Call The Midwife’s Helen: My genuine life and death baby drama
HELEN’S MIDWIFE CRISIS! FULL INTERVIEW – AND 16-DAY FESTIVE TV GUIDE – IN YOUR BUMPER 80-PAGE ISSUE OF
SHE may play a midwife in a hugely popular TV show, but nothing could prepare actress Helen George for the life-and-death medical drama that brought her own baby into the world.
Speaking exclusively to The Mail on Sunday’s Event magazine today, the Call The Midwife star reveals how she developed serious complications during her pregnancy.
Her daughter with co-star Jack Ashton arrived in September but the little girl, Wren Ivy, was born three weeks prematurely.
‘ My baby was delivered early because I developed a liver condition called ICP,’ says Helen.
Affecting 5,500 women a year in Britain, ICP, or intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy, is characterised by a build-up of acid in the body, which can cause premature or stillborn births.
Helen explains: ‘The bile acids can actually pass into the baby through the placenta and have devastating effects. There’s a higher risk of stillbirth and it can lead to a very dangerous childbirth for the mother.
‘ The side effects are mainly a really strong sense of itching. I was scratching myself so much I had bruises all over my body. It’s awful. It can drive women to suicide in some cases. It’s a horrific illness.’
She sought help from the charity ICP Support and was advised to get
‘Condition can lead to a very dangerous birth’
blood tests, fast. ‘Within two days, I was delivering the baby,’ says Helen. ‘It’s that quick.’
Helen, 33, who plays glamorous midwife Trixie, has now become a patron of ICP Support, which she praises for helping her through her ordeal.
The Call The Midwife Christmas Special is at 7.40pm on BBC1 on Christmas Day. A new series begins next month.