Marlène Schiappa, 43, Welcomes Baby After years of Uncertainty, Reveals Grueling 36-Hour Labor & Emotional Reflection: “It’s the Last Time”
PARIS – french politician Marlène Schiappa and her husband, Matthias Savignac, president of MGEN, have welcomed a new child, a development the couple previously believed unfeasible after being advised too consider adoption or “mourn” the possibility of having a baby. Schiappa, 43, shared details of her journey to motherhood, including a surprise pregnancy discovered during a yellow fever vaccine appointment and a challenging 36-hour labor, in recent interviews.
schiappa and Savignac, who met in New York at the end of 2022, quickly discussed expanding their family, already parents to two children. However, initial medical assessments were discouraging. “We were told to mourn, to think about adoption,” Schiappa confided.The unexpected pregnancy was revealed when a vaccination center refused her a yellow fever shot,informing her they do not vaccinate pregnant women. Savignac recounted the moment, recalling his wife urgently requesting he leave a meeting with the reassuring, yet initially alarming, words: “Don’t worry…”
The pregnancy was closely monitored due to a previous miscarriage in 2021 and initial pessimism from healthcare professionals.”When we have already experienced this and the medical profession announces that we are going to experience it again, it is challenging to be only in joy,” Schiappa explained. Despite the anxieties, the pregnancy progressed, requiring frequent ultrasounds.
Schiappa emphasized the realities of late pregnancies, cautioning against romanticizing the experience. “you should not make people believe that it is easy… Let 35-year-old women not say to themselves: ‘I still have 15 years ahead of me’,” she stated, referencing actresses Virginie Efira and Naomi Campbell.
The birth itself was a lengthy and arduous process, lasting 36 hours. Schiappa poignantly reflected on the emotional weight of potentially having her last child,stating,”When we certainly know that it is indeed her last baby,it’s not the same… I tell myself that this is the last time I breastfeed.”
Despite the challenges, Schiappa is now enjoying motherhood while simultaneously preparing for the release of her new book, the Machosphere, which addresses digital violence against women, and considering a run in the 2026 municipal elections.