The day Gwyneth Paltrow and her daughter Apple almost died

For years now, Gwyneth Paltrow has surprised the world with the spicy items from her catalogue of lifestyle products on the site 'Goop'.

(Image: Gwyneth Paltrow with her daughter Apple / Instagram)

She also played a leading role in the end of the most ambitious saga in the history of cinema. Pepper Potts, her character in 'Iron Man' and 'Avengers', said goodbye in 'Avengers: Endgame'.

(Photo: Armchair Expert Podcast)

These days, the actress keeps a low profile. Most of all, she and her ex-partner Chris Martin, the father of her two children, have shielded their privacy as much as possible.

(Image: Gwyneth Paltrow / Instagram)

While it is common to see Gwyneth Paltrow with Apple and Moses on Instagram, the posts are controlled and careful, and the children nearly always appear by the side of a parent.

(Image: Gwyneth Paltrow / Instagram)

That is precisely why Gwyneth Paltrow's revelation about her first day as a mother was so surprising: she had almost died during Apple's birth.

(Photo: Armchair Expert Podcast)

The actress visited 'Armchair Expert,' a podcast by Dax Shepard and Monica Padman, one of the most popular in the global podcastphere. It is described as "a podcast that celebrates the messiness of being human."

(Photo: Armchair Expert Podcast)

In fact, it was the second time Gwyneth Paltrow was on the podcast, after being a guest in March 2019. It may have been the confidence of this repeated visit that gave her the confidence to discuss something she had never talked about before.

(Photo: Armchair Expert Podcast)

It was 14 May 2004 and Apple's delivery was so complicated that her mother almost died. "I had two caesareans [C-sections]," she said in the podcast. "My daughter was an emergency [C-section], it was crazy, we almost died. It was, like, not good."

(Photo: Gwyneth Paltrow / Instagram)

Paltrow had already revealed at some point that her labor had lasted no less than 70 hours.

(Photo: Gwyneth Paltrow / Instagram)

Although the show's listeners and presenters wanted more details, Gwyneth Paltrow left it at that. She only said that there was a "big scar across my body" which reminds her of what happened on 14 May 2004.

(Photo: Gwyneth Paltrow / Instagram)

In the podcast, the actress emphasized her direct criticism of the beauty convention imposed by society. She described them as "sexist."

(Photo: Armchair Expert Podcast

Gwyneth Paltrow wondered "what women are supposed to look like" after giving birth. In addition, she is grateful that "there wasn't Instagram when I had babies." Paltrow believes she would have been criticised for not fitting in with the beauty standards.

"If I see someone [say], 'Oh I just gave birth two weeks ago and I have a completely washboard stomach,' ... I'm like, wow that's not what I [looked like]," the actress said wryly.

While such cases are not the norm, they are often presented as the example to follow. "Great, more power to the lady with the washboard [abs]," she says, "but that is totally the exception and then now we're being fed all of these other images of what we're supposed to look like all the time — babies, no babies, whatever."

(Photo: Gwyneth Paltrow / Instagram)

For Gwyneth Paltrow, these standards are "past perfectionism" and she hopes that, little by little, situations like hers will become normalised. She added, "I think women really need to be friends with each other."

(Photo: Gwyneth Paltrow / Instagram)

Since everything turned out fine for the family, 2022 will be a special year. Gwyneth Paltrow will celebrate her 50th birthday while Apple Martin turns 18. A serious party is coming up at the Paltrow household.

(Photo: Gwyneth Paltrow / Instagram)

While working on the Goop business, Paltrow is also the executive producer of the television movie 'One Hit Wonders.' It follows three '90s pop stars who come back together to form a supergroup. She's also been spotted in a controversial Super Bowl commercial while drinking from one of her candles.

Meanwhile, the world is just waiting for the Oscar-winning actress to pay a third visit to Dax Shepard and Monica Padman so that she can spill another fascinating secret.

(Photo: Gwyneth Paltrow / Instagram)