Britain's youngest mum: Girl who was pregnant at 11 says she will fight to see her daughter

By Maureen Culley
From : http://www.dailymail.co.uk/

Aged just 12 years old, this is Britain's youngest mother holding her newborn baby.

Still a child herself, the new parent's sunken, fearful eyes and inability to smile transform what should be a joyful moment into a desperately unsettling scene.

Tressa Middleton's pregnancy four years ago shocked the nation when she admitted having sex while drunk and spoke of her excitement at becoming a mother.

Now the Scot is 16 and fighting for the right to see her adopted daughter again, as the uneasy images of her holding her baby are shown for the first time.

She yesterday admitted spiralling into a deep depression and turning to alcohol and drugs after the baby was born, when she found herself battling to keep the infant.

Unsettling: Pictures taken of Tressa Middleton soon after the birth in 2006

Miss Middleton said she has quit drugs and alcohol and spoke of her regret at ever letting her baby go.

She told the Scottish Sun: 'I'm not a big drinker now and I don't smoke hash any more. In the past I've cut myself but I don't do that any more. I'm going to give myself a couple of years to get my life sorted, then I'm going to fight for access to my little girl.

When her daughter was born in 2006, the pair were taken into foster care. Eighteen months ago, a child psychologist decided it was in the best interests of the infant that she be adopted.

Miss Middleton signed papers handing over her daughter to an anonymous couple who, when the adoption became official, decided that they did not want to allow the birth mother any access.

Her only contact is now a letter from the child's new parents every six months, updating her on the little girl's progress.

Miss Middleton said yesterday: 'I got to meet her adoptive parents but I wasn't allowed to know their names. They were maybe mid-30s. They seemed lovely but it doesn't really matter who was taking her - I never wanted to let her go.

'After I'd signed the adoption papers, I went to court to fight for twice-a-year contact. I'd even tried to make a deal that if I signed the papers I would get to see her once a year, but the adoptive parents didn't want that. They don't want me to see her. They want to get on with their lives. It makes me hate them.

'At the end of the day, she's my wee girl and I'm doing them a favour. I wasn't asking for much, asking to see her once a year, but they thought I was.'

Heartache: Tressa, now 16, wants to see her child

When she became pregnant in 2005, the case prompted dismay from church and family groups, amid criticisms that a Scottish Executive campaign to cut teenage pregnancies had failed.

Concern over 'broken Britain' rose further when details of Miss Middleton's chaotic home life in Armadale, West Lothian,emerged.

She was one of six children - by four different fathers - to her then 34-year-old mother, who said she was 'proud' of her daughter for keeping the baby.

On the bleak streets where Miss Middleton was raised, petty crime is rife and drink and drugs are ever present. Boarded-up windows abound and gardens are strewn with bed frames, discarded mattresses and other rubbish.

Children gather on street corners and it is far from unusual to see young girls pushing prams.

Despite barely being out of primary school, Miss Middleton smoked up to 20 cigarettes a day, used cannabis and downed cocktails of Buckfast tonic wine and vodka.

Speaking under the cover of anonymity at the time, she disclosed that she had discovered the pregnancy weeks after having drunken sex in August 2005.

Drawing on a roll-up cigarette while heavily pregnant, she said: 'I slept with him because I was drunk and I wanted to. I don't regret it because if I didn't have sex with him I wouldn't have my baby. I knew straight away that I couldn't have an abortion because that's something I don't believe in.'

The girl was scared to tell her mother who, ironically, had given birth to her youngest child days before her daughter found that she was pregnant.

Miss Middleton admitted that she had an argument with her mother after breaking the news of her pregnancy.

'It was hard but it has brought me and my mum closer together,' she said. 'It's good to know I'll have my mum there to help me if I need her.'

Now 16 and legally an adult, she is able to speak openly about her experiences for the first time and has also allowed the images of those early moments after the birth to be published.

Miss Middleton, who believes she has 'turned a corner' in her life, hopes to join the Army and prove that she deserves to see her child again.

She spoke yesterday of the time when she first felt that she would lose her daughter.

This came before the adoption was even official, when the baby went to live with her foster family and the teenager was allowed to see the child only every three months at a family centre.

A child herself: Tressa with her newly-born daughter

The young mother said: 'My daughter sometimes called me "Mummy" then one day she called me by my first name and called her foster carer "Mum". It really hurt and I burst into tears. Then she wouldn't come to me. She refused and would start screaming. It felt like every time I saw her I was losing her more and more.

'The adoptive parents gave her their surname. They've kept her first name the same, but hearing that her name had changed was heartbreaking. It's like they're turning my wee girl into someone different. She was dressed different and her hair was different. It was hard to see someone else bringing up my wee girl.'

Miss Middleton is not allowed to know where her daughter is living or see photographs, although the latest progress letter, from March, described the three-year-old as 'a very happy, chatty, self-confident and together little girl.'

Miss Middleton said: 'When I read it I just started crying. It says she can read numbers 0-9 and count to 20. That's all the things I wanted to teach her as her mum. It's wee simple things like that which affect me.

