Louise Thompson has revealed that she will "never mentally be strong enough to carry a child" due to her post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after giving birth to son Leo.
The former Made In Chelsea star nearly lost her life while delivering her son Leo in November 2021. The 34 year old ended up having an emergency caesarean section because her baby's head became wedged in her pelvis during the late stages of labour.
The NHS medical team operated for three hours to stop a haemorrhage, while Louise was awake and not under general anaesthetic. PTSD episodes have since left her screaming in bed and paralysed, and she's endured ongoing medical issues ever since.
During an appearance on ITV's Lorraine on Tuesday, 21 May, Louise discussed whether she would have more children, saying: "It's still fairly inconclusive. I will never mentally be strong enough to carry a child and physically I have something called Asherman syndrome where my uterus is glued together with scar tissue."
"I suppose in one sense, it's a bit of a miracle that I didn't have to have a hysterectomy, so I do still have a womb."
"I had a year with no periods, then I had a surgery to try and fix that and then that ended up in another haemorrhage so where I am left currently is that the hospital have sort of said: 'It would be too threatening. We wouldn't want to do another surgery in that area. Let's let you live.'"
"Equally I am so grateful to have one beautiful, healthy child who has lots of friends and cousins."
"I do have ovaries and embryos so there is a chance I could freeze some eggs... when I am ready.."
Discussing her birth experience, she shared: "I had pretty severe anxiety following a miscarriage. I was involved in a house fire just before birth.
"Firmly, I really wanted a c-section and I knew that from the beginning. I wasn't somebody who dreamt of a water birth or a home birth. Sadly, I felt like I wasn't listened to and there wasn't a lot of consistency of care and I was pointed in lots of different directions.
"I just felt like I had to jump over a lot of hurdles to even be seen. If it had been a planned c-section it could have been avoided."
She added: "One of the things that was really, really horrific about the whole experience was that I wasn't put to sleep. I was awake during the operation which was over three hours with my partner in the room witnessing it too. It's unthinkable.
"I think that that definitely contributed to the development of PTSD because you're aware of everything that's going on. You're witnessing yourself bleed to death and you can see the panic in the room, you can feel the shaky hands on your body.
"I wish that I had been put to sleep. I have spoken to some other women who have been through some fairly traumatic births and they were put under general anaesthetic and their partner had to leave the room.
"It was one of the things that I questioned when I went back for my birth debrief when I finally felt strong enough two years later to try and get some answers there wasn't really a good explanation, to be honest."
The reality star has recently opened up about living with a stoma bag as she fights against a chronic bowel condition. She is battling ulcerative colitis, which causes parts of the gut to swell, inflame and develop ulcers, as well as lupus, a long-term auto-immune disease that results in fatigue and joint pain.
Sharing that she has named her stoma bag 'Winner', she admitted: "I feel so good. This is the best I have felt in two and a half, three years, and even pre-pregnancy. I feel really well, even to the point my family and friends have said: 'Maybe I should have my colon removed.'"
Louise also gave an interview to ITV News, where she admitted that the trauma of Leo's birth and the resulting effect on her "tore my family apart", even revealing that "there was a point that no-one was speaking to one another".
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