Louise Thompson says she 'kneeled over in shock' over her latest update in her fight for a maternity commissioner

Louise Thompson has confessed that she 'kneeled over in shock' over her latest update in her fight for a maternity commissioner as she shared a post to Instagram on Saturday.

The former Made In Chelsea star, 35, was diagnosed with PTSD after the difficult birth of her son Leo in 2021.

And Louise has since joined forces with former Conservative MP Theo Clarke to campaign for the appointment of a maternity commissioner, after a Parliamentary enquiry led by the pair found there is 'shockingly poor quality' in maternity services across the UK.

And now she has received news that her campaign has taken a step in the right direction, as her request for a new commissioner will be debated in Parliament.

In a lengthy statement, she penned: 'I almost just keeled over in shock. This morning 147,000 people received the same email in their inbox.

'We have heard from the petitions committee and we have a debate date. On the 20th April mp’s will debate our petition ‘ asking the government to appoint a maternity commissioner ‘

'We have been invited to sit in the gallery with a +1. The public are welcome to come too on a first come first serve basis. Please do come down on the day to support

'I suppose as an MP you are somewhat expected to back your leader in their decision-making process around these sorts of topics

'We want mp’s to back their constituents too (ie. normal people who face normal issues) so please get in touch with your local mp so they can argue in favour of a maternity commissioner if you believe that will lead to positive change

'The debate is taking place on a Monday which is GOOD because it means that MPs will likely be in the Houses of Parliament at work instead of at home in their various constituencies. We want as full a house as possible

'We would love mp’s to back us. I know it’s a personal decision but I really want people who haven’t been affected by birth trauma to care about this issue too because you never know what life my serve you later down the line

'It could be you, it could be your daughter, it could be your best friend, it could be your colleague. Please write to your MPs to ask them to attend'

Her post follows on from her latest update on Thursday where she revealed that she has now been to sit in on oral questions at the House of Lords after her petition reached over 147,000 signatures.

In a lengthy Instagram post she began: 'We’re still chipping away at our campaign to help birthing mothers because we can’t bare to hear one more story of loss, especially when it could have been prevented.'

Refusing to back down, she explained: 'Not planning on leaving any stone unturned. I feel a bit like taxes and death. I will not go away.

'For as long as I have flashback episodes, intrusive thoughts and other residual wounds I will endure enough anxiety + anger to keep pushing me forward on this mission to help others.

'I only have to glance at my son in the morning to imagine what my life could have been without him or how his life could have changed if I hadn’t survived. This campaign is so so important. Every life counts.'

Updating fans on the timeline of the campaign, she shared that since reaching 147,000 signatures for her petition, she has heard from Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Wes Streeting.

However, despite agreeing to a meeting a month ago, Louise is yet to hear anything back. She added: 'I’ve since written Wes a personal letter and I really hope to hear back soon.'

Detailing her visit to the House of Lords, she said: 'Then we headed to the House of Lords (different from the House of Commons where MPs sit - this is for lifelong peers) where I sat in the chamber whilst they made their way through oral questions.

'The brilliant and supportive Baroness Gohir pushed for a question about our petition for weeks and finally ours was selected. I was pleased to be able to make it in person.

'I was even more pleased to have the support of some peers in the room but disappointed with the overall response which was very predictable - they’re putting all of their eggs into one basket with the Baroness Amos enquiry.

'One of the positives of spending lots of time in this building is that you bump into useful people. I’ve exchanged contact details with several supportive MPs.

'Many have shared opinions on what might be the biggest barriers to gaining a Maternity Commissioner - some point towards the treasury, others point towards responsibility, work load etc.

'Grateful to Baroness Gohir for inviting us and for educating me. And I am grateful to Theo Clarke for all of her hard work and for supporting me with this campaign.'

Hoping to help the women who have reached out to her with their experiences she continued: 'I believe there may be a new task force on the horizon. I would like to be on it to represent the thousands of women who write to me daily with real-life experience.

'We need an INDEPENDENT maternity commissioner (by independent I mean independent of any party) because since the Brexit fallout 2016-2019 there has been an era of intense instability in the UK government marked by party defections, rapid leadership swaps, and mass resignations.

'This is distracting and leads to priority changes. Actioning the 750 recommendations made from various enquiries into maternity care will likely fall to the bottom of the pile. Because they have up until now.

'Giving birth affects the safety of multiple lives. Surely that has to sit outside of conventional politics. Maternity care deserves consistency it deserves to lean on ONE FIXED CONSTANT.'

Asking for her followers support she urged them to write to their local MPs to raise the issue to their attention.

She penned: 'Now that we have 157,000 signatures I feel like we must be close to receiving a public debate in Parliament and I NEED your HELP.

'I would love for you guys to write to your local MPs to help explain the magnitude of the problem in your various constituencies. Hopefully then MPs will feel encouraged to stand up and support our argument.

'The way I see it - there is no one that loses from having a maternity commissioner. Only so much to gain.

'Theo and I have drafted a letter which you can download and copy and paste. There is also an online search tool to find your local mp. You can find a template of the email along with how to find your local MP over on my website www.louise-thompson.co.uk/write-to-your-mp/'.

Louise's injuries from giving birth– which include developing Asherman's Syndrome, in which scar tissue in the uterus becomes 'glued' together, worsening bowel problems and emergency surgery after a post-natal haemorrhage – means that she cannot carry another child.

She previously told her followers that there needs to be 'a national maternity strategy' after speaking to other mothers who had endured similar experiences.