Amanda Owen’s children and birth story: ‘I gave birth by myself’


by Bryony Firth-Bernard |
Updated on

Amanda Owen is a shepherdess and the star of Channel 5 show Our Yorkshire Farm, which follows her family and their lives at Ravenseat Farm in the Dales.

Although Amanda announced that she and her husband, Clive, would be going their separate ways in June, after being married 22 years, the pair share nine children together.

Confirming the split on social media, Amanda wrote: "Clive and I are sad to confirm that we have made the difficult decision to separate. Although we are no longer a couple, we continue to work on the farm and co-parent together, with our number one priority the happiness and well-being of our children.”

Here’s everything you need to know about Amanda Owen’s children.

How old are Amanda Owen’s children?

Amanda and Clive’s nine children, who live with them in North Yorkshire, all differ in ages, with their eldest, Raven, now at university, and their youngest, Nancy, still a toddler.

Here’s what we know:

Raven, 21

Raven is Amanda and Clive's eldest child, who’s keen to become a vet. She’s often Amanda’s right-hand woman on the show and is praised for her role as ‘big sister’ to her younger siblings.

Reuben, 18

The eldest son of Amanda and Clive, Reuben is currently doing a mechanics apprenticeship. It’s no surprise to us, as he’d regularly be seen tinkering around on the farm with the tractors or dog kennels.

Miles, 15

Miles is keen to follow in his mum and dad’s footsteps and become a farmer. On the show his job is to care for the farm’s chickens and he also has a passion for running.

Edith, 13

Edith is a little more quiet than some of the other Owen children. On the show she can be seen cracking on with farm chores and enjoys helping with the sheep.

Amanda Owen children eidth

Violet, 11

Known as the tomboy within the family, Violet is popular amongst fans of the show. She’s responsible for Ciara the cow.

Amanda Owen children Violet

Sid, 10

Sid became apprentice to his older brother Reuben, who he really looks up to. Although he’s learning mechanics from his older brother, he wants to be a farmer. He even has his own sheepdog which he’s training.

Annas, 8

Annas has been less in the spotlight on the show, but Amanda has been sharing more pictures of her exploring the farm on her social media.

Amanda Owen children Annas

Clemmie, 6

Born in front of the fire, Amanda shares her daughter’s birth story with Mother&Baby:

"We live on a remote farm, a two-hour drive from the nearest hospital. I’ve given birth four times in countryside lay-bys because we couldn’t make it to the hospital in time. My labours are incredibly quick, lasting just minutes, without pain or warning. And due to our remoteness, midwives won’t come to me for a home birth.

"When I got pregnant with my eighth baby, it made sense for me to have a freebirth – delivering my baby myself without medical assistance. When I told my midwife, she followed NHS procedure and strongly advised me not to go through with it. But she understood my position and talked me through how to deal with different scenarios.

"I’m not a smug ‘Mother Earth’ type and I’m not anti-hospitals. A freebirth was simply the most practical option. I knew I could cope – delivering lots of baby animals on the farm had been good training!

"In late pregnancy, I felt the baby move into the head-down position and the kicks slowed down. Three days later I had a strange feeling that things were starting to happen. It was 9.30pm and Clive and the children were asleep, but I couldn’t settle. I crept downstairs, put some coal on the fire and sat reading a paper. The feeling in the pit of my stomach wasn’t painful, but more of a dull, heavy sensation.

"After a couple of hours, nausea crept over me, and my stomach started to feel unsettled like I’d eaten something dodgy. In that moment, I knew it was crunch time. I hadn’t told Clive about my plans to deliver the baby myself, but throughout my pregnancy, we’d agreed to ‘see what happens' when I went into labour.

"Feeling calm, I decided to go through with the birth on my own. A low-down pressure crept up on me and I grabbed the cushions from the sofa, lay them on the floor by the hearth and placed clean towels on top. I got onto the floor in a squatting position to let gravity help.

"The pressure grew down below. Instinctively I put my hand down. Touching the baby’s head made me relax. As I pushed, I felt totally focused. Within a few quiet contractions lasting just a couple of minutes, I felt a huge pressure and the baby’s head came out.

"By the light of the fire, I saw my baby’s face looking up at me and blinking. It was an incredible, intimate moment. In the next big push, the body slid out onto the cushion. I scooped my baby girl up, listening to her soft snuffles. My labour had lasted four minutes.

‘I gave birth by myself’

"The midwife’s words rang in my head: I needed to deliver the afterbirth too. Supporting my baby on the cushion close to me, I pushed again until the placenta came out. Straight afterwards, my thoughts turned to Clive.

"Carrying the baby and the placenta wrapped in towels, I went upstairs to tell him. I can’t repeat Clive’s words when I woke him!

"I suddenly remembered my dates and realised that Clemmie had arrived five weeks early. Two hours later, we went to the hospital. Clemmie was perfectly healthy, weighing 6lb 7oz, and we were back home that morning. The way I gave birth isn’t for everyone, but it made perfect sense for me and my family."

Nancy, 5

Nancy was born prematurely in a layby and told her youngest daughter on the show: "You were very, very tiny."

Amanda Owen's child Nancy

Amanda Owen's Twitter and Instagram

You can follow Amanda on Twitter here.You can also find her on Instagram where she shares photos of life on the farm with her family.

What is Amanda Owen's net worth?

Although her exact fortune is unknown, Amanda is estimated to have an impressive net worth of around one million.

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