'My breast milk nearly killed me'

Radio DJ Aimee Vivian enjoyed an easy birth but feeding her new baby caused a terrifying and life-threatening infection

- WORDS: SUE LEE

Breast milk is one of the most natural things a woman's body can produce. It sustains life and helps to strengthen the bond between mother and child. But Aimee Vivian's breast milk nearly killed her.

"I remember looking at a hospital midwife and saying, 'Please don't let me die tonight,'" recalled the Capital FM presenter. "I really thought I wasn't going to make it. I still can't believe something so simple, which is supposed to provide life, almost ended mine."

Now 34-year-old Aimee, back home in Buckinghamshire with daughter Charli, is keen to raise awareness of the condition mastitis and the subsequent deadly sepsis infection which took hold earlier this year.

Speaking at the start of Sepsis Awareness Month, she said: "Motherhood is an amazing journey but it can be hard. We need to talk about mastitis, learn the symptoms and what it can lead to. It's time to support each other."

Married to husband Steve for two years, Aimee, who is due back on air following her maternity leave, had a planned C-section with her daughter in June.

She said: "My pregnancy was pretty straightforward. I developed a whole new appreciation of what a woman's body can do. The caesarean was a really positive experience too, with wonderful midwives. I was only in hospital overnight."

But from day one, Aimee's body produced an abundance of breast milk. She said: "Everyone was telling me it was brilliant and I was feeling quite good. But once we got home, things became difficult."