Jess O’Connor, known to fans as Jess Potter from the seventh series of Married At First Sight UK in 2022, has shared a heart-wrenching account of her newborn daughter Mia Jane’s traumatic birth. The 32-year-old dental nurse, who captured hearts on the hit Channel 4 reality show, welcomed her first child with fiancé TJ O’Reilly after an arduous journey through four rounds of IVF, three miscarriages, and a failed adoption. However, the joy of Mia’s arrival was overshadowed by a terrifying ordeal that nearly cost the newborn her life.
In an emotional Instagram post, Jess recounted the harrowing moments following Mia’s birth after a grueling 12-hour labor and a five-day hospital stay. Accompanying a tearful photo of herself cradling her newborn, Jess wrote, “This was 15 minutes after Mia was born, when they had brought her back to life and I finally got to hold her.” The raw honesty of her words laid bare the fear and relief of a mother facing her worst nightmare.
Mia’s birth was fraught with complications. Born with the umbilical cord wrapped around her neck and not breathing, she was whisked away by medical staff after midwives triggered an emergency alarm. Jess described the chaos as “about 10 doctors” rushed into the delivery room to save her daughter. “She had deflated lungs and wasn’t breathing,” Jess shared. “It took 15 minutes to bring her back.” During this agonizing wait, Jess was left in the dark, screaming for answers while her fiancé, TJ, stood frozen, reassuring her that everything would be okay. Her mother, who witnessed the doctors’ vigorous efforts to manually inflate Mia’s lungs, described the scene as intense.
Reflecting on those moments, Jess called the 15-minute wait “the WORST moment of my life.” Yet, the sound of Mia’s first cry marked “the single best moment” as doctors successfully revived her daughter and placed her in Jess’s arms. Overwhelmed with gratitude, Jess praised the NHS midwives and doctors, writing, “I am so grateful to the NHS midwives and Drs for saving my Mia,” accompanied by love heart emojis.
Jess’s journey to motherhood has been anything but easy. Before Mia’s birth, she openly shared her struggles with infertility, enduring multiple losses and setbacks. Her time on MAFS UK also brought challenges; paired with Pjay Finch, a Birmingham-based exotic dancer, their relationship ended early after Jess learned of his profession. Despite the turbulence, Jess’s resilience shone through, both on-screen and in her personal life.
Earlier this year, Jess reflected on her MAFS experience, telling The Sun, “We’re not legally married, and I never felt like we were. I definitely feel the process makes you take the relationship a lot more seriously and having the help of the experts… if you can survive that process it sets a firm foundation for a long-lasting relationship.” Now, as she navigates motherhood, Jess’s strength and vulnerability continue to inspire.