BABIES Baby Blake is doing well after an early arrival

Baby’s name: Blake Board. Date and place of birth: February 12 at 12.10pm at the Royal Glamorgan Hospital, Llantrisant. Weight: 5lb 2oz. Parents: Mum Laila Ladak, 30, a superviser at Asda, and dad Michael Board, 33, a van driver, from Llanharan. Mum’s story: “Blake is our first little one.

“The pregnancy was horrendous. I ended up with diabetes, anaemia and he was born five and a half weeks early too.

“I also had a bleed in the beginning at about seven weeks.

“We had Blake through IVF, so it’s a bit more complicated then.

“We were on the waiting list for about two years, then we had two failed attempts through the NHS. Then we decided to go private.

“It was about three years altogether, it was all quite nerve-racking.

“I did have morning sickness. It would be the same time every day, 9.30am on the dot.

“I’d have my cup of tea and then I’d be sick.

“I didn’t have any really unusual cravings, just for salt and vinegar.

“I went in for a scan on the Friday and they said he had to come out on the Monday because he wasn’t growing.

“I was in hospital for four nights afterwards.

“We did really well considering.

“It was very emotional to get him home for the first time.

“He’s doing absolutely fine now. He keeps me up all night though and then sleeps through the day – he’s a nocturnal baby.

“He is awake a lot more now, though, and he’s greedy. He’s more like his dad, I’d say.

“Do you know, it feels like he’s been here all along.

“I know it sounds silly because he’s only been here for about five weeks but that’s how it feels.

“It is a bit hectic, mind, with my two dogs too.

“Because we thought the IVF might not work we decided to get a puppy, so we’ve got a 10-month old puppy too!”