{"id":209599,"date":"2025-10-18T20:56:22","date_gmt":"2025-10-18T20:56:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/209599\/"},"modified":"2025-10-18T20:56:22","modified_gmt":"2025-10-18T20:56:22","slug":"i-wasnt-allowed-to-be-left-alone-with-my-newborn-for-six-months","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/209599\/","title":{"rendered":"I wasn’t allowed to be left alone with my newborn for six months"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\"Lisa
\n\t\tLisa spent months unable to bond properly with her son (Picture: Brain Tumour Research \/ SWNS)<\/p>\n

\u2018I\u2019d always dreamt of becoming a mum<\/a>, but it wasn\u2019t until January this year that I finally felt like one,\u2019 says Lisa Wootten, 37, who gave birth in September 2024.<\/p>\n

After her marriage broke down in 2021, Lisa made the decision to have her son, Noah, on her own, via IVF<\/a>.<\/p>\n

But just two weeks after having her baby, the new mum was dealt devastating news. She had a brain tumour<\/a> and would need life-saving surgery.<\/p>\n

It meant that Lisa wasn\u2019t able to be alone with her son until he was nine months old.<\/p>\n

\u2018Spending months of my maternity leave<\/a> apart from my newborn was devastating and really delayed how I bonded with Noah,\u2019 Lisa, from Essex<\/a>, says.<\/p>\n

\u2018But, even though I\u2019ve been left with mental and physical impacts, I\u2019m grateful every day that my little, beautiful boy is safe and healthy.\u2019<\/p>\n

\t\t\"Lisa
\n\t\tLisa Wootten with Noah at the IVF clinic that helped her have Noah (Picture: Brain Tumour Research \/ SWNS)<\/p>\n

Lisa, an IT worker, initially experienced strange symptoms in January, 2023.<\/p>\n

\u2018My body tensed up and I called my mum, a retired nurse,\u2019 Lisa said. \u2018She came over and saw the left side of my body spasm.\u2019<\/p>\n

Doctors put this down to a kidney infection<\/a> and nerve problems, and Lisa was given antibiotics and sent home.<\/p>\n

Soon, her symptoms worsened and that summer she began suffering with seizures, leg weakness, headaches and blurred vision.<\/p>\n

\t\t\"Lisa
\n\t\tLisa having her brain activity measured while being diagnosed (Picture: Brain Tumour Research \/ SWNS)<\/p>\n

She even fell down her stairs when her legs gave way underneath her, but again, doctors sent her home from the hospital with no further tests.<\/p>\n

\u2018Like clockwork my seizures happened around the same time every month and for one or two minutes my body shook,\u2019 Lisa explains. \u2018I was always fully conscious and aware what was happening, and they became a part of my life.\u2019<\/p>\n

Lisa was given the all clear to continue on in her fertility journey, believing her symptoms were individual problems that could be dealt with. It took three more GP appointments before she was referred to neurology in November 2023.<\/p>\n

\t\t\"Lisa
\n\t\tLisa holding Noah after giving birth to him (Picture: Brain Tumour Research \/ SWNS)<\/p>\n

Just three moths later, Lisa found out she was pregnant. She moved back in with her parents in preparation for the baby arriving in September 2024, but then, at 38 weeks pregnant, she had a major seizure.<\/p>\n

\u2018It lasted 15 minutes instead of the one or two minutes I was used to,\u2019 Lisa explains. \u2018As soon as it finished, another one started. Finally, it passed and I got up and had something to eat and went to the toilet. <\/p>\n

\u2018Sitting on the loo I felt my body twitch uncontrollably and I had severe cramp in one of my hands.\u2019<\/p>\n

Lisa was taken to hospital and baby Noah was delivered via emergency c-section on September 28, and doctors said her seizures were a result of eclampsia<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\t\t\"Lisa
\n\t\tLisa after her brain surgery in December last year (Picture: Brain Tumour Research \/ SWNS)<\/p>\n

But further neurology tests after giving birth revealed that she had a brain tumour<\/a> \u2014 a five centimetre meningioma on the thin layer of tissue covering her brain.<\/p>\n

\u2018I wasn\u2019t shocked,\u2019 she explains. \u2018I\u2019ve always had a sunny outlook on things and despite this life-changing news, I remained calm and focused on what can be done rather than what I might lose.\u2019<\/p>\n

As a result Lisa spent the first three months of her son\u2019s life in and out of hospital before undergoing brain surgery in December 2024. <\/p>\n

\u2018That was an incredibly difficult period,\u2019 she says. \u2018I made the tough decision to have Noah stay with my parents as I thought that was best for him, being so young.\u2019<\/p>\n

During the operation surgeons were able to remove most of her tumour, however, Lisa was left with epilepsy, which meant she was then unable to be left unsupervised with her baby boy until he was nine months old.<\/p>\n

\t\t\"Lisa
\n\t\tLisa\u2019s scalp five months post operation (Picture: Brain Tumour Research \/ SWNS)<\/p>\n

\u2018This meant I had to stop breastfeeding and I only saw him during visiting hours. It wasn\u2019t how I envisioned being a first-time mum and that was hard to process.\u2019<\/p>\n

Now, Lisa can parent her baby boy without needing any additional support and she\u2019s raising funds for Brain Tumour Research to help increase awareness around brain tumours.<\/p>\n

\u2018When I was reading online about brain tumours, I felt compelled to do something to help talk about the disease,\u2019 Lisa explains.<\/p>\n

\u2018I\u2019m baffled how research into brain tumours receives so little of the national spend on cancer<\/a> research.\u2019<\/p>\n

In September, to mark the first anniversary of her diagnosis, Lisa took part in Brain Tumour Research\u2019s Walk of Hope, and has further fundraisers planned.<\/p>\n

\t\t\"Lisa
\n\t\tLisa is now able to parent Noah without worrying about seizures (Picture: Brain Tumour Research \/ SWNS)<\/p>\n

\u2018For me, taking part in these challenges is a way of doing something to highlight the indiscriminate nature of brain tumours.<\/p>\n

\u2018No one should have to go through what I have had to go through.\u2019<\/p>\n

Lisa admits that she\u2019s one of \u2018the lucky ones\u2019 to have been able to recover so well.<\/p>\n

Charlie Allsebrook, community development manager at Brain Tumour Research, says: \u2018Lisa\u2019s story is powerful reminder that brain tumours are indiscriminate and can affect anyone at any age.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u2018In sharing my own experience, my hope is to not only raise vital funds, but to spread awareness of brain tumours and encourage people they have the power to be part of the change,\u2019 Lisa says.<\/p>\n

Do you have a story to share?<\/p>\n

Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@Metro.co.uk<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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\nMORE: Kate Lawler reveals she only had children \u2018because her husband wanted them\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n

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\nMORE: I was given news about my baby \u2013 then came the awful silence<\/a><\/p>\n


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