Wendy Lewis,51, ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ believed she would become a mum . She and her husband Andrew, 50, started trying for a baby in 2013 – a year after they met . She was ᴅɪᴀɢɴᴏsᴇᴅ with ⓅⒸⓄⓈ, meant she sᴛʀᴜɢɢʟᴇᴅ to ᴄᴏɴᴄᴇɪᴠᴇ ɴᴀᴛᴜʀᴀʟʟʏ and, at 50, she was sure she’d be too ᴏʟᴅ for ⒾⓋⒻ ᴛʀᴇᴀᴛᴍᴇɴᴛ. Wendy said: “We were tᴏʟᴅ there was a 60 ᴘᴇʀ ᴄᴇɴᴛ ᴄʜᴀɴᴄᴇ of the first attempt being successful, which we were very optimistic about. I ᴊᴜsᴛ thought if it’s meant to be, it will happen.”
On father’s day last year, Wᴇɴᴅʏ ᴅɪsᴄᴏᴠᴇʀᴇᴅ she was having a baby. She said :” I ᴊᴜsᴛ cried and cried in ᴅɪsʙᴇʟɪᴇF and ᴀᴍᴀᴢᴇᴍᴇɴᴛ as Andrew and I hugged one another.” Although the ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴄʏ went well initially, the 20-week sᴄᴀɴ ʀᴇᴠᴇᴀʟᴇᴅ the couple’s unborn baby ᴡᴀsɴ’ᴛ growing at the ʀᴀᴛᴇ ᴅᴏᴄᴛᴏʀs would have ʜᴏᴘᴇᴅ Fᴏʀ. After being ʀᴇɢᴜʟᴀʀʟʏ ᴍᴏɴɪᴛᴏʀᴇᴅ, ᴊᴜsᴛ four weeks later Wendy was ᴅɪᴀɢɴᴏsᴇᴅ with ᴘʀᴇ-ᴇᴄʟᴀᴍᴘsɪᴀ and tᴏʟᴅ their baby ᴍᴀʏ ɴᴏᴛ ʙᴇ ʀᴇᴄᴇɪᴠɪɴɢ sᴜFFɪᴄɪᴇɴᴛ Fʟᴜɪᴅs. ᴊᴜsᴛ 29 weeks into the ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴄʏ, Wendy was ʀᴜsʜᴇᴅ to ᴛʜᴇᴀᴛʀᴇ for an ᴇᴍᴇʀɢᴇɴᴄʏ ᴄᴀᴇsᴀʀᴇᴀɴ sᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴ. Baby James was born weighing ᴀ ᴛɪɴʏ 1lb 13oz and nᴇᴇᴅᴇᴅ ᴜʀɢᴇɴᴛ ᴍᴇᴅɪᴄᴀʟ ᴀᴛᴛᴇɴᴛɪᴏɴ, meaning Wendy ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅɴ’ᴛ ᴇᴠᴇɴ ʜᴏʟᴅ ʜᴇʀ ɴᴇᴡʙᴏʀɴ sᴏɴ. Wendy said: “I was sᴏ ᴡᴏʀʀɪᴇᴅ after everything we had all been through that James ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅɴ’ᴛ make it. But when she was able to hᴏʟᴅ her son for the first time, I felt like the happiest mum ᴀʟɪᴠᴇ. For so long, I truly believed I would ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ become a mum so to hᴏʟᴅ James in my arms was the most incredible feeling. He really is the ᴘʀᴏᴏF that ᴍɪʀᴀᴄʟᴇs ᴅᴏ ʜᴀᴘᴘᴇɴ.”
When James was eight weeks old, a fortnight before his ᴀᴄᴛᴜᴀʟ ᴅᴜᴇ ᴅᴀᴛᴇ the couple were Fɪɴᴀʟʟʏ able to take him home. And this year they will be spending our first Christmas at home as a family, something that they only dared dream about. She added :”He will be sᴘᴏɪʟᴛ ʀᴏᴛᴛᴇɴ. I ᴄᴀɴ’ᴛ wait to see him tear open all his presents and watch the look of sheer delight on his face. It may have taken for me to ʀᴇᴀᴄʜ 51 for me to spend my first Christmas at home as a mum but it will be worth every second of the wait. James really was the best Christmas present we could have asked for.”
