Oti Mabuse has opened up for the first time about the ‘traumatic’ birth of her first child.
The Strictly Come Dancing star announced the arrival of her baby daughter in a Christmas Instagram post but has now explained that she gave birth in the autumn.
Oti explained that her baby daughter was born ‘very premature’ and needed to spend six weeks in hospital before eventually being discharged shortly before Christmas.
The dancer detailed her 16 hour labour and said her daughter was whisked away straight after the birth for tests.
Oti, whose husband is fellow dancer Marius Iepure, was diagnosed with sepsis during the birth and her daughter had infections as a result, leading to a six week stay in NICU.
Oti Mabuse has opened up for the first time about the ‘traumatic’ birth of her first child. The Strictly Come Dancing star announced the arrival of her baby daughter in a Christmas Instagram post but has now explained that she gave birth in the autumn
‘She was very premature, she came really, really early – unexpected premature which was a big, big shock,’ she told the Happy Mum Happy Baby podcast.
‘Going through that emotional trauma that you go through when you have a premature baby, and then being in hospital with the little one for six weeks and then finally coming out and having her home with friends and family over Christmas was really nice.’
Oti said her baby – who was born last autumn in a British hospital – was in ‘critical’ condition in a ‘traumatic’ first six weeks.
Despite an initially seamless pregnancy where she felt ‘sexy’, ’empowered’ and saw her skin ‘glowing’, she was told she had gestational diabetes at 28 weeks, before the premature birth.
‘When I saw her for the first time, shocked that I had done it, and she was the most beautiful human being I had ever seen in my life – gorgeous,’ she said.
‘In that moment when you’re so happy and feeling elated and it took 16 hours, and then they get taken away.
‘Because now, born really tiny, really small, they had to check for infections, if her lungs are good enough, if she can eat on her own, if all her organs have developed and she’s well enough.’
While the birth itself was ‘incredible, serene and everything she wanted’, she added: ‘The last bit was not what I had wanted, where you see your child for two minutes and then get taken away by a group of 10 midwives and doctors.
Oti explained that her baby daughter was born ‘very premature’ and needed to spend six weeks in hospital before eventually being discharged shortly before Christmas (pictured with her husband Marius Iepure last week)
‘That’s when things start to change and things start to hit you and you don’t get that skin on skin, you don’t get to hold your baby.
‘I think we didn’t hold her for about a week, because she was still in an incubator with wires, with jaundice so she was under blue light.
‘She had infections because it turned out I had sepsis and it’s something that was missed or not tested for.’
However, she was very thankful to the care her baby received.
‘The NHS, midwives, doctors and consultants were amazing,’ she added.
‘To be in hospital, and to find this new world the neonatal world, which as a mum you don’t ever think you’re going to end up in, until you’re in it -my emotions were so high because it’s Christmas time.
‘It’s not how you thought it would go. I was taken down in a wheelchair, you can’t get up. The first thing that you want to do is hold the baby, but you can’t, you have to just look at them.
‘And I remember crying because I couldn’t get the wheelchair close enough to her bed and that was traumatising and emotionally very exhausting.’
It’s been a busy start to the year for Oti who returned to her role on the judging panel of Dancing On Ice just three weeks after announcing the birth of her baby girl (pictured with Ashley Banjo, Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean)
The new mum has also been candidly sharing the realities of juggling parenthood with work, explaining in her regular Instagram updates how Marius is at home with their daughter
Oti revealed how her ‘really, really good friend Steph McGovern had given us her flat to live in, she gave up her home and said “you and Marius can use this place for as long as you want. So we were able to have a home and not be far from the hospital.’
Meanwhile Oti’s parents flew over from South Africa to support the couple and her sister Motsi Mabuse also spent Christmas with them.
‘The last ten weeks have been hard, but life changing,’ she said.
‘I haven’t really spoken about it in public, because it was something that we went through and as hard as it was, there were so many learning curves and things to be grateful for.’
It’s been a busy start to the year for Oti who returned to her role on the judging panel of Dancing On Ice just three weeks after announcing the birth of her baby girl.
Oti has been wowing on the live show every Sunday night in a series of stunning looks as she delivers her critique to the celebrity skaters.
The new mum has also been candidly sharing the realities of juggling parenthood with work, explaining in her regular Instagram updates how Marius is at home with their daughter during her DOI commitments.
