LW: Louise Thompson opens up on her birth trauma
Louise Thompson candidly revealed on Loose Women she "wanted to die" following her harrowing ordeal during childbirth.
After enduring a brutal labour, her newborn's head became trapped in her pelvis. An emergency caesarean was performed, yet the operation took a severe turn as Louise lost an alarming three-and-a-half litres of blood when medics struggled to control a haemorrhage for over three hours.
In the aftermath of this life-threatening experience, she was informed that her womb had ruptured, causing the intense haemorrhage. Currently living with a stoma due to her prolonged fight against ulcerative colitis, Louise endures with a spirit of openness about her health challenges, aiming to inspire and support others.
During her revealing Loose Women talk about the traumatic birth and her ongoing health battles, Louise expressed: "No one really knew how to support me ... I couldn't function at all. The lights were on but no one was home. Someone had turned a dimmer switch on my entire life. It's not just buy a new dress, have a cup of tea, or have a bath. All of your senses are off."
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She continued by sharing her mental approach to recovery: "I thought, if I could pretend, I'd get there one day. It was a traumatic time for everyone. I couldn't really speak for a while; I was non-verbal. I could just write, so some of that went into the book. It was hard, and I think my family did everything they could.
"I was very sick, and I came very close to dying. A lot of it has left me very scarred ... I would say to Ryan, I want to get better because I love you. I didn't feel it, I wanted to die. I said if I can pretend then maybe I'll get there one day."
Louise also recounted the harrowing experience of her son's birth, likening it to a "sick nightmare" and reliving how she felt she was "bleeding to death" She often asked her fiance Ryan during the ordeal if she were still alive, reports the Mirror.
In conversation with MailOnline about that day, she admitted: "I heard a cry as Leo came out, but I didn't care that I had a child. I genuinely believed every second I was bleeding to death. I kept turning to [my fiance] Ryan [Libbey] and asking him whether I was still alive I didn't believe I could be. No one gave us any reassurance; it was all like some sick nightmare.
"Everyone in the room looked very distressed, I could feel their shaky hands on my body. If they'd allowed me to have a planned c-section, things could have been very different."
Post-birth, Louise shared: "I was in a state of perpetual fear and hyper-vigilance, unable to function for a large period of time, sitting on the sofa, completely losing my soul, my personality."
*Loose Women airs weekdays at 12.30pm on ITV1.