'I can't leave the house' Mum nearly paralysed by daughter's birth

Jessica Spain was told it would be almost impossible for her to have children because she had chronic ovulation issues.

So she and her partner Kain Scott, 23 were overjoyed when she fell pregnant with daughter Ariella in August 2017.

But the pressure put on her back during Ariella’s birth led to her developing a bulging disc in her spine, an inflamed rib cage and sciatica in both legs - leaving her housebound, barely able to walk and in constant agony.

Jess, 22, from Kent, UK, has also been diagnosed with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome [PCOS] meaning she is unlikely to be able to have more children.

Now largely dependent on her partner and a carer, she said her condition is stopping her from being the mum she wants to be.

Jess said: “My life has been put on pause by this. I feel like I can’t lead the life I want to live.

“I can barely walk without a walking stick and have to have someone with me all of the time in case I fall.

“It’s stopped me from being the mum my daughter deserves. I can’t take her out the house and she only goes out when my partner is here.

“A lot of my friends have babies and i see them doing this stuff and I can’t do any of it at all.

"I find it heartbreaking not being able to take Ariella to the park and to go on the swings. I want to be better, but I can’t be.”

Jessica said she did not experience the physical impact of Ariella's birth until the following month.

She said her condition has now made her housebound and dependent on other people and has even made her disillusioned with motherhood.

Jessica said: “ I started experiencing the problems in the first month after I gave birth.

"Everything healed but i was still in pain, I couldn’t walk.

“All of a sudden my legs lost function, I was so scared.

“Being a mum to a newborn baby is supposed to be a magical experience but this has definitely affected that.

“I was really loud and outgoing before this happened. I used to dance and act but now I'm now a recluse.

"I feel like a burden. I'm a couch potato but not by choice.

“I don’t leave the house. it’s very claustrophobic, I’ve become very anxious around people and I struggle to be outside.

“I’m really limited to what i can do. I have to rely on other people to take me places, it can be hugely frustrating.

“I can barely walk with a walking stick and have to have someone with me in case I fall.

“I do the best I can, I have everything I need near me throughout the day.

"I have to keep everything at a level I can get to. I can just about cook using a perching stool.”

Jessica added that Ariella has been a "perfect angel" since she was born.

Jessica said: "It's almost like she knows something happened. She’s really bubbly and happy all of the time."

She is currently fundraising for surgery here.

This story has been re-published with permission from New Idea