BBC Strictly's Oti Mabuse and husband open up about support after 'traumatic' birth
Strictly Come Dancing star Oti Mabuse has opened up about her "exhausting" journey into motherhood after her baby daughter was born prematurely and contracted sepsis.
Strictly Come Dancing star Oti Mabuse has shared that she and her husband Marius lepure received support with the "traumatic" birth of their first child.
The 33 year old dancer became a mum in December and described the arrival of their baby as "the best news". However, she also revealed that their journey was tough as their baby, whose name is still a secret, was born very early and got sepsis.
Oti, who is now recovering, has thanked the NHS for providing them with a therapist to look after their mental health. Speaking to the Sun on Sunday, the Dancing On Ice judge said: "You don't always have that as a new mum. It was helpful for someone to ask me, 'How are you feeling? How are you dealing with these new emotions?'"
She explained that doctors caught the sepsis infection in time and she felt in "safe hands".
But it was hard seeing her baby girl ill and having to learn to breathe by herself. She said it took time, but the hospital staff were "amazing".
She added: "We went every day. I got on with it and I had a lot of support from my family and friends, keeping me positive."
Despite the scary experience, Oti found it "empowering" and watching her husband become a dad made her "fall more in love" with him.
Like all new parents, she is now trying to get used to the "exhaustion" that comes with a newborn.
On This Morning, Oti Mabuse told Josie Gibson and Craig Doyle: "It's a new level of exhaustion that you learn to work with but it is the most amazing thing ever what you wake up to in the morning and you see your little baby's face.
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"And you are just like wow, I absolutely love you. I love motherhood, I love how it feels, I love that just new feeling of what I need to become to be strong for you and the gratitude that I have to actually have a baby girl."
She had earlier shared that she and her partner tried for "a while" to have a baby.
Oti first told everyone the happy news on ITV's Oti Mabuse's Breakfast Show in November. She hugged her husband Marius, 41, as she said they had been keeping "some good news" quiet.
She also posted on Instagram to tell her fans: "Our 'yes' year is getting better and better and so is our little family. We feel finally ready and excited to share our wonderful news. This is new for us scarier than swimming with sharks, jumping off cliffs or even swinging from bridges but the best news we could have ever ask for."