AFTER giving birth to her fifth baby, Georgie Cook never imagined anything could burst her newborn bubble.
But in the weeks after Edward was born, the mum-of-five noticed some alarming differences compared to her four previous pregnancies.
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She struggled to breathe on walks in the park with her young family and climbing the stairs – and getting her children out of the bath left her feeling exhausted.
Weighing 17.5st and developing worsening heart palpitations, the 32-year-old visited her GP.
After weeks of back and forth, tests eventually revealed she had developed a condition called peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM), which caused her heart to become enlarged during her pregnancy.
The rare form of heart failure tends to strike in the last month of pregnancy or immediately after delivery, but can develop up to five months after a woman gives birth.
Georgie, who lives with her husband Matt, 34, a carer, and their five kids, Anabelle, 11, Zachary, six, Roy, five, Percy, four, and three-year-old Edward, tells Sun Health: “I’d suffered with heart palpitations for years, but it got worse in my last pregnancy, especially after I had the Pfizer Covid jab four months in.
“I had another top-up vaccine over the next few months, and my chest pains became unbearable.
“I went back and forth to the doctor, but my symptoms were just put down to stress and anxiety.
“I even went to A&E with chest pains but medics told me it was a normal pregnancy symptom and looked at me as if I was crazy.”
At 37 weeks, Georgie finally had an ECG at the hospital, which confirmed she had PPCM.
“It was devastating news, a massive shock,” she says. “My heart had enlarged during my pregnancies and it couldn’t pump the way it was meant to.
“It was made even worse because I was so overweight. I was struggling to catch my breath even on a short walk to the park.
“My consultant told me it could be linked to the Covid jab, and I believe that 100 per cent too. I’ve never had another one since.”
The risk of heart issues after a Covid-19 vaccine is very low, according to the British Heart Foundation.
‘I was embarrassed to go out’
Doctors prescribed Georgie medication – ramipril then ivabradine – but the palpitations and her breathlessness continued.
She gave birth to Edward in October 2021, and carried on as best she could.
But her health only continued to decline. And it wasn’t just her racing heart that stopped her from going out.
I hated the way I looked and was always trying to cover up under baggy clothes. I was embarrassed to go out
Georgie Cook
“Climbing the stairs or lifting the kids out of the bath made my heart race,” Georgie says.
“Even getting them ready to leave the house could trigger palpitations, and often I would have to cancel going out.
“They would take their coats and wellies off because I wasn’t feeling well, I felt so awful.
“But it wasn’t just that. I was hugely overweight, at 17st 8lb and a size 24 and just 5ft 3ins.
“Even though I cooked healthy meals for the kids, I found myself wolfing down leftovers.
“Then there was junk food and takeaways, I couldn’t resist.
“I hated the way I looked and was always trying to cover up under baggy clothes.
“Whenever we did make it to the park, I’d imagine other mums staring at me. I was embarrassed to go out.”
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Georgie, from Kingston upon Thames, South West London, says she had always struggled with her weight, even as a child.
As a teenager, she felt she couldn’t walk around in crop tops like her friends, and got bullied as a result.
“I remember being at the swimming pool with a friend aged eight, wearing a costume, and a boy called me fat and laughed at me,” Georgie says.
“I’ve never forgotten it, it upset me so much. I’ve been so self-conscious ever since.
“I tried lots of diets, like Slimming World, Weight Watchers and meal replacement plans, but nothing worked for me.”
After discussing everything with Matt, Georgie decided she needed to take drastic action – for the sake of her health.
“I knew I had to do something,” she says.
“After trying and failing at diets for years, I knew I couldn’t do it alone.”
‘I felt exhausted and sick for days’
Georgie began to research her options online and came across a clinic in Turkey that offered gastric sleeve surgery, where 80 per cent of a patient’s stomach is removed, for £2,850.
Given it was a fraction of the cost of the op at home (which can cost between £7,000 and £11,000), supported by her husband, Georgie dipped into the couple’s savings to pay for it.
In September 2022, Georgie flew to Turkey for £350 return.
“Everything went to plan and five days later I was back home to recover,” she says.
“I felt exhausted and sick for days.”
For two weeks, Georgie had to survive on a liquid diet before moving on to pureed food.
When she was able to eat proper food again, her diet consisted of Weetabix for breakfast, meat and salad for lunch, and a small dinner.
“My smaller stomach meant I always felt full, so I didn’t snack,” she explains.
And the results were instantaneous.
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Source: NHS
In the first week, Georgie lost 12lb, and in the weeks that followed she shed 4lb to 5lb each week.
A scan in January 2023 – four months after her procedure – still showed signs of heart failure but it was improving as she started to lose weight.
“For the first time I felt happy in my body. I had more energy too,” Georgie says.
“At the park I didn’t lurk at the side hiding from the other mums.
“Instead I was pushing the kids on the swings and chasing them about. I even joined a gym.
“I was down to a size 12 and for the first time I could go clothes shopping and pick out anything I wanted. It felt amazing.
“I still look at myself in the mirror now and it doesn’t hit home that it’s actually me looking back.”
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By September 2023, Georgie had shed 8.4 stone and was down to 9st 1lb.
But better than the number staring back at her on the scales was the realisation her heart palpitations had almost completely stopped, only surfacing while exercising at the gym.
“The cardiologist told me that I was in heart failure, and that I was lucky to be alive,” she says.
“They said if I hadn’t lost the weight then I might not have been here today.
“Shedding more than 8st took a lot of strain off my heart.”
In June 2024 an ECG revealed Georgie’s heart function was good.
“It was such a relief,” she says. “Although I still need regular check-ups, I’m doing well and I feel really lucky to be here with my kids.
“Having the surgery was the best decision I ever made. Getting healthy was the key to sorting my heart troubles.”
