Louise Thompson: 'I'll never be mentally strong enough to carry another child' after near death experience
Louise Thompson has said she doesn't feel “mentally strong enough” to have another child after experiencing major complications following the birth of her son Leo.
The former Made In Chelsea star, 34, underwent an emergency C-section, which resulted in a series of complications including hemorrhages after giving birth to her first child with fiancé Ryan Libbey in November 2021.
She was subsequently diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and has had several surgeries since, including the part removal of her colon and fitting of a stoma bag.
On Tuesday's episode of Lorraine, Thompson recounted how she witnessed herself “nearly bleeding to death” during the emergency surgery before explaining why she won't be able to become pregnant again.
She bravely shared: “I will never be mentally strong enough to carry another child, I have Asherman's syndrome where my uterus is glued together.
“I had a year with no periods. I had surgery to fix that and then I had another haemorrhage.
“Doctors said we do not want to risk doing more surgery in that area, we want you to live”.
Two and half years after the birth of her son, Thompson said she feels “95 per cent” back to her old self, adding: “I genuinely feel lucky to come out the other side.”
She continued: “There was a time I thought I was never going to get to this place, I have lost 12 litres of blood over a couple of years.
“Prior to this I had no experience of hospitals. I was the poster girl of health. I want to encourage people to talk more openly about this sort of thing.”
Before his son’s birth, the fitness influencer faced challenges after being caught in a house fire prior to the little one’s arrival.
The E4 star said: “I was involved in a house fire just before birth. I felt I was not listened to and there was a lot of inconsistencies in my care and I feel I had to jump through hurdles just to get seen.
“If it was a planned C-section it could have been avoided. I am per cent back to my old self”.
The TV star also explained her partner Ryan Libbey was as traumatised as she was.
Thompson shared: “I think the horrific thing was that I was not asleep with my partner in the room. I think that genuinely added to PTSD.
“I was witnessing myself bleed to death. I wish I was put asleep. It was one of the things I questioned in my birth debrief to try and get some answers… that was very difficult.
“In the early days we had no relationship, we had our own versions of PTSD… He would get flashbacks.
“He is not in the place to start proper therapy yet. He would check on me all night making sure I was not going to die… He would get angry driving past the hospitals.
“He took Leo for one appointment at the hospital and I thought that was very brave.”
The reality TV star-turned-influencer has been open about battling both bowel condition ulcerative colitis and autoimmune disease lupus.
Ulcerative colitis is a chronic bowel condition where the colon and rectum become inflamed and small ulcers develop on the colon's lining, which can bleed. The condition has no cure, but can be effectively managed with time.
