Louise Thompson ‘too ashamed to say no’ to breastfeeding son after birth trauma

Former Made In Chelsea star Louise Thompson opened up about being convicted of bottle feeding her son and the trauma she went through after he was born

Louise Thompson spoke openly about her birth trauma and the struggles she went through when it came to breastfeeding her son Leo.

The former Made In Chelsea star, 31, and her fiancé Ryan Libbey, also 31, welcomed their son in November after a complicated birth.

She came close to dying during his birth and has since struggled with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other complications.

The reality star has now taken to Instagram to share a few photos of her bottle feeding her son while posing in the kitchen.

Louise captioned the post: “Trigger Warning: Birth Trauma. For a while I was aware of posting something with Leo and a plastic bottle in it because I thought I would be judged.

“I remember when I first got home I told Ryan he couldn’t post an Insta story because she had a bottle in the background. I was always looking for those ugly little things.

“Obviously I’d prefer to show off the all-natural, healthy, skin-on-skin look…but that wasn’t a reality for me.”

She went on to say that she had no “choice in this matter” and that she “shouldn’t have put so much blame on me for not choosing to bottle feed our son.”

“I think it’s important to highlight these types of experiences in order to break down the stigma associated with bottle feeding and other challenges that new parents face. The truth is – there are many women who cannot breastfeed, and many of those women feel guilty about what society sees as the optimal option,” added Louise.

“It’s funny that I’ve always hated the ‘breast is best’ label thrown around during my online NCT courses.

“Most lactation specialists have a general attitude of ‘moving on’ because they think that many mothers feel like they’re giving up ‘too soon’.”

She recalled that Leo was “practically thrown at her” and urged to breastfeed right after her first surgery.

At the time, she was on one of the many blood transfusions she had and was taking many medications. She said, “Something about it just felt really gross.”

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“I was too ashamed to say no so I moved on,” added the mum. “Then I was in excruciating pain as my damaged uterus contracted (and bled) but was told to move on. The funny thing is I was really good at it. Leo was fantastic at latching and I had lots of milk. and while it was nice to connect, something about it just didn’t feel right.

“Anyway, it turns out I knew my body pretty well because the pain turned out to be severe and I ended up in intensive care where I was losing my milk anyway. Sometimes people should accept that we know our own bodies best. There is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all guideline when it comes to health (or raising a child). Here’s how to do it.

Louise has been open about the struggles she has faced since giving birth to Leo. One of them is the struggle to leave the house.

However, the reality star has been working hard to turn things around.

With her future husband Ryan by her side, she even hit the gym to work on her fitness.

The star struggles with anxiety and shared that it flares up in certain rooms of her home.

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