Capital FM star Aimee Vivian revealed that her breast milk nearly killed her after she welcomed her baby daughter earlier this year.
The DJ, 37, announced she’d welcomed her first child, a baby girl with husband Steve Carter on June 15 but was hospitalised weeks later after contracting sepsis.
Now in a new interview, Aimee has revealed how she thought she was going to die after becoming so unwell.
The radio star is now back home in Buckinghamshire with daughter Charli and is raising awareness of the causes of the breast condition mastitis and the subsequent deadly sepsis infection.
She told The Mirror: ‘I remember looking at a hospital midwife and saying ‘please don’t let me die tonight’. I really thought I wasn’t going to make it. I still can’t believe something so simple, which is supposed to provide life, almost ended mine.’
Aimee explained how she had a ‘straightforward’ pregnancy and had a ‘really positive Caesarian’ before leaving hospital after one night.
Capital FM star Aimee Vivian revealed that her breast milk nearly killed her after she welcomed her baby daughter earlier this year
The DJ, 37, announced she’d welcomed her first child, a baby girl with husband Steve Carter on June 15 but was hospitalised weeks later after contracting sepsis
She explained that her body produced an abundance of breast milk and ‘everyone was telling me it was brilliant’ but when she got home things became more ‘difficult’ as her baby girl had difficulty latching on to breastfeed because of a tongue tie.
Tongue tie is a condition where tissue connecting a baby’s tongue to the floor of the mouth is shorter than normal.
Aimee made an appointment for Charli to see the doctors to fix the problem and in the meantime used a breast pump to help her feed and to ease the huge supplies of milk her body was producing.
However, her breasts soon became painfully engorged and despite medics advice very little worked and she began to feel unwell, suffering from headaches and cold chills.
Aimee revealed that she believed she had symptoms of mastitis – an inflammatory condition is common in breastfeeding women and can be caused by an infection or a build up of milk.
Symptoms can include swollen breasts which are hot to the touch as well as ‘flu like symptoms.
Aimee made an appointment to see a GP who wasn’t convinced it was mastitis but started on antibiotics.
As her health deteriorated, she explained: ‘I woke up early one Sunday morning to feed Charli and I was so cold my whole body was shaking. My head hurt so much I could barely lift it. Then I tried to pump some milk. The pain was excruciating and it was clear the milk was infected – there was puss in it.’
Aimee revealed she was rushed to hospital after asking for help from Instagram fans when a local midwife told her ‘don’t leave it any longer’ and to go straight to A&E.
Within a couple of hours Aimee was admitted and hooked up to intravenous antibiotics with what doctors told her was a ‘serious infection’ later confirmed as sepsis.
Now in a new interview, Aimee has revealed how she thought she was going to die after becoming so unwell, ‘The pain was excruciating and it was clear the milk was infected – there was puss in it’
Aimee announced she’d welcomed her first child earlier this year with husband Steve Carter
Aimee added: ‘It was horrible. I felt so unwell and so upset that as a new mum I couldn’t be with my baby. The fear of dying when you hear sepsis is very real. I remember Steve and Charli had been to visit and when they’d gone I thought ‘what if I never see him or her again?’
After four days in hospital, the radio star was allowed home but her recovery was slow not just physically but also mentally.
Now Aimee is determined to speak out to help other woman and is ‘excited’ for the next chapter with her little girl.
Aimee announced she’d welcomed her first child last month after fans spotted her missing from the annual Summertime Ball at Wembley Stadium.
She shared a gorgeous snap of herself cradling the tot who was wrapped in a blanket stitched with her name ‘Charli’ and penned: ‘Charli Carter. The girl who stole my heart forever’.
Hours earlier Aimee also posted a throwback from last year’s Summertime Ball and said: ‘Wishing my @capitalofficial & all of you an amazing Summertime ball day’
‘Sad to miss it but as you might of guessed by my silence on here, our new little addition has arrived so we have very much been in our newborn love bubble’.
She continued: ‘Swapping backstage at Wembley for watching on YouTube with milk in one hand and a nappy in the other this year. Update on baby soon’.
Aimee Vivian has been a DJ at Capital FM since 2015, hosting the afternoon show from Monday to Saturday.
