Becki Barratt, 33, a fitness coach and mother of two, was left paralysed on her left side after suffering a stroke while breastfeeding her three-week-old son, Beauden, in April 2026. She is now aiming to run the London Marathon in 2027.
Sudden collapse at home
Becki, who is also mum to Aréya, three, was holding Beau when her hand suddenly started spasming. She shouted for her partner, James, saying: “Something is wrong.” As she stood up, her legs gave way, and she slowly collapsed to the floor while still holding Beau.
James called 999. Becki told him: “I feel like I’m having a stroke,” a thought she found ridiculous at the time. Paramedics arrived within 15 minutes. By the time they reached the hospital, the entire left side of her body was paralysed.
Diagnosis and emergency treatment
Doctors carried out a CT scan, which showed no sign of a stroke, but her symptoms strongly suggested one. They decided to administer thrombolysis, an emergency clot-busting treatment. The following day, an MRI scan confirmed she had indeed had a stroke, revealing brain damage caused by a clot.
Becki spent almost a week in hospital. As a new mum exclusively breastfeeding, she spent the first 24 hours “pumping and dumping,” sending bottles home for Beau. She recalls: “I have such sad memories of sitting there pumping milk. Sometimes I had to throw it away. Sometimes my parents would take bottles back for Beau.”
Recovery and support
Her recovery began with trying to squeeze her hand. With physiotherapists’ help, she progressed to sitting, standing, and finally taking her first steps. “It took four nurses helping me, but I managed a few tiny steps,” she said. Five days after the stroke, she was discharged home.
Becki has received support from the Stroke Association, which offered over-the-phone advice for appointments. Doctors are still investigating why the stroke happened. Becki said: “I still don’t know why it happened. For us, that uncertainty is particularly difficult. We would love to have a third baby.”
She now wants others to understand that stroke can happen to anyone. “I certainly wouldn’t have imagined a healthy 33-year-old mum breastfeeding her newborn baby. But stroke doesn’t discriminate,” she said.
London Marathon goal
Becki had her stroke on the same day the London Marathon took place in April 2026. Watching it from her hospital bed, she made a promise to stand on the start line in 2027. “My dream is to stand on the start line of the London Marathon in 2027. After everything that’s happened, just getting there would be one of the greatest achievements of my life,” she said.
Juliet Bouverie OBE, CEO at the Stroke Association, said: “Becki’s experience is a powerful reminder that a stroke can happen to anyone, regardless of their age, fitness or lifestyle. Every five minutes in the UK, someone has a stroke, yet many people still think stroke only affects older people. While the overall risk of stroke in younger adults remains low, around one in four strokes happen in people of working age. Pregnancy and the weeks following childbirth are also recognised as periods when the risk of stroke is higher, even though it remains uncommon, because pregnancy can increase the risk of high blood pressure and blood clots. If you notice any of the signs of stroke, remember FAST: changes to the face (F) arms (A) speech (S) then it’s (T) – time to call 999.”
