The 'Picking Up the Pieces' hitmaker, who's currently pregnant with her second child, recalls experiencing wild thoughts after giving birth to her first child.

• Dec 23, 2020

AceShowbiz - British singer and actress Paloma Faith was left terrified in 2016 when she suffered a "temporary postpartum psychotic outburst" and became convinced she was the victim of a bizarre body swap.

The "Picking Up the Pieces" hitmaker had to undergo an emergency Caesarean section to deliver her daughter in December 2016, after developing a womb infection and prematurely ruptured waters, and as she recovered from the surgery, she started experiencing wild thoughts.

Paloma told the "Sweat, Snot & Tears" podcast, "On day three, I had a temporary postpartum psychotic outburst where I believed that they had sewn my head onto somebody else's body... I really remember that it is was genuinely real feeling (sic)."

"I knew that it sounded crazy and I kept saying, 'I know it sounds crazy and I never would have thought anyone would do this, but they have!'"

She and her partner Leyman Lahcine are now expecting their second child after six rounds of in-vitro fertilisation treatment, but her previous pregnancy and birthing experience has made her cautious not to reveal her due date.

"My last pregnancy went so wrong that even to people who I would trust not to tell anyone, I can't say it (due date)," she explained.

"I don't believe that my due date is a real thing. I've got PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) about it. I'm sort of like, '(It's) some point in the first quarter of next year, but potentially before.' "

The star went on to note she hasn't actually been diagnosed with PTSD, but does feel "traumatised" and "worried" about going into labour, and confessed she really isn't fond of pregnancy.

"I think pregnancy is appalling!" she quipped. "Obviously I wouldn't have done it a second time if I didn't really like the outcome!"

"I love the prize after the first 12 months, not at the beginning," Paloma laughed. "I really don't like being pregnant. I don't think it suits me, I don't think my body likes it. It feels like I've got an allergy to pregnancy."

And the musician admits she has her published photos airbrushed to help boost her own confidence, especially while wearing "the most hideous underwear" to accommodate her changing figure.

"Thank God for Photoshop, that's all I can say!" she joked. "You know all those people who are like, body conscious, 'embrace everything'? I'm like, 'Airbrush the hell out of me!' "