baby

Paralympian Jessica Smith's birth plan only involved one thing. And it backfired.

Paralympian Jessica Smith’s “only birth plan” was to have an epidural…

“But of course no birth plan ever goes accordingly,” the mother of two, who competed in the 2004 Paralympic Games in Athens, posted to Instagram alongside an image of her and her newborn son.

The swimmer and her husband Hamid Salamati welcomed a baby boy on Wednesday evening. By the time they arrived at the hospital it was too late to administer an epidural, Smith said.

“I begged, pleaded, screamed for pain relief but it was too late. But I can honestly say, it was the best experience of my life,” Smith told Daily Mail. “We arrived at the hospital at 5.15pm and my gorgeous prince was delivered naturally at 6.14pm.”

It can be considered to be ‘too late’ when a woman is fully dilated or just about to give birth as there may not be time for an epidural, according to The Conversation, because it takes time to complete the procedure and for the medication to take effect.

Smith and Salamati called their son Reza Raymond Salamati. According to Smith, ‘Reza’ means contentment and satisfaction, while ‘Raymond’ was her father’s name.

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The 32-year-old is a massive advocate for improving body image among women, after suffering anorexia, bulimia and depression from her teenage years into adulthood.

Smith was born without an arm and, at 18 months of age, suffered severe burns to part of her body.

“We are bombarded with hundreds of images each day through the media, glorifying unrealistic ideals of beauty and perfection. This overwhelming barrage leaves many of us feeling inadequate, believing that we need to change the way we look in order to be accepted within society,” Smith wrote for Mamamia in November, 2013.

“Is it any wonder that the rates of young women and men presenting with eating disorders are constantly on the rise?” she asked.

This year, Smith was named Cosmopolitan’s woman of the year.

She and Salamati also have a daughter, Ayla Hazel, who is two.

Welcome to the world little Reza.

 

LISTEN: ‘Why do you only have one arm?’ Paralympian Jessica Smith shares how she answers all kids’ curly questions.