MARNIE SIMPSON
MARNIE SIMPSON AND PARTNER CASEY JOHNSON OPEN UP TO OK!’S KIRSTY HATCHER ABOUT WELCOMING THEIR ADORABLE BABY ROX AND WHY THE ‘HORRENDOUS’ LABOUR TOOK ITS TOLL...
When OK! arrives at the Bedfordshire home of Marnie Simpson and Casey Johnson, their new baby boy is sound asleep in his great-grandmother Betty’s arms.
The peaceful scene is a far cry from a fortnight earlier when Rox Johnson made his entrance into the world at
4:18pm on October 29, weighing
8lbs 1oz.
After being two weeks overdue, former Geordie Shore star Marnie was induced at Barnet Hospital and endured a 28-hour labour that resulted in baby Rox having a vacuum-assisted delivery.
Marnie then suffered a postpartum haemorrhage, lost two pints of blood and had to spend three nights in hospital before she and singer Casey, 24, could return to their home with their newborn.
‘I can’t help but look back and just think it was such a traumatic experience.
But the gift I got was amazing and I’m so happy,’ 27-year-old Marnie tells us.
The reality star, who has been with Casey, 24, for three years and is currently filming series two of Geordie OGS, used to be up all hours partying. But now she’s experiencing sleepless nights for a very different reason. However, their beautiful baby boy is an absolute dream on our exclusive shoot and doesn’t cry once!
Here, Marnie and Casey tell OK! about disagreements over Rox’s name, the ‘horrendous’ labour, and why Marnie’s not sure she’ll be adding to their brood…
Congratulations! Tell us about choosing Rox’s name... Marnie: I came up with it. It popped up quite near the end. I like that it’s unusual for a boy. The other names I liked were Columbus, Diego, and Emmett. Ultimately, Casey would have let me
choose the name, but I wanted him to enjoy it, too.
Casey: I loved it straight away. It was the only one we agreed on. Marnie wanted his middle name to be Star but I had to put my foot down! I thought it was silly. He would have had the p**s taken out of him at school.
Marnie: Rox Star Johnson would have been the best Instagram name. If we’d given him that middle name, he would have been destined for fame.
How was the birth, Marnie?
It was so traumatic and horrendous. I was two weeks overdue and I went in at 9am on October 28 and I didn’t get induced until 1:30pm. I had a pessary [containing dinoprostone to bring on labour] and it was an awful experience. My cervix is so high up and far back and it wasn’t ready to be open. I thought it might be like a smear but it was really painful. Often a pessary can take up to three days to work but I started having contractions an hour and a half later. It brought on the contractions so fast and I’ve never felt pain like it. It got to 3am and I knew I was ready to go. I was 4cm, so they took me straight to the labour ward. I got to 7cm and then I had an epidural, but it slowed things down as my body seemed to relax. Getting to 7cm without an epidural was traumatic. When I started to push, it felt like I was pushing so hard my head was going to explode but nothing was happening. It was soul-destroying.
What happened next?
They had to take me into theatre. Luckily, Casey was able to come but my mum couldn’t and that was really upsetting because she didn’t get to see Rox being born. She stayed with Casey’s mum. They used the suction cup to get him out and I had an episiotomy which is where they cut you [between the vagina and anus to make the opening of the vagina wider] because if I carried on pushing they said there was a chance I could have torn. Then when I was delivering I haemorrhaged and I lost so much blood that I had to have two blood transfusions. I lost two pints and there are nine pints in a woman’s body! They think I might have haemorrhaged because I had low iron levels while I was pregnant.
How did you feel?
I was just so out of it and I couldn’t feel a thing. I just wanted to hold him. I was just so thankful he was okay.
What about you, Casey?
There was so much blood. It was overwhelming. I was asking them what was happening. I felt useless, but at the same time, Marnie wasn’t in pain so it was really strange. It was horrible to watch. I don’t understand people who say labour is enjoyable.
Marnie: Some people have such smooth births but I just can’t fathom that. I feel like my body failed me. My original birth plan was to go drug-free and get in the birthing pool, so it’s actually laughable because I was screaming for the drugs. I was like: ‘Get me
an epidural now!’
How do you feel that it didn’t go to plan, Marnie?
I’m really upset. I wanted to look back at the birth of my son and remember it as such an amazing thing. But I can’t help but look back and just think it was such a traumatic experience. I wouldn’t change it for the world and that feeling when they put him on my chest was like no other. I was like: ‘Oh my God, that’s my baby.’ I couldn’t believe it. I
cried a bit but I was more in shock. Casey: I cried straight away!
How have you found the recovery? They stitched me up and I had my blood transfusion once I got back to my bed and was out of theatre. I spent the next three nights in hospital. I just felt so ill. It was really hard to even hold him. I couldn’t sit down. I couldn’t walk properly, and even going to the toilet was hard. It was horrible not being able to look after him. It was such a relief to bring him home. Hospitals scare me.
Casey: I stayed with Marnie and slept on a deck chair for three nights!
Marnie: I don’t know what I would have done if Casey had left me. I wouldn’t have coped. It was a lot with all the emotions and your hormones are all over the place. Casey’s been amazing and my nan has helped us out so much. I still feel a bit wishy-washy at the moment but I’m trying to get my strength back and I’m still healing down there.
Casey: I was going to take two weeks off [Casey owns sweet brand Vegan All Sorts], but as the birth was so traumatic, I took longer and I’ve gone down to working three days a week.
Are you breastfeeding, Marnie?
No, when you have a blood transfusion you’re not able to at first because your blood is what helps produce your milk. I started with formula and he seems content so I didn’t want to risk it. I was definitely open to trying, though.
Have you been hands on, Casey?
Yes, but not with changing nappies. I haven’t changed one yet! I’m good at the feeding.
Marnie: He stands next to me and it’s just nice having him there. My mum was living with us but she moved out about a month before he was born to give us our space. She was there when we got back from hospital and she stayed up with him one night so we could recover. We’ve definitely enjoyed having our own space back.
You suffer from anxiety, Marnie. Have you experienced any baby blues?
I’ve actually surprised myself with how I’ve felt. I’ve been a lot better than I thought I would. I was worried about how I might be. I’ve just got to get on with it.
Would you like to have more children? Marnie: The birth was so horrendous,
I can’t even think about that. Now I’d say no but I’m sure I’ll forget about the birth in a year. We’d definitely stop at two.
How has becoming parents changed your relationship?
Casey: It’s brought us closer together. Marnie: We’re closer now. My life is so different to the Geordie Shore days. I’ll always have a wild streak but I think my partying days are well behind me. You don’t have the freedom you once had. Having a baby makes you less selfish.
Casey: It’s harder than I thought it would be. It’s completely different when it’s your baby. You worry about everything.
Your Geordie OGS co-star Gaz Beadle got engaged. Will you be next?
Casey: Definitely. I want Marnie to have the same surname as me and Rox. That will be happening in a year or two.
‘It was such a relief to bring him home. hospitals scare me!’