum body confidence and how Alex, 31, was a “punching bag” during emotional moments.

Olivia’s comments come after new mom Chloe Madeley admitted she can’t imagine ever “feeling sexy again,” and while she doesn’t feel herself in her body right now, Olivia insisted she’ll feel sexy again in the future.

Olivia said she was having a hard time getting to grips with her new body, admitting she’s a “very different Olivia” from the one she once was before giving birth.

Trauma: She also spoke of how she lost “nearly a liter of blood” during the traumatic birth and acknowledged how difficult the experience had been for her husband Alex

Discussing Chloe’s experience, she said, “Better luck for her if she comes out with a body that bangs like that and you want to show it off.” Go for it, I just think it’s a hard thing, because some women find it so hard afterwards.’

“Also for me I feel very strange in my body, I feel very different. At the same time, I know that I will feel 100 percent sexy again.

‘Because I know that feeling sexy and confident comes from within, not what you look like or what body shape you have.

“It’s all related to the person having the emotions. On her behalf, she shouldn’t be able to feel like herself and I totally agree with that.”

“When I had Abel I didn’t feel like myself, I felt like a different version of myself and I think you’re kind of in a daze when you have a baby so you don’t really know how to feel.

“She only had the baby a few weeks ago, her hormones are still raging, you can’t really attack a woman for how she feels, it doesn’t matter if it’s not how you feel, we’re all going to feel different opposite it.’

Future: Olivia says the experience hasn’t stopped her from having more kids, saying she and Alex want two kids