Louise Thompson: Maternity care is bleak! Mental and physical scars of my traumatic birth

Happy Place with Fearne Cotton

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Monday, 26 January 2026 - 58 minutes

Everyone deserves a safe and dignified birth, but when Louise Thompson gave birth to son Leo, she was left with post-traumatic stress disorder.In this chat with Fearne, Louise talks through how her PTSD manifests, the way she disassociates, and the therapies she’s tried to work through it, including CBT and EMDR.She explains why her own experience has led her to petition the government. She wants to appoint a Maternity Commissioner to improve maternity care for mums and babies in the UK.Four years post-birth, Louise is reflecting on the ways she’s grown from her trauma, and is exploring how she can allow herself to slow down while maintaining her ambitious nature.Louise and Fearne also both share how they use busyness as a distraction from their uncomfortable thoughts, and wonder what being ‘likeable’ even means...Sign Louise’s Maternity Commissioner petition here If you liked this episode of Happy Place, you might also like: Davina McCall Liberty Mills Ellie Simmonds  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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