My mother was diagnosed with PTSD after the baby had a stroke following a forceps delivery

A mother who was devastated when her daughter suffered a stroke due to a forceps delivery has revealed her girl is now doing well. Honey Attridge, 39, was in hour 36 of labor when her baby’s shoulder got stuck, leaving doctors with no choice but to pull the baby out.

Just 24 hours later, baby Sophie, now four, stopped breathing and doctors 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 in London for three weeks, she was finally able to go home.

Sophie suffered mild cerebral palsy from birth and mother Honey was diagnosed with PTSD. The mother-of-one, from Farnborough, Hampshire, now wants other mothers to know it’s ‘OK to ask for help’.

Honey, a fellow 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 few weeks of her life I couldn’t hold her or feed her – I was living a nightmare. I couldn’t eat or sleep, and I felt like I was failing as a child.’ mother.

“But with the right help, things got better, and mothers need to know they are not alone.”

Honey and husband, Rob Attridge, 41, who works for Transport for London, had been trying to have a baby for three years before discovering they both had fertility problems in 2016. The couple were on an IVF waiting list when Honey became three months pregnant naturally. later on.

The mother-of-one went into labor at 38 weeks, but despite wanting a natural birth, medics rushed Honey to theater 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 to birth the rest of her naturally.

“I only caught a glimpse of her before they took her to the NICU. I carried her for so long and it was hard to see her being taken away.”

After spending 24 hours in intensive care, Sophie was transferred to St Mary’s Hospital, where an MRI scan revealed she had suffered a neonatal stroke. She spent the next three weeks in the NICU before the couple could bring her home. But what was meant to be a happy moment for the couple quickly became Honey’s ‘worst nightmare’ when she became ‘terrified’ of her own baby.

She said: “We felt guilty taking our healthy baby home because we knew it wouldn’t be the same for everyone. When we got home, I struggled not to get the great care we got at the hospital.

“I was afraid to touch her and didn’t like being a mother because I was tense all the time. When Rob went back to work, everything spiraled: 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 something bad would happen.”

After a ‘heartbreaking’ five months of motherhood, Honey was referred to a specialist perinatal clinical psychologist, where she was diagnosed with PTSD. She underwent ten months of therapy and claims it changed her life for the better.

Honey said: “After just 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 saw the charity Bliss on social media, and it was a relief to know I wasn’t alone. I became so determined to raise awareness that I joined others in providing evidence for the birth trauma survey for the APPG 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 great.

“She loves bug hunting, spending time with her nieces and nephews and reading, and we are so proud of her.”