A mum left devastated when forceps delivery caused her baby daughter to have a stroke - has revealed her girl is now thriving.
Honey Attridge, 39, was in hour 36 of labour when her baby's shoulder became stuck, leaving medics no choice but to pull the tot out. Just 24 hours later, baby Sophie, now four, stopped breathing and medics discovered she had suffered a stroke caused by the trauma of her arrival. But after ''fighting for her life'' in intensive care, at St Mary's Hospital, London, for three weeks- she was finally able to go home.
Sophie was left with mild cerebral palsy from the birth, and mum Honey was diagnosed with PTSD. The mum-of-one, from Farnborough, Hampshire, is now keen other mums know it's ''OK to ask for help''. Honey, a peer support worker for the Maternity Trauma and Loss Care service, said: "The day after I gave birth to Sophie, I went to see her in intensive care, and she suddenly stopped breathing. She was blue and having seizures, and I burst into tears when she was put on life support.
"I thought my baby was going to die. ''For the first weeks of her life, I couldn't hold or feed her I was living a nightmare. I couldn't eat or sleep, and I felt like I failed as a mother. But with the right help, things got better, and mums need to know they are not alone."
Honey was in hour 36 of labour when her baby's shoulder became stuck - leaving medics no choice but to pull the tot out (Honey Attridge/SWNS)Honey and husband, Rob Attridge, 41, who works for Transport for London, had been trying for a baby for three years before discovering they both had fertility issues in 2016. The pair were on an IVF waiting list when Honey fell pregnant naturally three months later.
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The mum-of-one went into labour at 38 weeks, but despite wanting a natural birth medics rushed Honey into theatre for an emergency forceps delivery. Sophie was born at 3pm on October 20 2019, weighing 9lbs 3oz - at West Middlesex Hospital, London.
She said: "After 36 hours of labour, I was rushed to theatre. Her head was out, but her shoulders were stuck - there was no way of delivering the rest of her naturally. I only caught a glimpse of her before they took her to NICU. I carried her for so long and it was hard to watch her being taken away.''
After 24 hours in intensive care, Sophie was transferred to St Mary's Hospital where an MRI scan revealed she'd had a neonatal stroke. She spent the next three weeks in NICU before the couple could take her home. But what was meant to be a happy moment for the pair quickly became Honey's "worst nightmare" as she became "terrified" of her own baby.
Baby Sophie at two-weeks-old (Honey Attridge/SWNS)She said: "We felt guilty taking our healthy baby home because we knew it wasn't going to be the same for everyone. When we got home, I struggled to not have the amazing care that we did at the hospital. I was scared to touch her and didn't enjoy being a mum because I was on edge all the time.
"When Rob went back to work everything spiralled - I stopped sleeping, eating and leaving the house, and I spent all my time watching her. I hated being left alone with her because I was terrified that something bad would happen." After a "heart breaking" five months of motherhood, Honey was referred to a specialist perinatal clinical psychologist where she was diagnosed with PTSD.
She went through 10 months of therapy and claims it changed her life for the better. Honey said: "After a few sessions, I already felt calmer and more relaxed around my baby, and I knew it would only get better from here. I also spotted the charity Bliss on social media, and it was a relief to know I wasn't alone.
"I've become so determined to raise awareness that I've given evidence to the birth trauma inquiry for the APPG along with others to help women and families get the specialist perinatal MH services they need. Sophie is happy and healthy, and I know how lucky I was to get the help I needed. We have regular appointments for her cerebral palsy, and she is doing amazingly.
"She loves bug hunting, spending time with her cousins and reading, and we are so proud of her."
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