EastEnders has aired a heartbreaking episode as Lauren Branning (played by Jacqueline Jossa) continued to worry about the health of her two-week-old baby Jimmy Beale, whom she shares with Peter (Thomas Law).
The exhausted mum has been concerned that her newborn son is very unsettled and is also not interested in feeding or sleeping. But her worries were repeatedly dismissed by Peter and their health visitor on Wednesday (21st May).
Peter was warned to watch out for signs of postnatal depression in Lauren, and later found her and Jimmy missing from the house. The couple’s elder son, Louie (Jake McNally), commented that he had seen his mum taking a tablet from a bottle under the sink
Meanwhile, recovering addict Lauren was at the hospital, where she demanded for Jimmy to be examined after noticing there was something wrong with her son’s eyes. This got her nowhere until her midwife, Hanan (Isabel Adomakoh Young) spotted her and contacted Peter, who told Hanan about the tablets.
Peter arrived with dad Ian (Adam Woodyatt) and family friend Linda Carter (Kellie Bright), and Lauren explained that she had merely been taking folic acid and had misplaced them while in a state of exhaustion.
Linda peered over to see Jimmy and noticed something worrying about his eyes. Hanan took notice and also looked at Jimmy before asking him to be examined by a doctor.
As the doctor confirmed that Jimmy was severely sighted, Peter fled the consultation room and demanded that Ian take him home.
Lauren was left alone while she listened as the doctor confirmed that Jimmy had optic nerve chorioretinal coloboma, meaning he would be registered as severely sight-impaired.
Meanwhile, the doctor assured a guilty Lauren that her prescribed methadone would not have caused Jimmy’s condition, but it was possible that other drug use during pregnancy may have led to this.
Recalling her morphine use, Lauren couldn’t bear to think about how her addiction could have harmed her little boy, and also asked if he was blind.
Alone in the bathroom, Lauren vowed never to take so much as a paracetamol ever again and begged God for forgiveness.
But there was a bit of hope when Jimmy was finally able to latch on and breastfeed, despite being unable to see what he was doing.
The lights then flickered off, leaving Lauren and Jimmy alone in the dark. The mother and son bonded in a symbolic final few moments as she faced what lay ahead.
EastEnders fans are now calling for Lauren to dump Peter ahead of their forthcoming wedding as he remains unsupportive.
Taking to X, one fan fumed: “Peter going home when he should be supporting Lauren and Jimmy. That’s the final straw for him now! Lauren ditch him whilst you’re ahead. #EastEnders.”
A second exclaimed: “I actually hope Lauren doesn’t marry peter she deserves way better tbh #EastEnders.”
A third chimed in: “Hopefully Lauren leaves Peter before the wedding because if Lauren marries Peter I think Peter will control Lauren #EastEnders.”
