Made in Chelsea star Louise Thompson has welcomed her first child with her fiancé Ryan Libbey, a baby boy named Leo-Hunter.
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In a new Instagram post, the TV star shared the happy news but also explained how both she and her baby boy have been unwell in hospital for the past five weeks, and Louise was even left fighting for her life more than once. She wrote: "Hello everyone, this post isn’t an easy one for me to write. I have so many things that I want to say but at the same time I’m struggling to find the words to explain what has happened to me and my family so for now I will keep it quite simple. The reason I have been absent for weeks is because I have been very unwell."
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She continued: "5 weeks ago I gave birth to my beautiful baby boy Leo-Hunter Libbey weighing in at 7lbs. Unfortunately it wasn’t the easiest start for either of us. One ended up in NICU and the other ended up in ICU.
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"Whilst Leo made a fairly quick recovery, I have been recovering in hospital for a month with various serious complications.
Louise's first photo of her baby boy, Leo
"In all honesty I never imagined that so many bad things could happen to me, but to dance with death twice brings a whole new view of the world - a stark reminder of how short and sacred life really is."
Louise told her fans to start living and loving and "enjoying every minute detail in life".
"The reality is that I am in a bit of a strange place mentally and physically and I might be for a while, but that’s just part of me now and part of my recovery. It's not going to be easy or linear but thankfully I am being offered some very valuable psychological help and the good news is that I’m starting to experience some good hours as well as bad ones. (Sometimes living hour by hour is your only option).
The TV star revealed she suffered a terrifying birth ordeal
"I want to finish with some happy news…I have been given the green light and been discharged from hospital which means that I'm able to recover from the comfort of my own home for Christmas. For the first time in a month I actually see a future where I get to live peacefully on this earth with my son.
"I can’t wait to start our new journey together as a family of 3 and to start bonding little baby Leo," the new mum continued.
The couple announced their pregnancy in May
Her followers rushed to the comments section to share their love. Jess Wright was among the first to comment: "Congratulations Louise & sending so much love & strength to you right now. Leo looks amazing."
Ferne McCann added: "Sending so much love and strength my darling. Praying by for you. Congratulations on Leo. He looks so perfect," and Lisa Snowdon remarked: "Oh gosh darling. How incredibly scary. Sending you love and strength to continue on your healing path…. A huge but gentle cuddle and a warm welcome to the world baby Leo."
Louise and Ryan, who got engaged in August 2018, announced they were pregnant back in May 2021 with a snap of the loved-up couple holding up a baby scan photo. She told her followers: "The last 12 weeks have been quite challenging," after suffering a heartbreaking miscarriage.
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