Sofia Richie opens up about the scary part of her pregnancy that left her ‘terrified’ – and why she had to be put on bed rest.
Richie, 26, and her husband, Elliot Grainge, 30, welcomed her firstborn daughter Eloise Samantha Grainge in May, but kept most of her pregnancy experience largely private.
Now she’s sharing more about some of the struggles she’s gone through in a new podcast, She MDwhich is hosted by her own OBGYN, Dr. Thais Aliabadi and women’s advocate Mary Alice Haney.
Richie introduced the episode by explaining that she was excited to be a guest on the podcast because she felt like people don’t always talk about the complications that can arise during pregnancy and even afterward.
The Solid & Striped designer explained that everything seemed to be going well during her pregnancy until she reached 32 weeks, at which point things changed a bit.
Sofia Richie-Grainge, 26, opens up about a scary part of her pregnancy that left her ‘terrified’ – and why she had to be put on bed rest
Richie-Grainge and her husband, Elliott, welcomed their firstborn, a daughter named Eloise Samantha Grainge, in May 2024
She remembered waking up feeling very tired and crampy, with back pain.
Richie said she didn’t think much of it and thought it was a normal part of pregnancy, but decided to contact her doctor anyway, who she admitted was always texting — and luckily she was absolutely the right choice.
“She said, ‘You know what? Actually, I think you should go to the fetal specialist to make sure everything’s okay, and then you go home. It’s no problem,” the fashion expert said. said.
“Thank God she said that because they hooked me up to the monitor and they said, ‘You’re in active labor’ at 32 weeks,” she revealed.
She was then sent to Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles for additional monitoring and IV fluids.
“So what was meant to be a few hours ended up being a six-night stay,” Richie said.
Her OBYGYN, Dr. Aliabadi, explained that preterm labor can be caused by a number of different factors, such as stress, infection and trauma.
However, sometimes it happens randomly, without a cause.
“Thank God she said that because they hooked me up to the monitor and they said, ‘You’re in active labor’ at 32 weeks,” Richie revealed.
“I was absolutely terrified,” ambassador David Yurman admitted, but explained that Dr. Aliabadi was super comforting and reassuring during this time.
Dr. Aliabadi said that if a patient goes into premature labor, they will do their best to stop the labor, which Richie was able to do.
“I was absolutely terrified,” ambassador David Yurman admitted, but explained that Dr. Aliabadi was super comforting and reassuring during this difficult time.
After a six-day stay, Richie was able to go home and put on bed rest, where she still had contractions but was supervised.
“From then on, it was kind of a waiting game,” Richie said, explaining that her doctor wanted her to take things “week by week.”
Richie was able to make it to the full 38-week term and said her delivery went smoothly.
“She’s great, this girl doesn’t complain by the way,” said Dr. Aliabadi about Richie.
“What she went through was really traumatic, she was in labor for six weeks… it was a long six weeks for you, I think.”
Richie admitted that her experience was “emotional,” but she was happy when it was all over and, most importantly, that her daughter was healthy.
Richie admitted her experience was ’emotional’ but she was happy when it was all over and, most importantly, that her daughter was healthy
The model said that when she came home from the hospital after a two-day stay, she ‘blew up like a balloon’
“It was intense, I gave birth and I thought, wow, I really did that,” Richie described.
“I’ve been in labor for six weeks or how many weeks, and I have my beautiful daughter, I’m healthy, I’m safe, she’s healthy, she’s safe.”
Unfortunately for Richie, however, the complications didn’t stop there.
The model said that when she came home from the hospital after a two-day stay, she “blew up like a balloon.”
“Then I went home, and I blew up like a balloon, literally just swollen,” she revealed, explaining that she really wasn’t feeling well.
Richie texted her doctor again, who she said was “on top of things,” and sent her nurse.
After some tests, Richie found out that her blood pressure was 165/103, which falls within the range of postpartum preeclampsia, which is a serious blood pressure condition.
Some of the symptoms include headaches, swelling and vision problems Yale Medicine.
Fortunately, Richie and her daughter Eloise are now healthy and she seems to be enjoying every aspect of motherhood
The influencer eventually had to return to the hospital to care for herself, but admitted it was very difficult to leave her newborn daughter behind.
Dr. Aliabadi explained that although preeclampsia can occur after twenty weeks, it can also occur up to six weeks after delivery.
‘You are at risk of seizures, so it is a very, very dangerous condition. If you ignore it completely, it can give you strokes,” the doctor said.
Fortunately, Richie and her daughter Eloise are now healthy and she seems to be enjoying every aspect of motherhood.
She revealed this in an interview in August with The Wall Street Journal how much growing older has changed her.
‘I am a very planned and organized person. I’m very type A, clean and organized,” she told the outlet at the time.
“But I also learned that I don’t have to be like that because when you have a baby, all that stuff goes out the window. I’ve learned that I’m more flexible than I think.’