'I get upset when I see wee girls walking past with their mums. I miss my wee girl every day. I've kept all her clothes from when she was a baby. I keep under my pillow a wee pink Babygro and hat from when she was born.'

Miss Middleton, who now has only limited contact with her own family and lives in Dumfries, admitted, however, that adoption was in her daughter's 'best interests'.

But she added: 'It was the hardest thing I've ever done. I don't think I can give my daughter the life she needs just now.

'When I'm older I want to build a relationship with my daughter. I'm concentrating on sorting myself out so that one day I'll hopefully see my wee girl again. I love her to bits.'

Meet Britain's smallest mum (whose 14-month-old son towers over her)

By Daily Mail Reporter
From: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/

Britain's smallest mum told today how her baby son already towers above her - aged just 14 months.

Proud Amanda Moore, 25, became the shortest woman ever to give birth in the UK when son Aidan was delivered by Caesarean section last year.

She suffers from a rare bone disease which has left her measuring just 3ft 1in. But because the condition has left her unable to stand, Aidan already towers above her at 2ft 6in. 


Amanda says Aidan could end up being as tall as his father Steven Fyfe, 20 - who is a lanky 6ft 1in.

Proud mother: Amanda Moore with 14-month-old Aidan, who already towers over her when he stands up

She said: 'Aidan is getting so big, he takes after his dad. I always knew he would be taller than me but he's shot up. When I sit on the floor to play with him, he is taller than me already and he's only 14 months old. He's getting so big and strong that soon we'll have to tell him to be gentle with mummy.

'It's been a struggle because he's been running rings around me since he was crawling. But now he's walking he's more than a handful for someone my size. Most boys are bigger than their mums, but not after a year. He'll always be my little boy.' 


Amanda, of Hinckley, Leicestershire., suffers from brittle bone disorder.
She was born with 14 broken bones and resigned herself to never having children because experts feared that her tiny frame could not cope with a pregnancy. But she accidentally fell pregnant and defied doctors' advice to have an abortion.
Amanda said: 'Doctors advised me to have a termination and we did think about it. I didn't want to die and there was a real and likely possibility that the baby growing inside me would kill me.

'But at the same time I felt a strong love developing for our unborn child I just couldn't dismiss. We both wanted this baby so much.'

Happy family: Steven and Amanda have not ruled out having a second child

She began suffering blackouts at 35 weeks and was rushed to the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford after blacking out at an Asda store in Swindon, where she and Steven lived at the time.

Aidan was born on February 27 last year weighing 5lb 5oz and had not inherited his mother's bone condition.

At 14 months, he already tips the scales at 22lb - nearly half the four stone his mother weighs.

She said: 'Soon Aidan will be bigger than me and we are working out how I can move him around the house in my chair while Steven is at work.

'Aidan is starting to say a few words and is really mobile - but he'll never be too big for a telling off from his mum.'

Steven, who works for a taxi firm, said they haven't ruled out having another child even after the stressful pregnancy and the danger of passing on Amanda's condition.

He said: 'It's been a struggle but Aidan is doing so well. He's a big boy and will soon be much bigger than his mother. When Amanda became pregnant doctors told us she or the baby could die, or even both of them.


'But they are both fighting fit and we are a very lucky family. We are not ruling out having another child - Aidan would make a great big brother.'

Groovy baby! MP3 player which plays music to unborn babies

By Daily Mail Reporter




A new music system has been designed to deliver soothing tunes straight to the tender ears of the most delicate of listeners - unborn babies.
The Ritmo pregnancy sound system wraps around an expectant mother's tummy and plays music into the womb through four speakers.
Its designers say unborn babies show signs of 'reactive listening' from just 17 weeks into the pregnancy.

Early learning: The inventors say music in the womb can help a foetus's intellectual development

And they claim that playing music to a foetus can provide the 'building blocks' for future musical ability and intellectual development.
The new device, which connects to an mp3 player, is said to allow mums and babies to share 'the sensory and emotional experience of bonding through sound and music.'
Ritmo was invented by dad of two Oren Oz after his wife had struggled to play music to her unborn child during her second pregnancy.
The 34-year-old said: 'Ritmo was born out of my frustration at seeing my wife struggle to find a comfortable position that also allowed the speakers to stay still.
'It was impossible for her to be mobile while having the maximum flexibility to choose her own sound.
'None of the existing solutions on the market place seemed suitable in their design, technology and functionality.
'Ritmo was created to deliver sound safely in utero, taking into account the unique acoustic environment of the womb.'

Walkies: the Ritmo gadget is said to help mum and baby form a bond before birth

Mr Oz said he and his team of full-time parents at Nuvo Group designed the gadget with both the foetus and the comfort of the mother in mind.
The two pairs of speakers are embedded in a stretchy fabric pad that fits around the tummy and can be worn under clothing.
The system is attached to an mp3 player and the sound is split three ways - two arrays of speakers and earphones for the mum to join in.
This, says Mr Oz, creates an 'in-utero auditorium and delivers safe sound to the baby regardless of his head position inside the womb.'
The inventor, from South Carolina, USA, added: 'The key to the system is in the real-time control of the sound output to the speaker arrays.
'We are not trying to educate people to play music while pregnant - we just offer better a solution to those who already do.
'Ritmo can now provide an unparalleled bonding experience for both parent and child through music sound and voice.'
The Ritmo pregnancy sound system is on sale at www.nuvo-group.com for £80.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1244663/The-latest-gadget-mp3-player-unborn-babies.html#ixzz0dNKwZLSC

World's smallest mother to risk giving birth for third time

By Mail Foreign Service

Stacey Herald: The 2ft 4in mother shows her bump

The world’s smallest mother is about to give birth for the third time - despite warnings she is risking her life.

