Sofia Richie has opened up about her postpartum heath struggles.
The model has shared details of her pregnancy with daughter Eloise, who she welcomed with husband Elliot Grainge in May.
Speaking on Tuesday's episode of the SHE MD podcast, Sofia, 26, explained that while she had a relatively smooth pregnancy and delivery, she struggled with her health after giving birth.
"I had a great pregnancy up until about 32 weeks," she said. "At 32 weeks I woke up and I was like, 'Hey, I woke up and I'm really tired today. My back really hurts. I feel a little crampy.' And I really thought it was going to be another one of those, 'Yeah, babe, that's pregnancy. You're going to be fine, but you can come in if you want me to check you' type situations."
Dr. Thais Aliabadi, known as Dr. A, advised Sofia to see a foetal specialist and soon after, she was told she was in active labour.
"What was meant to be just, like, a few hours, actually ended up being, like, a six-night stay," Sofia recalled of the labour, admitting that she was "really terrified".
Sofia spent six days in hospital before being induced at 38 weeks.
"I had a fantastic delivery. Dr. A's the best. She's like a football coach in there. I was like, 'Let's do this,'" Sofia said, to which Dr. A replied, "She's amazing. This girl does not complain, by the way. What she went through, it was really traumatic. Six weeks she was having contractions."
Sofia then said that she experienced a range of symptoms, including swelling and pain, after leaving the hospital with her daughter.
"I felt very ill. ... So, (Dr. A) sent over her wonderful nurse, and my blood pressure was 165 over 103," she shared.
Dr. A explained then that Sofia was diagnosed with postpartum preeclampsia which she noted is a "very dangerous condition".
Sofia returned to the hospital for 24 hours, which she admitted was the "hardest thing" for her two days postpartum.
