MARNIE Simpson has opened up about being “completely let down” by the NHS when she gave birth to her first child.
The Geordie Shore star is mum to sons Rox and Oax and daughter Kixee Moon with husband Casey Johnson.
But her first childbirth experience, back in 2019, was far from what she wanted, she told Sky News while reflecting on an investigation which found NHS maternity services are in a worse state than expected.
“I can relate to them ladies so much,” Marnie said.
“A very similar thing happened to me.
“I was just ignored. I was told to shut up… I was told to stop it.”
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“They were the words that were used?” the news reported asked.
To which Marnie replied: “Yep, I was told to stop disrupting the other women on the ward.
“I was refused pain relief. Every single thing that I asked for was just not listened to.
“My husband was ignored.
“And it was just such a daunting time.”
She added that she felt as though she “didn’t have a voice”, and “was completely let down”.
And the situation has left Marnie feeling “emotionally and physically” traumatised.
“I suffered with a lot of trauma,” she explained.
“And I feel like this is the thing, it’s a horrible event that occurs in your life, but you carry it with you forever.
“You know, I feel like I was robbed of having that like magical, natural birth that I always dreamed of.
“And I’ll never get to do that. It’s something that like, I’ll always have to live with.”
“It is just so sad that so many women experience this,” Marnie concluded.
The National Maternity and Neonatal Investigation, an independent review conducted by Baroness Amos on the orders of Health Secretary Wes Streeting, was set up to look into NHS failings across the country.
What is postnatal depression?
Postnatal depression is a type of depression that affects parents after they have a baby.
The major depression is triggered by childbirth but is much more severe than just the “baby blues”.
It can also occur following a miscarriage or stillbirth of a baby.
Many women can feel emotional and anxious after the birth of their child, commonly referred to as the “baby blues”, this will only last for a few weeks after giving birth.
If these symptoms start to last longer the NHS advises that you could be suffering with postnatal depression.
The symptoms include but are not limited to: a persistent feeling of sadness, lack of enjoyment and loss of interest in the outside world, as well as your baby, and a lack of energy.
These signs can build up gradually so a lot of people don’t immediately identify that they have postnatal depression.
A number of celebrity mums have opened up about suffering from postnatal depression following giving birth.
Singer Adele has said that after the birth of her son Angelo she felt ‘inadequate’ and embarrassed to talk about how she was feeling.
John Legend’s wife and model Chrissy Teigen revealed she was diagnosed with postnatal depression in December after going into a downward spiral following the birth of her daughter Luna.
Gwyneth Paltrow explained she was dogged by postnatal depression after son Moses was born in 2006.
Loose Woman Stacey Solomon said she suffered from depression after the birth of her first son Zachary when she was just 18 years old.
While her co-host Andrea McLean has also talked about the condition on the programme.
Another famous face to talk about her experience is WAG Rebekah Vardy after she gave birth to son Finley with footballer husband Jamie Vardy.
Kate Middleton visited Maurice Wohl Clinical Neuroscience Institute at King’s College London to discuss postpartum depression with experts.
After speaking to scientists, the Duchess reflected on the day; although she has never explicitly claimed to have suffered with it, she said: “There’s an expectation you’re going to be super happy all the time, and one in four of us aren’t.”
Melanie Hughes, former Miss Wales and Corrie actress tragically passed away in October 2017 due to her heavy drinking, linked to her post natal depression.
And in her first impressions, published yesterday, she said: “I knew that this would be challenging but what I have found so far has been much worse than I anticipated.”
“I could not understand why, having read the media reports over the years of the experiences of harmed and bereaved families, so little seemed to have changed.”
“Nothing prepared me for the scale of unacceptable care that women and families have received, and continue to receive,” she continued.
“It is clear from what I have already seen that change is not only possible, but also necessary and it is urgent.”
The investigation is focused on 12 hospital groups while some of the most concerning receive their own individual inquiries.