A mum suffered a life-changing stroke while breastfeeding her three-week-old baby, which left her paralysed down one side.
Becki, a fitness coach, says she was the “picture of health” when she welcomed her second “miracle” IVF baby, Beau.
But the 34-year-old collapsed to the floor and lost use of the entire side of her left body in front of daughter Aréya.
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Her husband James immediately called 999, and paramedics rushed her to hospital, where doctors delivered the devastating diagnosis that she’d suffered a stroke.
“My hand suddenly started spasming,” Becki, a health and fitness coach from Chester, told Need To Know.
“It was such a strange feeling.
“Instantly, I knew something wasn’t right.
“Holding Beau, panic swept through me. I shouted for James.
“I remember saying, ‘Something is wrong.’
“As I stood up, I knew my legs weren’t strong enough to hold me.
“I could feel them giving way beneath me.
“I slowly collapsed to the floor while still holding Beau.
“James rushed into the room.
“I looked at him and said, ‘I feel like I’m having a stroke.’
“It felt ridiculous even as I said it.
“I remember thinking, ‘Why would I be having a stroke?’ but I couldn’t ignore the fact that it was exactly what it felt like.”
The diagnosis, in April 2026, left Becki fearing she would be paralysed for the rest of her life, with the fitness enthusiast suddenly unable to perform even the simplest everyday tasks.
Becki says that exercise was central to her identity and after the stroke, she feared she wouldn’t be able to take care of her children.
After overcoming fertility struggles through IVF, Becki and James had finally welcomed the two children they had always dreamed of having.
She said: “I remember hearing the words, ‘You’ve had a stroke’, and everything came crashing down.
“The stroke stole everything from me.
“I was literally the picture of perfect health.
“Both of our babies are IVF babies, so when we finally got the two of them, we felt like our family was complete – and then I had a stroke.
“It was absolutely heartbreaking.
“I was thinking, ‘I’m going to be paralysed for the rest of my life; what am I going to do with my children?’”.
Becki spent almost a week in hospital, where she faced the devastating reality of being separated from her newborn baby during what should have been some of the most precious days of motherhood.
As she had been exclusively breastfeeding Beau, she initially spent 24 hours pumping and discarding her milk to clear medication from her system.
She then spent the remainder of her hospital stay expressing milk and sending bottles home so her son could continue receiving breast milk.
But being unable to hold, feed or care for her children in the way she had imagined was heartbreaking.
She said: “The thing I struggled with the most was that it took away from me being a mother.
“It’s heartbreaking.
“The initial part of recovery is just willing parts of your body to move.
“It just felt a million miles away from what I’m used to, obviously training in the gym every day to ‘can I bend my baby finger’.
“It felt degrading.
“A huge part of motherhood was taken away from me.
“The early days with my baby were robbed from me.
“Instead of bonding with my newborn and settling into life with two children, I was learning how to survive a stroke.
“A part of motherhood was taken away from me.
“I felt lost, I felt alone, and I felt completely useless to my children and my husband.
“The simplest moments became impossible.
“I needed help changing nappies, feeding Beau, holding my babies and even going to the toilet.
“There were times people had to help me do the most basic things.
“I needed help to hug my children.”
Just five days after suffering the stroke, Becki was discharged from hospital and returned home to begin the long process of recovery – navigating life as a mother of two while living with paralysis down her left side.
She said: “I identified myself as an athlete.
“My whole identity was built around being strong and capable.
“And suddenly I couldn’t even stand, let alone walk.”
Despite the uncertainty, Becki made a conscious decision to focus on what she could control.
She said: “I realised very quickly that I couldn’t control what had happened, but I could control how I responded to it.
“This mindset became my driving force.
“The only way out is through.
“There is light at the end of the tunnel.
“I’ve had to accept that recovery is uncomfortable.
“I need to feel uncomfortable if I want to get through it.”
Today, Becki continues to work towards rebuilding her strength while caring for Aréya and Beau.
She has also received support from the Stroke Association after being contacted by a Stroke Support Coordinator, who offered guidance throughout her recovery.
Although she has made significant progress, doctors are still investigating exactly why she suffered a stroke at such a young age.
Becki said: “I still don’t know why it happened.
“I was young, fit, healthy and active.
“Now I want others to understand that stroke can happen to anyone.
“If someone had asked me before my stroke who gets stroke, I probably would have had a completely different picture in my head.
“But I’ve come such a long way, I can’t even believe it.
“It means absolutely everything to be taking back so much of motherhood again.”
And while she is still a long way from returning to her usual fitness levels, Becki has set herself an ambitious goal to run the London Marathon in 2027, as she continues to regain her strength.
She added: “Running has become so much more than exercise.
“Every step reminds me how far I’ve come.
“There are days when it feels incredibly hard, but I know recovery isn’t about rushing; it’s about refusing to stop.
“My big goal is to do a marathon.
“At the moment, I’m struggling to get to the end of the street, so we’ll see.”
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