Soap star tells of birth trauma

Emmerdale star Natalie Anderson has described how the birth of her son turned into the "scariest time" of her life.

The actress, who plays Alicia in the ITV1 soap, gave birth to Freddie a month ago.

She told Hello! Magazine how her son's heart-rate dropped because the umbilical cord was wrapped around his neck.

She said: "Every time I was having a really intense contraction, his heart was just stopping as the cord was tightening.

"It was the scariest time of our lives. They knew they had to get him out and said if nothing happened in the next five minutes I'd need to go to theatre for an emergency C-section."

Freddie was eventually born naturally and is now at home with Natalie and her husband James Shepherd.

She said: "When he was born all I could feel was overwhelming love for him. When they put him on my chest and I could see him for the first time, it was amazing. I would relive that moment over and over again. Freddie is surrounded by so much love. We are so lucky."

The actress said she has managed to lose almost all her baby weight within four weeks of his birth.

She said: "I had a very compact bump and carried Freddie neatly across the front, which people say is more common with boys.

"I just ate very healthily throughout and the weight that's gone is Freddie. I'm breastfeeding as well, but I didn't think it would come off so quickly."