Sophie Ellis-Bextor Opens Up About Kit's 'Traumatic' Birth

Eliot Press/Bauer Griffin

Although she delivered her first son — Sonny, 5  — by emergency C-section due to pre-eclampsia, Sophie Ellis-Bextor says she was caught off-guard when earlier this year she again developed the life threatening condition, this time during her pregnancy with son Kit Valentine, 11-weeks. In fact, the 30-year-old songstress blogs for Shloer sparkling water that she discovered her medical emergency “almost … by accident.” Scheduled to play a gig in Moscow, a 31-weeks-pregnant Sophie visited with her consultant to obtain a note granting her permission her to fly; It soon became apparent that travel was out of the question, however. “She was concerned as I was displaying some classic signs of pre-eclampsia; mainly very high blood pressure and swollen ankles — very glamorous,” Sophie recalls. “She told me I wasn’t going anywhere, not even out of my house, and was sent home to rest.”

Informed that she would be lucky to carry her son for even one more week, the dire prediction proved to be prophetic, for Kit was born just six days later. Sophie and her husband Richard Jones were unable to hold their new son at first, for baby boy was confined to an incubator. Although she’d already been through such a scenario with Sonny, Sophie said the experience was “traumatic” nonetheless.

“Richard and I got through it by telling ourselves that if Kit wasn’t in hospital then I’d still be pregnant with him. Knowing there wasn’t any way that he’d be home with us no matter how things had gone made it easier so we just tried to go with the slight feeling of limbo and tried to be patient as he started to get well enough to come home.”

Given his unexpected early arrival the couple “didn’t have anything ready” for Kit, but his five-week hospital stay gave them plenty of time to “get things sorted,” and they even ”managed to have the nursery ready by the time he came home,” Sophie says. Kit and Sonny share an “uncanny” resemblance to one another, down to their red hair, and Sophie admits that neither boy take after their mom. Noting that her sons “are going to look so sweet running around together,” she adds:

“Although it’s still very new, we just love him being around and he is really enjoying finding out what it is to be part of our family and the world that he is now a part of.”

Source: Sparkling Pregnancy

– Missy

Comments

mimi on April 25th, 2009

Thanks for this update, my son was also born prematurely and I wondered how Kit was doing. Glad he is home now, very happy for them all.

Lau on April 25th, 2009

So glad everything seems to be well with Kit!

ember on April 25th, 2009

I also have a son born prematurely (he’s still hospitalized) and reading her words about how they got through the weeks at the hospital is similar to what my husband and I are telling each other as well. I’m happy that everything seems to go well with Kit!

Erika on April 25th, 2009

Wow I’m glad he seems to be doing well. And Ember good luck to you and your son, I hope everything is good with him as well!

Sam & Freya's Mum on April 26th, 2009

Our son was born premmie 4 1/2 years ago now though and thankfully not as premmie as Sophie’s son Kit. Glad to hear he’s home and growing well. Must be scary having to go thru all that again but sure they’re just glad he’s ok and home with them and their other son. Our son Sam was born at just over 33 weeks due to me developing pre-eclampsia too, only option for mum and baby is to deliver (didnt’ realise how risky at the time, when it was all go happening to me!, risk of seizures and even death in extreme cases of course). In my case it was affecting kidney function and had extremely high BP (at one point 200 over 100!), protein in my urine at checkups from 31 weeks etc, a dangerous combination so they didn’t let me leave before delivering 3 days later. Was only picked up on due to 33 week checkup and it scares hubby and restof family and I now to think what could’ve happened if I hadn’t been to midwife appointment that afternoon after work. Dangerous as I didn’t feel any different. Was pretty quick, surreal and scary at the time as was admitted into hospital that night, monitored 2 days, induced, but had an emergency c-section under general anaesthetic as his heartrate dropped. It and not ideal but one of those things & you definitely have a new appreciation, learn from something stressful/less than ideal. He ended up staying in Neonatal unit 3 weeks, was only 3pds 9oz at birth, not hugely tiny, but still pretty small for a single birth bub, but doing well now, full of beans and sociable, happy at Kindy and starting school in September. it made us appreciate him more I think, that things don’t always go to plan, which is why I’d never have a homebirth personally. Assumed we were on the homestraight in some ways, at 33 weeks but my body had other ideas!! Freya arrived last Jan at just over 38 weeks and it felt like a small victory to have a full term baby with a ‘normal’ birth experience, to be able to experience natural labour, seeing baby born, first cry as sadly missed out with Sam due to being put to sleep for delivery. but as long as they’re healthy. Ember, my thoughts go out to you, isn’t easy not taking baby home with you. Hope your son is doing ok. Do you mind me asking how early he was?

Kim from Australia on April 26th, 2009

Wow her kids births sound parallel to my own almost! My 2 yr old son was born 8 weeks early and wa sin hospital for 4 weeks and 4 weeks ago I had my daughter 3 weeks early due to pre-eclampsia emergency delivery, luckily not c section though. Its an awfully scary and sudden condition, I got the shakes really badly, very scary but luckily my little girl was born perfect. It sounds like hes alright and shes alright as well which is the main thing, grats to Sophie!

ember on April 26th, 2009

@ Sam & Freya’s Mum: My son was born in week 32 (8 weeks early), due to my high blood pressure and him not getting enough nutrition. He’s doing fine luckily, we’ve had no problems so far. The only thing left now is him learning to eat himself (breast feed). I hope he’ll manage that the next 2 weeks, but he’s still tiny and young (should have been week 36 today…).

@ Erika: Thank you

Miu on April 26th, 2009

@Sam & Freya’s Mum: Your story could be mine. My son was born almost 7 weeks early, because of HELLP. Today he is 7 months old, weighs more than 18pds at 2,33ft and is doing pretty well

Best wishes to all preemies and their families!

Sam & Freya's Mum on April 26th, 2009

Mui, glad to hear your son is doing well!, how small was he?, and as you say, all the best to other premmie bubs and their families. Good things come in small packages as we tell our son! I’ve kept a couple of premmie clothes for sentimental value and shown him now he’s over 4 and understands a bit more, to keep for when he’s older, showing how small he was, and how special. He was small for the gestation because of the preeclampsia, but thankful for Neonatal technology these days. We now donate to fundraising for Nenoatal unit and will give the rest of Sam’s premmie clothes to our local hospital here in Wellington, NZ. For us it feels appropriate to give back to them as we found the staff wonderful (as I’ve heard a few people say they’ve experienced too, overworked and underpaid, didn’t know how they do it, huge responsibility!), and we bought a few items from there too before he came home. One upside with having had to have c-section was I was mostly recovered from the op by the time Sam came home 3 weeks later, easier to care for him at home by then – although logistically difficult as I couldn’t drive so had to rely on others to get into hospital with expressed milk etc. It felt more like 3 mths at the time but was the best place for him at that time.

Sam & Freya's Mum on April 26th, 2009

sorry Miu, spelling your name wrong, lol…

Miu on April 27th, 2009

@Sam & Freya’s Mum:
He was 3,8pds, 1,41ft small. He was also underserved in uterus.

I felt the same way like you, was glad for the time to recover from the c-section. You can send me a mail, if you want to, for further information and talk ([e-mail]). Yes, I´m from germany, have to apologize for my english