“It was the most ʜᴇᴀʀᴛʙʀᴇᴀᴋɪɴɢ time, as we really wanted a bigger family.” Amy and Oliver Everatt, both 33, had sᴜFFᴇʀᴇᴅ three ᴛʀᴀɢᴇᴅɪᴇsin as many years and Fᴇᴀʀᴇᴅ they would ʟᴏsᴇ a fourth child, as they could not face telling people again if they ʟᴏsᴛ another baby. Amy who sᴜFFᴇʀᴇᴅ two sᴛɪʟʟʙɪʀᴛʜs and a ᴍɪsᴄᴀʀʀɪᴀɢᴇ has told how she ᴋᴇᴘᴛ her most recent ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴄʏ a sᴇᴄʀᴇᴛ and announced her ‘little ᴍɪʀᴀᴄʟᴇ’ baby’s birth on WhatsApp. Only sharing the news when their ‘little ᴍɪʀᴀᴄʟᴇ’, Elfine, was born and ᴅᴇᴄʟᴀʀᴇᴅ Fɪᴛ, the couple’s jubilant announcement said: “Elfine Stella Everatt born 25/10/17 weighing 3lb 13oz, mum and baby doing well. We can’t believe she’s here.”
Amy and Oliver, who have been together for 14 years, first met at pre-school and always wanted a family. When Amy had a straight-forward ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴄʏ with their eldest daughter Lilia, seven, in 2011, they imagined everything would be easy when they began trying for a brother or sister for her. But, after ᴅɪsᴄᴏᴠᴇʀɪɴɢ she was ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴛ in 2013, Amy’s joy quickly turned to ʜᴇᴀʀᴛʙʀᴇᴀᴋ, when, at 18 weeks, she noticed her baby had sᴛᴏᴘᴘᴇᴅ ᴍᴏᴠɪɴɢ ɪɴsɪᴅᴇ her. She said: “I noticed the baby had sᴛᴏᴘᴘᴇᴅ ᴍᴏᴠɪɴɢ, but because we were still quite early in the ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴄʏ ᴅᴏᴄᴛᴏʀs thought it was ok. Dᴇᴇᴘ ᴅᴏᴡɴ, though, call it a mother’s ɪɴsᴛɪɴᴄᴛ, I knew something wasn’t right.” Tʀᴀɢɪᴄᴀʟʟʏ, at 19 weeks, she visited the ʜᴏsᴘɪᴛᴀʟ and was told the baby girl she and Oliver had called Meridon had ᴅɪᴇᴅ. Refusing to ʟᴏsᴇ hope, they tried again and were thrilled when they discovered they were expecting the following June. Then, in October 2014, after being ɪɴᴠᴏʟᴠᴇᴅ in a small car ᴄʀᴀsʜ, Amy had a ᴘʀᴇᴄᴀᴜᴛɪᴏɴᴀʀʏ ᴄʜᴇᴄᴋ-ᴜᴘ, ᴅɪsᴄᴏᴠᴇʀɪɴɢ that the baby girl, who they named Addie, had ᴅɪᴇᴅ. Both times, ᴅᴇᴠᴀsᴛᴀᴛᴇᴅ Amy had to ᴄᴀʀʀʏ her sᴛɪʟʟʙᴏʀɴ ᴄʜɪʟᴅʀᴇɴ for a further five days until an appointment could be scheduled for their birth.
She said: “I was ᴘᴇᴛʀɪFɪᴇᴅ and had post ᴛʀᴀᴜᴍᴀᴛɪᴄ sᴛʀᴇss ᴅɪsᴏʀᴅᴇʀ sʏᴍᴘᴛᴏᴍs afterwards. We had Fᴜɴᴇʀᴀʟs for both our girls, attended by only me and Oliver. It was the most ʜᴇᴀʀᴛʙʀᴇᴀᴋɪɴɢ time, as we really wanted a bigger family.” Then, ᴊᴜsᴛ after Christmas 2015, Amy discovered she was ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴛ again, but at ᴊᴜsᴛ 12 weeks she had ᴀ ᴍɪsᴄᴀʀʀɪᴀɢᴇ. She added: “Nothing was coming up on my ᴛᴇsᴛ ʀᴇsᴜʟᴛs, explaining why I could get ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴛ but ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅɴ’ᴛ sᴇᴇᴍ ᴛᴏ ʜᴏʟᴅ ᴏɴ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴀʙɪᴇs. We saw a sᴘᴇᴄɪᴀʟɪsᴛ at the ʀᴇᴄᴜʀʀᴇɴᴛ ᴍɪsᴄᴀʀʀɪᴀɢᴇ unit at Hᴇʀᴛ ford county Hᴏsᴘɪᴛᴀʟ, two hours from our home, and were told if we did want to try again, we would need to take ᴍᴇᴅɪᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴ as soon as I fell ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴛ.” Then, in March 2017, the magic blue lines appeared on Amy’s ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴄʏ test once more. She said: “I was so Fɪʟʟᴇᴅ with ᴀɴxɪᴇᴛʏ that I called our sᴘᴇᴄɪᴀʟɪsᴛ before I told Olive. When I did ring my husband, he was so positive and said, ‘We can do this!’”.
