Former footy star and current media personality Abbey Holmes has revealed the shocking ordeal her young family went through just after the birth of her first child in December last year.
On the surface, Abbey, her husband Keegan Brooksby and newborn baby boy Braxton cut a happy picture on social media.
‘This moment … with both my boys,’ she posted just after the birth.
‘I now understand, there is NOTHING that quite explains the magic!’
But Holmes has now revealed that there was more going on behind the scenes that left her emotional, heartbroken and even scared.
Holmes enjoyed a smooth pregnancy and continued working until just five days before Braxton’s birth.
Holmes said her joyful social media photos (pictured) masked her terrifying health fears after the birth of her child Braxton
Abbey’s husband Keegan was present for the birth and to cut the cord for his son
However, behind Keegan’s big smile he was dealing with a severe bowel infection
She was induced at 38 weeks after doctors found Brax was measuring on the large side, but after labouring all day she had only dilated 2cm by 5pm.
Holmes and her obstetrician then decided to proceed with a caesarean section.
The birth went smoothly, but what happened immediately afterwards shattered the perfect young family’s moment.
‘Keegs and I haven’t actually spoken about our birth story,’ Abbey told the KICBump podcast.
‘And to be honest, it’s been quite hard.
‘I think people look at social media and you send out the announcement photos and it looks so happy and joyful. But for us, our experience was anything but.’
Keegan had been unwell in the days leading up to the birth and was spiralling downhill at the time.
He managed to make it to the operating theatre, but collapsed soon afterwards and had to be rushed to the emergency room of a different hospital.
Abbey revealed that her husband collapsed soon after cutting the cord and had to drive himself to the emergency room of a different hospital
Abbey said that while her photos on social media showed them looking perfect and happy, the real experience was harrowing
Keegan (pictured) was hospitalised for four days, slept up to 20 hours a day and missed valuable time with his newborn son
Abbey had to ask the midwife where her husband had disappeared to just after he cut the cord when Brax was born
‘Poor Keegs, we went in to have the caesarean, he cut the cord and then disappeared,’ Abbey said.
‘Like, my husband disappeared. And I said to the midwife: “Where’s Keegs?”
‘She looked at me and she was like, “Abbs, we’ve got another patient. He’s just collapsed on the bed next door.”‘
‘So Braxy was born, we knew Keegs was in a bad way, we didn’t know what he had so we couldn’t have him around his son,’ she said.
The situation was scary, with Keegan’s condition further deteriorating to the point that Abbey became worried he might not make it through.
‘Keegs ultimately drove himself to emergency at Richmond while I was at Freemasons,’ she said.
‘He ended up in hospital for four days, he had a severe bowel infection, he was grey, literally. The midwives were like ‘Abbey he’s lost all colour’.
‘So what was meant to be this incredible love bubble of emotion with your husband and your newborn baby, I was [alone] in a hospital bed for five days and Keegs didn’t get to hold his son for that entire time.’
‘That was heartbreaking.’
That left Abbey, in pain from the emergency C-section and swimming with hormonal emotions, on her own to worry about her husband and his condition.
‘It was hard because I had this perfect, little bundle of joy in my arms and he was great,’ she said.
‘Everything to do with my post-birth experience was great in the hospital and I had so much love and support around me from the midwives and the nurses and everybody at the hospital.
‘But my mind went to Keegan who was sleeping 20 hours a day.
‘I’m trying to send him videos and photos and I’m not hearing back.
‘I was emotional thinking that [his condition] was something life-ending.
‘So I am thinking I am going to be a single mum and worst case scenario for Keegs.
‘So that was our first five days of having Braxxy.’
