Our £1m baby
£1m win means couple can now move out of his mum’s house...
COUPLE HIT JACKPOT ..AND EXCITEMENT PUTS MUM INTO EARLY LABOUR HOURS LATER
A LUCKY couple have told how the thrill of their EuroMillions win led to their baby arriving a month early.
Natalie Metcalf and fiance Andrew Symes, who both live at his mum’s house, added their win came as they were struggling to afford to move out.
The pair welcomed little Poppy into the world just three days after they found out they had scooped £1million on the UK Millionaire Maker draw.
Poppy was not due until March 2, but the couple joked the youngster could not wait to celebrate with them.
Natalie, 37, said: “I think the excitement of the win must have played a part in Poppy turning up early.
“I think she just wanted to be part of it, and what an entrance it was.”
Andrew, 40, added: “She must have got wind and thought, ‘Oh, I’ll have a bit of that’.” The pair learned of their win on February 2, a day after the draw. Natalie’s contractions started the next day as they were viewing houses.
She went into hospital a day later and Poppy was born the following lunchtime, on February 5.
It came as the couple, from Thornbury, Bristol, wondered how they could afford to buy a home of their own.
Nursery manager Natalie said: “We had been on a house viewing the week before and I remember doing the maths and thinking, ‘I just don’t know how we are going to do this’.
“Then we win, and Poppy comes along a few days later and it is like everything just fell into place at once.
“I suppose the birth of Poppy overshadowed it all, to be honest. Because she was born a month early, all of our attention and the excitement has been more about her than winning. It is like it has not really sunk in, in some ways.”
She added: “We’d always joked that the only way we could afford to buy our own home was if we won the Lottery.”
Natalie said she and Andy can finally start planning their wedding too.
She said: “We’ve been engaged for over two years, but now we can afford to have the wedding of our dreams without feeling guilty about the costs.”
The couple are yet to splurge on any luxury items, but plan on upgrading Natalie’s engagement ring and treating themselves to a holiday this year.
Pensions manager Andy added: “The biggest benefit is breathing space, you don’t have to panic about how you have to pay the bills. You can be mortgagefree and give the kids nice memories.”
Poppy turned up early. I think she wanted to be part of it, and what an entrance it was NATALIE METCALF ON BABY POPPY’S EARLY ARRIVAL, JUST AFTER LOTTO WIN