Comedian Ellie Gibson reveals the premature birth of her son left her ‘crackers’
As one half of comedy duo the Scummy Mummies, Ellie Gibson is used to making jokes about parenthood and the very real struggles it entails. However, the premature birth of her second baby five years ago was no laughing matter.
Speaking on White Wine Question Time, the former tech journalist revealed that having her second baby nine weeks early was really tough.
“He was in hospital for six weeks and I had the big [child] at home as well,” Ellie told Kate Thornton of the experience.
READ MORE: The Scummy Mummies’ guide to imperfect parenting
“I would have to leave the big one, go to the hospital, I would take him to nursery, and I would go to hospital. Then I’d come back, have the big one for the afternoon, then my parents would babysit and then we'd go in the evening and see the little one. It was pretty mental. It's really tough. I found it really hard.”
While her youngest being in hospital was very difficult, Ellie said it wasn’t until he came home that she truly realised she wasn’t in a good place.
She said: “I found when I got home, it feels like the end of the film and everybody wants you to be really happy that your baby survived and he's fine and it's all fine. I didn't realise for months I was actually quite crackers.”
The comedian revealed her best friend Jessie knew something was wrong because of her desire to organise everything at home, which involved labelling everything in her fridge.
“She [Jessie] was like ‘I knew then you were in trouble”, recalled Ellie. “And I was like ‘Well that’s just being organised’. And she said, 'No, that was your method of coping. That was you regaining some control over it because you couldn't control that situation. You were like, 'I can control the contents of my fridge!'”
“I said, 'Why didn't you tell me that was mental?' She said, 'Because if that's what you needed to do to cope and make yourself feel better, why would I take that away from you?' And I was like, God damn it. That's why you're my oldest friend!”
READ MORE: 7 things to know about having a premature baby
Joining in the chat, her comedy partner Helen Thorne commented on how organised her spice rack still is.
“I'm very happy now. It's been five years, but it's still alphabetised,” laughed Ellie. “Just today I knew when I was making you that chilli, I knew the coriander was next to the cumin. Absolutely no drama!”
If you’ve been affected by a premature birth, visit Bliss and Tommy’s for more information.
Hear the Scummy Mummies give their ‘rules’ on parenting, plus discover which one of them was involved in a weeing incident at Buckingham Palace on the latest episode of White Wine Question Time! Listen now on iTunes and Spotify.
