Carrie Bickmore almost died giving birth, here's how she's dealing with it

Carrie Bickmore has never shied away from revealing the gritty truths about life as a woman, mother, professional and celebrity and she’s stepped it up a notch speaking candidly about mental health during pregnancy.

Speaking on The Weekly on Wednesday night, the mum-of-three revealed that she saw a counsellor while expecting her daughter Evie, now four years old, after a traumatic experience giving birth to her firstborn, Ollie.

“I saw a psychologist when I was pregnant with Evie because I had this real fear of giving birth to Evie,” she explained, “I had nearly died after I gave birth to Ollie and I went to see a counsellor”.

A near-death birth

The TV personality has opened up about her harrowing near-death experience in the past, telling Marie-Claire in 2016 that a severe haemorrhage 10 days after her son’s birth left her so drained of blood she was lucky to survive.

“If had I not been able to head straight to a hospital and have an operation and blood transfusions, I would have died,' she told the magazine at the time.

She spoke about seeking help at the time, revealing on radio that she would have ‘done anything to have the experience erased from my mind.'

Famously candid about her life as a mum, Carrie penned an article for Stellar earlier this year in which she revealed that the stress of caring for a newborn took a huge toll on her mental wellbeing.

“I can’t do this on my own tonight, I’m worried I may be getting postnatal depression,” she wrote to her husband in a text message she included in her piece.

She’s also made a name for herself on Instagram sharing ‘Instagram vs. reality’ shots to her page which are a win with women everywhere.

No secrets

The 38-year-old said that her and partner Chris Walker have an open door policy to acknowledging mental health in their life, explaining it’s not so much an everyday topic of conversation, as an everyday reality woven into their lives.

“I never was like - oh I better keep that quiet from the kids - I’d just tell Ollie like I would if i was going to the dentist or the doctor,” she said of attending her psychology session.

She said the same applied to her partner who has OCD.

“...Both of those things are a part of our lives... but we don’t take special time to talk about it as if it’s a strange thing or a thing to be ashamed of or anything it’s who we are,” she said.

Mental health support for yourself or a loved one can be found by calling Lifeline on 13 11 14, Mensline on 1300 789 978, or the Kids Helpline on 1800 551 800.

Online support is available via Beyond Blue.