Kate Ferdinand enjoyed a sweet day out pumpkin picking with her newborn daughter and her family on Tuesday after detailing her difficult birth.
The former TOWIE star, 32, who welcomed baby Shae with husband Rio Ferdinand in July, recently revealed their second child was born with congenital pneumonia.
As well as being a mother to their two-year-old son Cree, Kate is also a stepmother to Rio’s children Lorenz, 17, Tate, 14, and Tia, 12 – who he shared with wife Rebecca Ellison before she died of breast cancer in 2015, aged just 34.
Sharing photos of their family day out, Kate was joined by her stepchildren and her friend at Tulleys Farm in Crawley.
She opted for a casual look, wearing a khaki green hoodie with matching joggers and a bomber jacket.
Cute: Kate Ferdinand, 32, enjoyed a sweet day out pumpkin picking with her newborn daughter and her family after detailing her difficult birth
Family fun: As well as being a mother to their two-year-old son Cree, Kate is also a stepmother to Rio’s children Lorenz, 17, Tate, 14, and Tia, 12
Smiling for a photo, Kate cradled Shae in her arms, while another snap showed her stepchildren collecting pumpkins.
‘A very cute morning pumpkin picking,’ she captioned the post.
It comes after Kate spoke in more detail about her difficult birth with daughter Shae.
Sharing all in an emotional episode of her podcast Blended, the former TOWIE star described her panic after her newborn was rushed to NICU minutes after she gave birth in July.
Kate and her husband, ex footballer Rio, were shocked after being told their second child was born with congenital pneumonia and Kate has previously told how she spent days without her baby amid the health scare.
Congenital pneumonia can cause respiratory distress within the first 24 hours of life and can be caused by an infection in the foetal fluid.
Speaking in detail on her podcast, Kate also opened up on how she is juggling parenting her newborn with her other children Cree, two and stepkids Lorenz, Tate and Tia.
Kate opened the episode by apologising to her fans for being absent from the podcast and her social media as she enjoyed her ‘baby bubble.’
Smiles: Sharing photos of their family day out on Tuesday, Kate was joined by her stepchildren and her friend at Tulleys Farm in Crawley
Out and about: ‘A very cute morning pumpkin picking,’ she captioned the post
She then went into detail about her birth in July, noting that ‘in true Ferdinand style nothing went exactly to plan!’
Shae was born via a planned c-section, with Kate admitting that in the days and hours leading up to the birth ‘I was so chilled’ after undergoing an emergency c-section with her son Cree.
But she went on to explain that as soon as she ‘stepped into the theatre I just panicked. I have never had a panic attack but I envision that’s what a panic attack feels like.’
‘I had the spinal so I was numb from the waist down and I just felt so claustrophobic.’
‘Rio was trying to talk to me and I literally couldn’t talk to anyone. Everyone was happy in the room and I just kept saying “am I meant to be excited now?” I don’t know what came over me.’
Kate’s panic intensified after Shae was born as she recalls how her daughter wasn’t crying immediately.
‘She was really cold and very blue. I felt very spaced out when they gave her to me so it felt quite different to Cree, I didn’t connect,’ Kate told listeners.
‘Then in the recovery room she was screaming. Normally you can calm them down so I asked the midwife “can I feed her” I am bottle feeding, and she looked at me and said “I’m going to feed her”. And when she said that I knew that there was something wrong.’
Kate describes how midwives were rubbing Shae to try and get more oxygen into her, a moment she said was ‘absolutely terrifying.’
Mum: It comes after Kate spoke in more detail about her difficult birth with daughter Shae and described her panic after her newborn was rushed to NICU minutes after being born
Traumatic: Kate and her husband, ex footballer Rio Ferdinand , were shocked after being told their second child was born with congenital pneumonia in July
Shae was then taken to NICU and Rio went with her leaving Kate alone. ‘I am sitting in the room, no Rio, no baby and I’m watching Love Island. I just felt like it was a complete out of body of experience. I’ve given birth, no one’s here, how guilty do I feel watching Love Island and my baby is in NICU,’ Kate explained.
Later, as her spinal wore off, Kate was allowed into intensive care to see Shae. ‘I was hysterical. I couldn’t pick her up. I didn’t really want to be there,’ an emotional Kate recalled.
‘It was harder being next to her and not being able to be with her and just stare at her not being well than being away from her. Then I had terrible guilt about not wanting to be there. Mum guilt hit me from the very minute she was born.’
After five days in hospital both Kate and Shae were allowed home, but Kate admitted she has ‘felt a little bit more needy with Shay, I want to feed her more and have her next to me. For those first few weeks I just needed her next to me.’