Given twice daily ɪɴᴊᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴs of the ʙʟᴏᴏᴅ thinner Cʟᴇxᴀɴᴇ, thought to help ᴘʀᴇᴠᴇɴᴛ ʙʟᴏᴏᴅ ᴄʟᴏᴛs from forming in the ᴇᴍʙʀʏᴏ and ᴘʟᴀᴄᴇɴᴛᴀ, as well as an ᴀsᴘɪʀɪɴ once a day and sᴛᴇʀᴏɪᴅs, only Amy, Oliver and their ᴍᴇᴅɪᴄᴀʟ ᴛᴇᴀᴍ knew about the ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴄʏ. At 16 weeks they shared the news only with Amy’s mum, ʀᴇᴛɪʀᴇᴅ ɴᴜʀsᴇ Wendy Crowe, 64, so she could help with looking after their eldest child when they went to ʜᴏsᴘɪᴛᴀʟ appointments. Then, at 35 weeks, ᴍᴇᴅɪᴄs ᴅᴇᴄɪᴅᴇᴅ it was time for the baby girl to make an ᴀᴘᴘᴇᴀʀᴀɴᴄᴇ and she was born at Stevenage’s lister ʜᴏsᴘɪᴛᴀʟ by elected C-sᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴ, on October 25, 2017. Amy said: “When she arrived they put her in an ɪɴᴄᴜʙᴀᴛᴏʀ sᴛʀᴀɪɢʜᴛ away as she was sᴏ ᴛɪɴʏ. I only got to hold her at four days old, and I was ᴛᴇʀʀɪFɪᴇᴅ again. She was sᴍᴀʟʟ ʟɪᴋᴇ the girls we had ʟᴏsᴛ, weighing ᴊᴜsᴛ 3lb 13oz, and I was ᴅᴇsᴘᴇʀᴀᴛᴇ for her to be ok. I felt like I’d been ʜᴏʟᴅɪɴɢ ᴍʏ ʙʀᴇᴀᴛʜ for 35 weeks, ᴘᴇᴛʀɪFɪᴇᴅ at every sᴄᴀɴ that we were going to have ʟᴏsᴛ her.” Amy is the founder of Hᴇʟᴘ Us Gʀɪᴇᴠᴇ (ⒽⓊⒼ), an app and website to sᴜᴘᴘᴏʀᴛ ɢʀɪᴇᴠɪɴɢ ᴘᴀʀᴇɴᴛs.
She said: ” We ᴋᴇᴘᴛ ǫᴜɪᴇᴛ to ᴘʀᴏᴛᴇᴄᴛ ᴏᴜʀsᴇʟᴠᴇs, because we had already ʟᴏsᴛ three children and we ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅɴ’ᴛ Fᴀᴄᴇ telling people we had ʟᴏsᴛ another one. We ᴅɪᴅɴ’ᴛ want people feeling sorry for us, looking at my bump thinking I would probably ʟᴏsᴇ it. So, we decided if someone asked, then we ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅɴ’ᴛ ʟɪᴇ, but we ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅɴ’ᴛ actively tell people.” Now almost one year old, Amy says you would ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ know her girl was born ᴘʀᴇᴍᴀᴛᴜʀᴇ, and the family have ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ been happier. She added: ” It was only a few days ago, looking at a school photo Lilia had done, where we took Elfine in for the sibling shot, that it really hit home that Lilia had a sister and that Elfine had made it. She is the most beautiful and happy little girl. Lilia is so happy to have a sibling and we feel so lucky too. We call Elfine our little ᴍɪʀᴀᴄʟᴇ.”
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