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Celebrity

06th Oct 2023

‘Something was wrong’ – Kate Ferdinand opens up about daughter’s complicated birth

Kat O'Connor

*Warning* Some readers may find this article distressing

Kate Ferdinand has spoken out about her daughter’s difficult first few days.

Kate Ferdinand has bravely spoken out about her daughter’s complicated birth. The mum stepped out of the spotlight shortly after welcoming her daughter Shae, but is now ready to talk about what happened when her daughter was born.

Kate and Rio’s daughter was born with congenital pneumonia, meaning her lungs needed support in a special unit.

When her daughter was born, doctors quickly realised something was wrong and told Kate she wasn’t getting enough oxygen. This meant her little girl was rushed to another unit for specialist care.

Kate said she never thought she would be separated from her little girl on the night she was born.

In a new video, Kate discussed just how hard it was to be separated from her daughter in hospital. She explained that it was difficult for her to tell this story because it was such a heartbreaking time for her family.

Thankfully, baby Shae is doing much better now, but Kate felt it was important to share the reality.

“After all your lovely messages of encouragement I’ve finally plucked up the courage and will be sharing our birth story,” she wrote.

In the video, Kate is sitting in her hospital bed crying with her newborn in her arms.

She says: “I could just tell they thought there was something wrong. She’s not taking in the right amount of oxygen so she’s gone to the special care unit.”

 

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Her husband Rio Ferdinand said you never expect something like this to happen to your child.

“You don’t ever think about negatives. You don’t come into the hospital thinking your first night is going to be your baby alone on another ward.”

Kate added: “I’ve been really strong but if I think about it I’ll cry. I just want her here now.”

Kate’s followers praised her for being so honest about her experience, with many mums revealing they went through similar moments in hospital with their own children.

One mum said: “Thank you both for sharing such personal and precious first moments with us all. You have no idea what it means for our community to see you highlight the realities that so many of us parents face when having a newborn in special care or the neonatal unit.”

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