Yorkshire Shepherdess Amanda Owen's First Birth With Daughter Raven

Anyone who has seen Our Yorkshire Farm knows Amanda Owen, the Yorkshire Shepherdess, as someone who takes life’s challenges in her stride. From managing a huge flock of sheep to raising nine children, she makes it all look effortless.

But as she revealed on 11 December 2025, her journey into motherhood was anything but smooth. Her very first childbirth experience turned into a frightening ordeal that saw her planned peaceful home birth become a frantic emergency dash to hospital. It is a powerful reminder that even the most capable people cannot always predict what life has in store.

A birth plan goes out the window

When preparing for a first child, most parents have a birthing plan. It provides a sense of control over something that is famously unpredictable. Living on an isolated family farm, Amanda planned a home birth. This was not only a personal preference but also shaped by the national foot and mouth crisis at the time. For anyone who does not remember, the foot and mouth outbreak created strict rural restrictions to stop a devastating livestock disease from spreading. Amanda even compared it to the Covid lockdowns, saying it was the rural version of those restrictions.

Staying home made perfect sense. Her plan was to give birth safely at the farm and avoid any unnecessary travel. She explained:

"She was a sort of planned home birth because of course we are in the throes of foot and mouth then. So my plan was to stay at home, give birth, and not venture out of the farm."

It sounded like the ideal setup for a shepherdess. A quiet and natural birth on the land she loved. But things were about to change dramatically.

When things took a scary turn

The calm home birth Amanda imagined quickly shifted into a serious medical emergency. Her daughter Raven became stuck during labour. Amanda said: "Yeah, and it all went wrong, and she got stuck and I ended up having to go into hospital, literally, with a baby completely stuck."

Her body reacted by going into a permanent contraction, something she did not even know was possible. The situation required an urgent ambulance trip to hospital under blue lights. Doctors performed an emergency caesarean section to safely deliver baby Raven. Although caesareans are common, they are still major surgery. Afterwards, medical staff warned her that future natural births might be complicated.

She remembered being told: "I had the caesarean, and of course it was like, well, you know, now natural birth could be an issue." It was a traumatic and unexpected start to motherhood, especially for someone living so far from medical help.

Throwing out the rulebook for baby number two and beyond

That first difficult birth could easily have put someone off having any more children. But Amanda Owen is not someone who sticks to expectations. Despite the frightening arrival of Raven and warnings about future births, she went on to have eight more children.

She also laughed about how inaccurate the predictions about her babies’ weights turned out to be. Raven weighed nine pounds two ounces, so everyone assumed the next babies would be even bigger. But her second child, Reuben, surprised everyone.

"Well, Reuben was like three pounds. So it was like, he just fell out after Chinese takeaway," she joked. This perfectly sums up Amanda’s attitude. Childbirth can be unpredictable, but she learned to roll with it. Her experiences show what many parents know well: plans rarely go perfectly.

Life on the farm after the cameras

Our Yorkshire Farm became a beloved TV favourite, giving millions a look at life on Ravenseat Farm. After Amanda and her husband Clive separated in 2022, many wondered what the future would look like for the family.

The answer is a positive one. They have maintained their agricultural partnership, continuing to run the farm together. They also prioritise co parenting their children, ensuring stability and support for the whole family.

Amanda has stayed firmly in the public eye through her writing and broadcasting. She remains one of Britain’s most recognised countryside figures, admired for her honesty, resilience and humour. Her journey from that chaotic first birth to raising nine children on a remote farm is a reminder of the strength found in embracing life’s most unpredictable moments.