Oti Mabuse celebrates her daughter’s six month birthday after traumatic birth as she shares she ‘defied the odds with her early arrival’

Oti Mabuse has celebrated her daughter’s six-month birthday after the dancer welcomed her first child prematurely last year.

The Strictly star, 33, and her husband Marius Lepure, 41, became parents in November after their newborn was born prematurely with an infection and spent six weeks in intensive care.

Oti also experienced complications after birth when she was diagnosed with sepsis.

To mark her baby’s six-month birthday, the mother took to Instagram with a sweet message in which she admitted that the newborn “defied the odds with her early arrival” and called motherhood an up-and-down journey.

Sharing a slice of cake with a candle marked ‘6’, Oti wrote: ‘Today marks six months since our little miracle came into the world, defying expectations with her early arrival.

The Strictly star, 33, and her husband Marius Lepure, 41, became parents in November after their newborn was born prematurely with an infection and spent six weeks in intensive care

‘Being a mother to a premature baby has been a journey full of ups and downs, but oh, the beauty of every moment!’

She also shared a sweet photo of her daughter nuzzling her neck as she added, “I am endlessly grateful for my daughter’s strength and resilience. She has taught me more about love, courage and gratitude than I ever thought possible.

‘Here’s to celebrating milestones, big and small, and cherishing the precious gift of motherhood. I am so grateful for everyone who has joined us on this incredible journey.”

The family were last seen on a family holiday in Mallorca earlier this month, when Oti was photographed dancing on the beach with her daughter strapped to her stomach in a papoose.

Oti has been incredibly open about her traumatic birth after explaining how she was doing Her daughter’s life was saved by the NHS after a terrifying sepsis scare.

She said The sun on Sunday: ‘It helped when someone asked me: “How are you feeling? How are you dealing with these new emotions?”

‘My sepsis was discovered after birth, it’s not something that has been overlooked so I just want to clarify that as I had read it so misinterpreted a while ago.

“My daughter had an infection when she came out and the doctors treated her. I didn’t have time to panic, we were just focused on her getting better.”

To mark her baby’s six-month birthday, the mother took to Instagram with a sweet message in which she admitted that the newborn “defied the odds with her early arrival” and called motherhood an up-and-down journey.

Oti shared a slice of cake with a candle with the number ‘6’ and wrote: ‘Today marks six months since our little miracle came into the world, defying expectations with her early arrival’

Oti has been incredibly open about her traumatic birth after explaining how her baby daughter’s life was saved by the NHS after a terrifying sepsis scare

The former Strictly Come Dancing professional explained that she always felt her daughter was in ‘safe hands’ as medics gave her the best possible treatment.

Oti added that the little one had to learn to eat and breathe alone, but admitted that the neonatal unit is a world she knows little about. She claimed the team did a “great” job.

The dancer saw the ‘incredible’ work of midwives who relied on the support of friends and family every day when she could not physically be with her baby.

Oti asked her Instagram followers for help in March when she admitted she “should be shining” during a candid conversation about battling motherhood.

She shares two raw selfies in which she looks very ‘tired’ while lying on the bed wrote: ‘Ok moms, I have a few questions – I would like some suggestions/advice.

‘This is the face of a mother who should be beaming, but I think I’m even more tired. Baby is sleeping so great every night this week from 9pm to 9am (what an angel), but I’m not… because…’

Oti asked her Instagram followers for help in March when she admitted she ‘should be shining’ during a candid conversation about battling motherhood

The former Strictly star then listed the reasons why she suffered from disturbed nights.

She continued, “1. I still have to pump every 2-4 hours at night. If I don’t, I’ll explode. 2. I’m worried that if I don’t pump at night because she is now sleeping long hours without feeding, my supply will be less. 3. All that sleeping makes me even more worried because SIDS is on the back of my mind every day, so I’m constantly waking up to check if she’s still breathing.

“So how can I enjoy sleeping again without losing my supply and getting my mommy paranoia under control?”

Oti added: ‘Oh yes, happy Easter.’