Aussie mum sheds 55kg after labour nearly killed her

An Aussie mum who nearly died during labour has revealed how the terrifying incident inspired her to lose 55kg.

Sandra Abbey weighed 125kg when she gave birth to her daughter Lara, three. But her size 24 frame proved to be almost deadly as it caused so many health problems for her body.

The 36-year-old from Melbourne — who had tried desperately for three years to get pregnant — told Yahoo Lifestyle the shocking incident was the catalyst for her decision to shed the weight and become a role model for her daughter.

“Giving birth to Lara was it for me. It was a scary turning point,” she said. “To not be able to be with Lara because I was sick and missing those first few hours of her life was a wake up call.”

Due to her weight, Sandra had developed gestational diabetes during her pregnancy, which caused the birth to be classed as ‘high-risk’. Lara was also breech, meaning doctors had to deliver her via c-section.

Though the labour went well, Sandra suddenly developed pre-eclampsia after her delivery, causing her blood pressure to shoot up dangerously high.

“After I delivered I got pre-eclampsia which is very rare as you usually have it before the birth,” she said, recalling being rushed to intensive care and being pumped with drugs to help save her life.

“For the first 24 hours of Lara’s life, doctors thought I was at risk of suffering a stroke and it was all caused by my weight.”

Luckily the new mum pulled through, but having struggled with her weight her whole life she realised she needed to do something about it.

“It was actually a miracle I got pregnant because of my size,” she said, explaining that ever since she was young, she’d turned to food for comfort, which had affected her fertility.

Doctors warned she needed to lose weight to help her conceive, but the heartache of her struggles sent her rushing for junk food.

“The emotional stress of not falling pregnant, contributed to me eating as well. It was a catch 22.”

But despite her determination, Sandra admitted beating her lifelong habits was a real struggle, especially whilst caring for a newborn.

“A normal day for me started with a trip to Macca’s where I’d grab some hash browns and a large coffee,” she said.

“Then for lunch I’d often have leftovers and I’d snack on muffins, lollies and chocolate throughout the day.”

“For dinner, I’d often stop off on the way home and get another takeaway. I really didn’t have a good relationship with food.”

After failing to get results on her own, the self-confessed ‘yo-yo dieter’ eventually turned to her GP for help nearly two years after Lara was born.

“He suggested the gastric sleeve but I was skeptical. I didn’t want to be considered a ‘cheater’,” Sandra revealed.

But despite her initial hesitation, she agreed and underwent the gruelling procedure — which involves permanently removing a large part of the stomach — in June 2017.

“What kind of role model would I be if my daughter saw me binge eat and being unhealthy?” she confessed. “I didn’t want this for her.”

The drastic surgery meant Sandra could no longer overdo bad foods and instead was forced to overhaul her junk eating ways.

“Now I’ve trained my brain not to overeat, not to push myself. I don’t want to throw up because I’ve gone too far, which is what will happen if I over indulge.”

Instead Sandra has healthy high-protein meals, usually chicken with vegies with snacks of hard boiled eggs or yoghurt.

She also added in exercise, training six times-a-week with a personal trainer — seeing results immediately.

“It felt amazing when I saw my body change, it made the hard work worthwhile,” she said.

Now 18 months into her weight loss journey, the mum has lost an amazing 55kg and dropped seven dress sizes to a healthy size 10.

She also bravely shares her before and after photos on her Instagram account to help inspire other women.

“I’m the happiest I’ve ever been and if I can help other women to get to make a positive change, then that would be a beautiful bonus.”

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