A NEW mum from Newport lost more than seven and a half stone in the nine months after having her first child.

After suffering complications with the birth of her son, Sian Redman-Jama, 37, from Rogerstone, committed to losing the weight so she could be "the happiest, healthiest, fittest mum" that she could.

Mrs Redman-Jama said, as the district manager for Slimming World in South East Wales and the Shires, she was embarrassed by her weight when going into hospital.

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"During one of the routine tests, the results said there could be a problem," she said. "We were told he could be born a low weight, we could have miscarried or he could’ve been stillborn. As a first-time mum, hearing that made me worry.

"I thought if I ate more, it would help him with his birth weight. I think I gained five stone over my pregnancy in total."

After doctors were not able to induce her into labour for 48 hours, Mrs Redman-Jama went in for an emergency C-section, however the epidural was going into her muscle tissue rather than into her veins, causing the tissue to swell up. And when she was due to be discharged, she said she couldn’t keep her heartrate down and was suffering from severe headaches, which needed two surgeries on her spinal cord - called blood patches - to stop.

In total, she was in hospital for almost a week.

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Sian Redman-Jama on her wedding day, before her weight-loss. Picture: Sian Redman-Jama.

“I just thought I was never going to see my husband or my baby again,” she said.

“When I was sat there afterwards, I was very appreciative of life. I wrote my bucket list of things I wanted to do with my husband and Adam. One of those things was to lose weight.

“I had been so embarrassed about my weight going in to hospital, especially considering I work for Slimming World.

“So, I decided I wanted to be the happiest, healthiest, fittest mum that I could.”

Between January and November this year, Mrs Redman-Jama lost seven stone nine pounds, and said she is not finished there.

“I had this goal to change my life and I had to make sure I didn’t put my life on hold,” she said. “I’m 37 now, I thought it’s now or never, and that spurred me on.

“Keeping a routine helped. I would plan out all our meals. Me and my husband loved going to Nando’s, but we found we could make it at home and it was healthier and cheaper.

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Sian with baby Adam. Picture: Sian Redman-Jama.

“My Slimming World group was really key as well. We had virtual meetings every Wednesday morning.

“I have about one or two stone to go to my goal weight, but I am happier and healthier.”

Mrs Redman-Jama was diagnosed with PTSD in July as a result of the complications with her son’s birth.

“Even just having half an hour to myself in the gym while Adam is in nursery and even just going out for a walk for 30 minutes to an hour has really helped my mental health as well as my physical health,” she said.