Princess Beatrice has opened up about the premature birth of her second child, as she admitted 'there’s so little control'.
Earlier this year, the royal family announced they had welcomed their latest addition as Princess Beatrice gave birth to her second child with husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi.
The couple announced the happy news back in January, with a photograph of the newborn, who was born several weeks premature, wearing a long-sleeved baby sleepsuit and wrapped in a pink blanket.
Buckingham Palace later revealed details surrounding the birth, also sharing the name of the latest addition to Beatrice and Edoardo's family.
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The statement read: "Her Royal Highness Princess Beatrice and Mr Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi are delighted to announce the safe arrival of their daughter, Athena Elizabeth Rose Mapelli Mozzi, born on Wednesday January 22 at 12.57pm, at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, London. The baby was born weighing 4 pounds and 5 ounces.
"Their Majesties The King and Queen and other members of the royal family have all been informed and are delighted with the news."
Three months on, Beatrice has opened up about little Athena with an emotional admission about her experiences as a mother giving birth to such a premature baby.
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In an essay published in Vogue on Sunday (23 March), the 36-year-old mum-of-two explained: "Nothing quite prepares you for the moment when you realise your baby is going to arrive early. There’s so little control.
"Will she arrive healthy? Will there be complications? How will you juggle the rest of family life while trying to keep a tiny human safe and well?"
She continued: "You know that when your baby arrives the doctors and midwives are going to be there, doing everything they can to ensure she makes it through those challenging first few days.
"But you have no idea how these things will play out, what happens next. The uncertainty leaves you with an overwhelming fear of the unknown."
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Beatrice explained that she 'learnt so much' from her pregnancy with Athena, noting that these questions were 'spinning through [her] mind' throughout the latter stages of it.
"Following routine scans we became aware our precious cargo needed close monitoring, and understood we needed to prepare for an early arrival," she carried on before noting that what she learnt in this process has been 'humbling'.
"Understanding so much more about our remarkable human bodies, but also, more than anything, what we don’t know," she continued.
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"In many ways, for the longest time, women’s health has been left off the agenda.
"You can try and plan as much as possible with pregnancy, but sometimes your body - or your baby - has other ideas, which in some cases can lead to a preterm birth.
"Thankfully, with ever evolving technology in the hands of knowledgeable doctors, midwives and nurses, more progress is being made every day towards understanding the unique complications that can accompany a preterm pregnancy."
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Opening up about what it was like first seeing her 'tiny' newborn, the royal added: "Athena arrived healthy, a few weeks before her due date.
"She was so tiny it took more than a few weeks for the tears of relief to dry and for life with our healthy baby to feel real.
"Her feet were so small - almost the same size as the paws on one of my older daughter’s soft bunnies."
Topics: Celebrity, Health, Parenting, Pregnancy, Royal Family, Women's Health, Princess Beatrice
Rhiannon Ingle