Amanda Owen, the Yorkshire shepherdess known for her large family and remote farm life, has given birth to her tenth child. The 42-year-old mother, who lives with husband Clive on Ravenseat farm in the Yorkshire Dales, already has nine children aged from seven months to 15 years.
Owen, author of The Yorkshire Shepherdess, has spoken candidly about her unconventional approach to childbirth. She prefers to give birth alone, comparing herself to a ewe. 'I like to give birth alone, like a ewe,' she said in a recent interview, describing how she has given birth in an ambulance while a midwife was sick, and once alone in the early hours to avoid waking anyone.
The couple's first child, Raven, now 15, was born by caesarean after a difficult labour. Owen recalled the ambulance journey to hospital, with the midwife being travel sick, and the baby presenting face first. Their second child, Reuben, arrived 10 weeks early during a storm, delivered by a nurse friend at home.
Owen, who never planned to have a large family, said the children 'just happened'. She and Clive, who already had two children when they met, never discussed how many they wanted. The farm, Ravenseat, which Owen first saw in 1996, has been central to their life. She described it as a 'shit-hole' initially but wanted to 'breathe life back into it'.
The family, along with dogs, horses, and 1,000 sheep, live on one of the most exposed and remote farms in the Dales. Owen's Twitter account, featuring sheep, snow, and children, led to a book deal and Hollywood interest in her story.
