Hollyoaks' Ali Bastian's birth story - NHS delays, haemorrhage and complications

ok.co.uk:

Hollyoaks actress Ali Bastian was forced through an "emotional roller coaster" couple of days prior to giving birth to her second daughter Isabella in February.

Opening up to OK! as she and actor husband David O' Mahony's 8lb little girl approaches eight weeks, the on-screen star, 41, reflects on her turbulent Caesarean section and health concerns.The couple - who already share three-year-old daughter Isla - went to hospital as planned on 9 February but the operation kept being delayed due to emergencies taking priority. "It was an eye-opening first-hand experience of how under pressure the NHS is," says Ali. "The staff were all incredible and so apologetic." Ali, who had gestational diabetes during both pregnancies, and also gave birth to Isla by Caesarean, didn’t make it to theatre that day.

But as she waited, she tells us, "My blood sugar levels really dropped so they kept me in for the evening until my blood sugar and blood pressure settled." Doctors then advised the couple to go home and rescheduled the Caesarean for two days later. "We went home and walked in the door and Isla was like, ‘Where is my baby sister?’" says Ali. "The way I explained it was that the doctors told me she needed to cook for another couple of days in the mummy oven." Ali and David, 40, returned to hospital on the Saturday, and emergency procedures took precedence again. "We still weren’t sure it was going to happen," says Ali. "Then I went hypoglycemic [when the level of blood glucose is abnormally low], just as the midwife was walking through the door.