The Circle star Beth Dunlavey reveals she woke up with stoma bag and her baby in intensive care after giving birth
THE Circle star Beth Dunlavey has shared she now has a stoma bag after complications after giving birth.
The reality star, who is engaged to Love Island’s Connagh Howard, gave birth to their baby boy in August, and has been sharing updates on the tot ever since.
However, on Sunday, Beth opened up about the complications of her birth that she had been keeping away from social media.
In a new video, Beth is seen holding her little boy, Atlas, in her arms while filming in a mirror, before standing back and revealing a stoma bag now attached to her stomach.
“I didn’t know when to post or if I’d even ever post…,” she wrote. “It wouldn’t make sense to not share this too, as I’ve been so honest & vulnerable with you for years now…
“It felt right to do it on the weekend of #worldostomyday … it’s been a huge life adjustment, I’d be lying to say I’m used to it yet, or if I ever will be but this had to happen, and it’s doing a good job and will do until I can have my reversal surgery.”
“Waking up from [general admission] with a baby in NICU & a stoma bag amongst several other attachments wasn’t the birth plan I’d had in mind, so much of this journey has been nothing short of a nightmare,” she wrote.
“But all I have to do is look down in my arms, to see the greatest gift I’ve ever been given, my perfect baby boy,
“And I know that every single scar, needle, procedure, tear, day in hospital.. every single thing has been worth it.”
Thankfully, both mum and baby are now on the road to recovery, with proud new dad Connagh calling Beth “the most amazing woman in the world”.
Another photo posted to Beth’s Instagram Stories sees the tiny tot with a fierce hold on her finger.
“My strength always,” she wrote. “The adjustment, the fatigue, the pain, while trying to be a first time mam…
“Honestly it’s been soul destroying at times but I’d rather focus on the positives.”
The star was showered with praise for her brave and honest post, with followers calling her an “inspiration” for sharing.
“You’re so brave and inspirational, I can’t believe what you’ve been through the last few months super strong! You’ve got this mama” wrote one.
Another added: “You’ve overcome so much in such a short amount of time to bring Atlas safely into the world ! Well done you”
Why would you need a stoma bag?
A COLOSTOMY is an operation on the colon – a part of the bowel.
It diverts one end of the colon through an opening in the tummy, known as the stoma.
This means that the person can no longer pass poo.
The poo is instead collected in a stoma bag, which is placed over the opening.
Many people have to undergo a colostomy due to illness.
These can include:
- bowel cancer and other forms of cancer
- ulcerative colitis
- Crohn’s disease
- diverticulitis
A stoma may also be necessary due to genetic disorders, birth abnormalities, after trauma to the abdomen, and following radiotherapy.
“You are one amazing lady, and so very braveyour boy is very lucky to have you as his mumma” added a third.
Beth and Connagh have shared their entire journey to parenthood, including more than three years of fertility troubles.
This included Beth having endometriosis surgery in 2022, before they were referred to a fertility clinic.
They were finally able to conceive via IVF treatment, and were able to share the happy news in April.
Announcing they were to be parents, Beth and Connagh shared a video of the moment they took a pregnancy test and it came back positive.
However, her road to motherhood was not easy, with the star revealing she had been in and out of hospital for weeks before she gave birth.