Former Made in Chelsea star Louise Thompson has shared that she doesn’t plan to carry another child after the traumatic birth of her son Leo in 2021.
Louise, who welcomed Leo with her fiancé Ryan Libbey, suffered severe and lasting complications during and after the delivery complications she has described as both life-threatening and life-changing.
Following the birth, Louise developed Asherman’s Syndrome, a condition caused by scar tissue forming in the uterus, which can lead to chronic pelvic pain, irregular periods, and in some cases, infertility. Now 35, she has explained that carrying and safely delivering another baby is no longer possible for her.
Louise is using her experience to call for improved awareness, education, and support for women who go through similarly traumatic births, hoping her story will help others receive better care in the future.
Louise explained that concerns about fertility and population issues have become a frequent topic among people around her, and that many women reach out to her with similar struggles. Speaking about her own experience, she said she will not be able to carry another child.
In addition to developing Post Traumatic Stress Disorder after Leo’s birth, Louise now lives with a stoma bag and has become a vocal advocate for improving maternity care and raising awareness of birth-related trauma.
During her delivery, she lost three-and-a-half litres of blood after an emergency C-section. Not long after returning home, she suffered a second severe haemorrhage, losing around five litres of blood and needing to be rushed back to hospital.
Earlier this year, she addressed the Birth Trauma All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG), which was formed to highlight the experiences of parents who have suffered physical or psychological harm during childbirth.
Louise, who has been engaged to Ryan Libbey for eight years, has also joined forces with former MP Theo Clarke — the founder of the APPG and the driving force behind the first parliamentary inquiry into birth trauma — to discuss her own experience and the changes she believes the healthcare system urgently needs.
She explained that she wishes women undergoing long or complex procedures were given the option of a general anaesthetic, noting that much of her trauma might have been avoided had she not been awake during her surgery.
Louise also stressed the importance of better antenatal education and urged the NHS to review its weekend staffing levels, when specialist support may be limited for women facing complications.
The Made In Chelsea star, who rose to fame in 2011, added that she is trying to hold onto the few positives that emerged from her ordeal.
She reflected: “It completely paused my life, but it also gave me the chance to rebuild it in a different way. One of the unexpected outcomes of going through something so incredibly difficult is that it changes how you see the world.”