Our amazing Santa babies!
Christmas is a time for celebration, and these little ones will make this festive season even more joyous. Here are their special stories…
The little ones who prove miracles really can happen
‘I couldn’t believe I was giving birth on Christmas Day’
After trying for a baby for three years, Lauren Robson,
35, and her husband John, from Chatteris, Cambridgeshire, were in for a big surprise.
‘It was Christmas Eve, the tree was twinkling and all my gifts were wrapped. At 34 weeks pregnant with twins, it had been exhausting getting everything ready, but now I was so excited. The next day, my husband
John and I would be heading to my parents’ house for a meal and celebrations; our last Christmas together before I became a mum.
I headed to bed, but I’d only been asleep a few hours when I woke to wave-like pains in my stomach. “John,” I gasped, nudging him. “I think the babies are coming.” They weren’t due until 4 February. We both quickly dressed before getting in the car.
It was a still, cold night as we sped to hospital, both terrified and excited.
John and I had been trying for a baby for three years. We’d had endless tests, but still didn’t know why we couldn’t conceive. John already had a child from a previous relationship, so we hadn’t qualified for IVF on the NHS, but then my mum offered to help pay. As it cost about £10,000, we were so grateful and couldn’t believe it when it worked first time.
At seven weeks, we discovered we were expecting twins. We didn’t have a lot of money or a big house, but somehow none of that mattered. Two babies meant double the happiness.
At the hospital, I was taken to the labour ward. The pain was slow and steady and, as Christmas Day dawned, there was still no sign of the babies.
John phoned my parents to let them know why we wouldn’t be visiting. My mum was also born on Christmas Day, so she was excited about sharing her birthday!
The nurses served us Christmas dinner and we pulled crackers and watched TV. Even during the most painful contractions, it was lovely to be surrounded by festive cheer.
Finally, at around 8pm on Christmas Day, our sons were born in quick succession. Jacob arrived first, followed by Callum, each weighing 5lb 1oz. They were taken straight to the special care baby unit to be monitored, but later that evening, John and I were allowed to visit and we sat, taking in the details of their little faces. “They’re the best Christmas present ever,” I whispered. I couldn’t believe they were really ours. When I finally got to hold them a few days later, it was amazing.
The past year has been busy, tiring and demanding, but such fun. Jacob is always on the move, while Callum is such a laid-back little boy. They seem to have their own secret language when they gurgle at each other.
This Christmas Day will be their first birthday and a double celebration. We’ll have a tree with twinkly lights and a big birthday cake, and we’ll spend the day enjoying the twins with my parents. John and I had wanted a baby for so long, then we were blessed with two little boys on the most magical day of the year. To us, that truly is a Christmas miracle.’
• For more info, visit twinstrust.org
‘We were blessed with two little boys on the most magical day of the year’