St Kilda star Josh Battle welcomes baby daughter with partner Casey Ollier, shares heartfelt update on Instagram
Josh Battle and his partner Casey Ollier have a new addition to their family. Battle’s daughter, Bobbi Lee Battle, was born on Monday. The St Kilda Saints star revealed the news publicly in an Instagram post on Wednesday which featured three pictures of his daughter, one of which included Josh holding Bobbi with Casey lying next to him.
Fans and colleagues have joined the couple to celebrate the news of his newborn daughter’s safe arrival. Bobbi is the couple’s first child, although Josh’s partner Casey Ollier has a three-year-old from a previous relationship.
The St Kilda Saints shared the news on social media on Wednesday 17th of April, referring to Battle’s baby girl as, “our newest Sainter.”
Fans and AFL players took to social media to congratulate the couple. Carlton star Anthony Koutoufides was quick to drop his congratulations. Former Saints player Dan Hannebery, who now plays for Sydney, also congratulated Josh and didn’t miss the opportunity to tease him about his shirtless appearance in one of the pictures. Other stars such as Western Bulldogs tagger James Harmes and Collingwood player Jordan De Goey also joined the couple in celebrating the birth of their daughter.
25-year-old Josh Battle has played 106 games for the Saints since he was picked by the club in 2016. Despite just having a child, Josh still played for the Saints in a match against the Western Bulldogs the day after he made the announcement.
Fans Criticize Josh Battle’s Shirtless Picture with Daughter
A number of his followers criticized Josh’s decision to go shirtless in one of the pictures he included in the post. The picture in question features Josh Battle and his partner Casey Ollier lying side by side on the hospital bed with little baby Bobbi cradled in Josh’s arms.
In reality, Josh’s decision to go shirtless is likely just him following standard medical advice. Hospitals now promote skin-to-skin contact between father and child after birth. There are numerous benefits of a father holding their babies ‘skin to skin’ shortly after birth, the main benefit being the increase of the bond between the father and the child. This has been practiced by mothers for years and now fathers are encouraged to do the same.
Fortunately, most of his followers weren’t distracted by Josh being shirtless and were simply overjoyed at the news of his daughter’s birth. Congratulations continue to pour in for Josh and his partner Casey.