Louise Thompson has shared the profound impact of a traumatic birth that left her struggling to bond with her son, Leo, who is now four years old. The former star of "Made In Chelsea" recounted her near-death experience during childbirth in 2021, which necessitated an emergency cesarean section and led to significant complications.
Following Leo's birth, Thompson experienced severe Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and post-natal anxiety. Her health struggles have also included a diagnosis of Lupus, Asherman's syndrome, a second hemorrhage, and the fitting of a stoma bag. These physical and emotional challenges significantly affected her ability to connect with her newborn son in the initial months.
"I found it painful and difficult to engage with him in those early moments – he was associated with what had happened, which was hard for me to process," Thompson told The Telegraph. "His crying was incredibly triggering to me, which sent me into a dissociative state."
Thompson described being denied an elective C-section and being advised to have a home birth, despite her concerns about her physical frame and her baby's size. During labor, her son was unable to fit through her pelvis, leading to the emergency C-section. An artery was nicked during the surgery, resulting in a hemorrhage where she lost 75% of her blood. She required four hours of medical intervention to save her life. Days after returning home, she experienced another hemorrhage. While in the hospital for several weeks, she also suffered from sepsis and pneumonia.
"I sat in that garden for eight hours at a time during my recovery, in the middle of winter, wearing a massive coat, staring into space," she recalled. "I couldn't be inside with anybody. Not even my child. I was really bad. I couldn't think... That, for me, was what death looked like."
This experience has propelled Thompson into advocacy for better maternity care in the UK. In January, she launched a petition calling for the appointment of a maternity commissioner. This week marked a significant milestone in her campaign as Baroness Amos formally recommended such an appointment in her report on maternity and neonatal services.
Thompson also spoke about the emotional toll of not being able to carry another child. She and her partner, Ryan Libbey, are now pursuing IVF and plan to use a surrogate to expand their family, a process she estimates will cost £50,000. She described the complex emotions of witnessing friends' pregnancies while grappling with her own fertility challenges.
"I don't have a hospitable womb. I haven't had a period in four years, not since I had my son," Thompson stated. "And for a long time, I moved forward with such determined speed that I didn't stop to properly mourn what that actually meant."
She reflected on feeling a sense of grief as friends have their second and third children, and memories of her own pregnancy resurface, bringing with them a specific sense of loss for experiences she may never have again.