A French woman who has admitted killing eight of her newborn babies is relieved that the grim secret is finally out, according to her lawyer, AFP reports.

Dominique Cottrez, 45, of the northern village of Villers-au-Tertre, was charged with multiple counts of murder after the remains of eight infants were found in a garden and in plastic bags in her garage.

She admitted suffocating the infants "because she did not want more children and wished to avoid seeing a doctor for contraception," prosecutor Eric Vaillant told reporters.

Her lawyer, Frank Berton, told reporters that after 20 years, "she doesn't have to carry this on her conscience any more, and that's a kind of relief."

He said Cottrez, who has two daughters, was "tired, worn out and battered down" after her questioning and "in a state of considerable confusion."

One daughter, Emeline, 22, was grief-stricken, but said Cottrez was a 'model mother who supported us at all times," the Daily Mail reports.

Initial charges against her husband were dropped after prosecutors determined that he was not aware of the killings.

A brother-in-law says Cottrez was able to conceal her pregnancies, even from her husband, because she has long been overweight.

(Posted by Doug Stanglin)