Heather Rae El Moussa was diagnosed with a autoimmune disease after giving birth to her son (Picture: Heather Rae El Moussa Instagram)
Selling Sunset star Heather Rae El Moussa has revealed she’s been diagnosed with an autoimmune disease after mistaking the symptoms for ‘mom brain’.
The 36-year-old reality star gave birth to a baby boy with her husband Tarek, after the pair married in 2021.
‘Mama & baby are happy, healthy, tired but doing well. Our hearts are so happy ❤️,’ they said at the time.
However, Heather has now opened up about experiencing intense fatigue four months after giving birth, but dismissed the symptoms.
‘I remember saying to my assistant, “I feel like I’m dead,”‘ she said.
‘My brain was so tired. My body was so tired. I was exhausted all the time and no amount of sleep could make it better.’
She continued to Today: ‘I was like, “I’m probably just foggy because of mom brain.”‘
Reality star Heather and her husband Tarek welcomed their son two years after their wedding (Picture: Amy Sussman/Getty Images)
After undertaking blood tests, Heather was told her pregnancy had triggered an autoimmune disorder called Hashimoto’s disease.
According to the NHS, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis is caused by the immune system attacking the thyroid gland which can damage it and make it swell.
Overtime, as the gland is destroyed, it is unable to produce sufficient thyroid hormone which can cause tiredness amongst other symptoms.
‘When she told me what I had, I was in total shock,’ Heather continued to the publication.
Heather assumed her exhaustion was down to ‘mom brain’ (Picture: Heather Rae El Moussa Instagram)
The disease had also depleted her milk supply, as she revealed that it would vary day by day, some where she could pump more than six ounces of milk and others where she may not even get half an ounce.
Heather, who is also step-mum to Tarek’s two older children from a previous marriage, added that she’s ‘feeling much better’ after being prescribed medication to treat the disease.
Shortly after the birth of her son, Tristan, Heather opened up about her exhaustion while breastfeeding.
Posting a picture of herself sitting in pyjamas with her top open as she breastfed her new soon, with three white heart emoji covering his face and her breast, the real estate star wrote: ‘I’ve never been this exhausted, but also this happy in my life,’ alongside a praying hands emoji.
Selling Sunset is available to watch on Netflix.
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‘I was in shock’
