Jesy Nelson has shared an emotional and deeply personal moment from her life as a mother, revealing that her daughter Ocean accidentally pulled out her feeding tube — a small incident that carried overwhelming emotional weight amid her twins’ devastating health battle.
The former Little Mix star, 34, welcomed twin daughters Ocean Jade and Story Monroe prematurely in May 2025 with her ex-fiancé Zion Foster. What followed has been one of the most challenging periods of Jesy’s life.
Last month, Jesy bravely revealed that both babies had been diagnosed with Spinal Muscular Atrophy Type 1 (SMA1) — a rare and severe genetic neuromuscular disease that causes progressive muscle weakness and wasting.
Because SMA1 affects the muscles responsible for swallowing, sucking, and breathing, both girls require feeding tubes to survive.
Taking to Instagram Stories on Thursday morning, Jesy shared a tender video of Ocean smiling up at her — without the feeding tube in place — after the baby had accidentally pulled it out.
Alongside the clip, Jesy wrote words that struck a powerful chord with parents everywhere:
“Ocean pulled out her feeding tube this morning. I forget what her little face looks like without it. We really take for granted the little things. What I would give to see her little face like this every day.”
The singer admitted the moment served as a painful reminder of how much her family has lost — and how even the smallest, most ordinary things can feel impossibly precious.
The emotional update came just days after Jesy released her documentary Life After Little Mix, in which she opened up about her decision to leave the band in 2020 and the unimaginable reality of her daughters’ diagnosis.
Jesy is now campaigning tirelessly for the NHS to expand the standard heel-prick test given to newborns, urging it to include screening for SMA1. Her petition — calling for the government to fund and fast-track the process — has already surpassed 120,000 signatures.
She has said that if Ocean and Story had been tested at birth — a test that costs around £1 — and treatment had begun earlier, their legs could have been saved.
As she continues to advocate for change while caring for her daughters’ complex medical needs, Jesy has made the difficult decision to pause her music career.
Appearing on Heart FM’s Breakfast Show, she told Amanda Holden and Jamie Theakston:“I’d never say never to music, but my girls are my main focus. I honestly don’t have the time. They are my whole heart and soul. Everything right now is about getting them strong and changing this heel-prick test.”
Jesy previously described life with the twins as an emotional rollercoaster, admitting some days are “really fing s*”* while others feel slightly lighter.
She explained that the daily medical procedures required to keep her babies alive often leave her feeling broken, as she struggles with the reality of causing them discomfort — even when she knows it is necessary.
“They’re so tiny,” she told the Daily Mail. “When they’re crying and screaming, it feels like I’m hurting them. I hate that I have to be the person doing that. I just want to be their mum.”
Jesy also shared that no two days are ever the same emotionally, adding that other mothers have warned her the journey would never feel steady.
She has spoken candidly about the devastating prognosis associated with SMA1, which can be fatal in early childhood if untreated. However, she remains fiercely hopeful that Ocean and Story will defy the odds now that they are receiving treatment.
Speaking on Jamie Laing’s Great Company podcast, Jesy said:
“It’s not OK, but it is what it is. I just have to make the best of this situation. My girls are the strongest, most resilient babies, and I truly believe they are going to defy all the odds.”
Despite the heartbreak, Jesy’s words reflect a mother fighting with everything she has — for her children, for awareness, and for change.
