GB News star Michelle Dewberry has opened up about her “very scary” experience of premature birth during the Covid pandemic.
Speaking on World Prematurity Day, the broadcaster shared her personal ordeal of being unexpectedly hospitalised for nearly a month before delivering her son by emergency C-section.
The former Apprentice winner revealed how her pregnancy took a dramatic turn when complications arose at 28 weeks.
“I was absolutely delighted to have discovered that I was pregnant. But unbeknownst to me, I was going to end up having a very complicated and scary pregnancy,” Michelle told viewers.
The dramatic moment occurred in IKEA, where Michelle’s waters broke unexpectedly at 28 weeks into her pregnancy in 2020.
“I found myself taken immediately to hospital, where they tried to deliver my baby by caesarean at that point,” she explained.
The situation was particularly challenging due to the Covid pandemic, with Michelle spending nearly a month in hospital.
“It was a scary, horrible time. It was during Covid as well, which didn’t help, but all the time I was told that I was at high risk of infection. I didn’t know what was going to happen to me,” she recalled.
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Doctors warned her about potential serious disabilities if her baby survived.
Despite the initial concerns, Michelle’s story had a positive outcome with the delivery of her son at 31 weeks via C-section.
“I’m pleased to say that I did have a C-section at 31 weeks, my little boy, very premature, and spent a long time in NICU. But we are one of the lucky ones,” she shared.
Her experience led her to discover PPROM (Preterm Prelabour Rupture of Membranes) and connect with support organisations.
“Our story has a happy ending and I’ve got a happy, healthy little boy,” Michelle said, acknowledging their fortunate outcome.
During her hospital stay, she became aware of Ciara Curran, who had established an organisation called Little Heartbeats to support women in similar situations.
Ciara Curran, founder of Little Heartbeats, shared her personal motivation for starting the organisation after losing her daughter Sinead in 2010.
“None of the medical staff could tell me…no one understood what was happening. No one could tell me and I just felt that there was a lack of understanding,” Curran explained.
The organisation now provides comprehensive support through their website and Facebook groups for women experiencing PPROM before 37 weeks.
“We have stories of women who brought home babies. We’ve got stories of women who sadly didn’t bring home the babies,” Curran said.
Little Heartbeats also works closely with the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, contributing to medical guidelines and research.