Katherine Ryan gives sweet first look at baby after labour lasts just minutes

Katherine Ryan has shared a heartwarming first look into life after giving birth to her fourth child.

Last week, Ryan's husband, Bobby Kootstra, confirmed the comedian had welcomed her fourth child, a baby girl named Holland Juliette Kootstra, on 18 October.

"Holland Juliette Kootstra has arrived," he wrote on Instagram, alongside a carousel of images which shared the aftermath of Ryan's delivery.

"The 'Patrick Mahomes' of child birth pulled out another MVP performance! Amazing to witness the greatness of @kathbum."

Baby Holland is Ryan and Kootstra's third child together; they are also parents to Fred, three, and Fenna, two, while the comedian also has a daughter, Violet, 15, from a previous relationship.

A week after birth, the 42-year-old has now shared a glimpse into life as a mother-of-four on social media.

"One week of easy breezy Holland," she wrote on Instagram, alongside images which show bonding moments between the newborn and her parents and siblings.

The comedian has also been quick to bounce back into work, sharing details of her delivery in a recent episode of her podcast Telling Everybody Everything.

"I would call it pretty smooth sailing. The logistics of this birth were, if I hadn't given birth by Friday then we were to be induced," Ryan explained.

The couple confirmed that the star had been in active labour for a total of 45 minutes, which meant she wasn't able to get any pain relief medication.

However, the birth wasn't entirely mishap-free, with Ryan also disclosing that she'd experienced a very common side effect of giving birth, s***ing yourself during labour.

"Sorry, like, TMI, my vag started like bubbling, like bubbles were coming out of it. And I was like too stupid in the moment to know that that was ... Holland crowning," she explained.

Ryan then requested pain relief and sat down on the hospital bed while waiting for the doctor, which is when the unfortunate bowel movement occurred.

"I knew I’d shat myself," she recalled.

"[It happened] Right away, as soon as she got on the bed," Koostra added. "And they tried to play it off, like ‘oh you don’t know for sure’ and... you’ve got your gas and air, and you’re like [in a gravel voice] 'I know that I did'."

Although unpleasant, it is common to experience a bowel movement during active labour, with Healthline explaining that it is a 'completely normal and natural' thing.

There are several reasons why this may happen, including the baby's head position, muscle contractions down there, and an increase in the hormone prostaglandins.

This isn't the first time Ryan has spoken candidly about her experiences with labour and childbirth either, with the comedian previously revealing she was suffering with 'blue Avatar vulva' while pregnant.

"My vagina - or my vulva, rather - is blue," she explained on Jamie Laing and Sophie Habboo's NearlyParents podcast. "Blue. Like a Smurf. Like an Avatar vag."