There is nothing I would have loved more than to see Craig get married but little Ellena had other ideas
Baby joy of medic who saved Scots soldier
Aparamedic whose bravery saved the life of a Scots soldier shot by Taliban fighters has achieved her dream of becoming a mum.
Michelle Ping was serving with the Royal Navy Reserves in Afghanistan when sniper Craig Paterson was shot in the head.
She threw herself into the firing line as she crashed down on Craig, protecting him from being hit again.
Craig, 27, from Inverurie, Aberdeenshire, has since made a remarkable recovery.
Now Michelle, 43, who was known as “mother” by 4 th Scots soldiers, has opened a wonderful new chapter in her life by giving birth to a beautiful little girl, Ellena Rae.
Michelle was overjoyed to become a mum–although going into labour early meant she missed Craig’s wedding.
Speaking from her home in Andover, Hampshire, Michelle said: “I have experienced some wonderful times in my life but becoming a mum tops them all.
“My partner Chris and I have been truly blessed.
“Ellena is an adorable baby and we couldn’t be happier.”
Making her dream of motherhood come true was far from easy.
The National Ambulance Resilience Unit instructor had been told that she would not become pregnant without the help of fertility treatment.
Baby Ellena was her last chance of conceiving.
Michelle explained: “Doctors managed to harvest eight eggs from my ovaries and fertilised them.
“Seven did not make but the last one did and grew into a beautiful baby girl.
“Seeing her on a scan shortly after the egg was implanted into my body was wonderful. She looked like a dot on the s c re e n , and I called her Dotty, but grew to a healthy 6lb 11oz, even though she arrived 10 days early.”
A tricky labour resulted in Ellena being delivered by Caesarean section.
Michelle described holding her daughter for the first time as “a moment of absolute joy”.
“I never knew it was possible to feel so happy,” she added.
“After all the worr y about whether we would be able to have a baby, here was my beautiful little girl smiling up at me.”
The surprise early delivery put paid to Michelle and Chris’s plans to attend Craig and teenage sweetheart Louise Dalgarno’s big day.
Michelle said: “We were so looking forward to seeing them wed but Ellena had other plans. She