Stacey Herald, who is just 2ft 4in tall, was told that becoming pregnant could kill her, but bravely defied doctors to have two babies half her height.

The 35-year-old from Dry Ridge, Kentucky in the U.S. suffers from Osteogenesis Imperfecta, which causes brittle bones and underdeveloped lungs, and means she failed to grow.

Now Mrs Herald, who uses a wheelchair, and her husband Will, who is 5ft 9in, are eagerly awaiting the birth of their third baby, due in the next four weeks.

Currently as wide as she is tall, she cannot hold her daughter because her belly gets in the way, and has to rely on her husband to do most things around the house.

She admits being pregnant is ‘uncomfortable’ and leaves her bedridden for weeks on end.

By the time the new addition, a boy, is one he will already tower over his mother.

But despite all the obstacles, the mother and father, a trainee priest, say they want even more children.

The couple met in 2000 while working for a supermarket in their home town and were desperate for a family after marrying in 2004.

But doctors warned Mrs Herald a baby would grow so large inside her tiny body it would eventually crush her organs, strangling her from the inside out.

Mrs Herald said: ‘It broke my heart that I couldn’t have kids.

‘All my life my parents had told me that I could do anything. Then there were these doctors telling me that we couldn’t be a complete family. It really hurt.’

Outgrown: Mrs Herald, her husband Will and their two daughters - they are all taller than the 35-year-old

Eight months later, the couple were thrilled when they discovered they were expecting and decided to go ahead even though family and doctors begged them to reconsider.

Mrs Herald, who had decided not to take contraception, said: ‘They all told me that I would die. They begged me not to have a baby.

'Even my mother said,” You know you won’t survive right?” ‘I told her: “It’s a miracle that I am here, that I have life, why couldn’t this be a miracle too?”’

Mrs Herald dances with her 5ft 9in tall husband

After 28 weeks, doctors performed a cesarean section and daughter Kateri was born, weighing just 2lbs and 1oz in 2006.

She grew well but there was heartbreak for the family when they discovered Kateri had inherited Mrs Herald’s condition and would also never grow to a normal height.

But the young family resumed life as normal, before Mrs Herald fell pregnant a year later.

She said: ‘It was kind of like the last time, everyone screamed: “What are you doing?” at us.

‘The doctors told me I was pushing my luck. But we just prayed that God would bring us through it.’ However this pregnancy took its toll on the little mother.

She said: ‘It was hard, I got so much bigger faster. At my worst point I remember bursting into tears, because I looked like a beach ball with a head and little feet.

‘I spent weeks unable to do anything for myself because my stomach was so big. At one point I dislocated my arm when I was moving from my chair into bed, because I just wasn’t used to the weight on my arms.

‘I’ve always been able to do everything but this time I just couldn’t and I found that really upsetting to have Will help me wash and go to the toilet.

‘Also he was trying to look after a 16-month old, so it was tough on both of us.’

Doctors tried to let the second baby stay in her body for as long as possible, letting her pregnancy go to 34 weeks before wheeling her into theatre.

Daughter Makaya who, at 18 inches was more than half her mother’s body length when she was born, weighed 4lbs and 7oz.

Now both girls are bigger than their mother who is 30 weeks pregnant with her first boy.

She said: ‘It’s getting tougher and tougher to move.

‘At the moment because I’m getting really big again I can’t hold my youngest daughter because my belly gets in the way and I can’t get my arms around her.’

Tender: Mrs Herald, who suffers from suffers from Osteogenesis Imperfecta, plays with her daughter Makaya

Mrs Herald added: ‘All my babies are miracles, but we haven’t thought about if we’re going to have some more, as they”re a real handful right now.

‘We didn’t plan to have more than two kids, we just think that they’re a great gift to the world, and when I look at them I see Will and I feel so full of love, it’s tough not to want more.’

How Can a Pregnant Woman Get Pregnant Again?

By Dan Fletcher

Ian Hooton / Corbis

An Indonesian woman gave birth to a 19-lb. 2-oz. baby behemoth on Sept. 24, but that was only the second weirdest pregnancy tale of the month. The strangest belongs to Julia Grovenburg, a 31-year-old Arkansas woman who has a double pregnancy. No, not twins — Grovenburg became pregnant twice, two weeks apart. Isn't that supposed to be impossible?

Almost. There have been only 10 recorded cases of the phenomenon, dubbed superfetation. In Grovenburg's case, she became pregnant first with a girl (whom she has decided to name Jillian) and then two weeks later with a boy (Hudson). The babies have separate due dates — Jillian on Dec. 24, Hudson on Jan. 10. (See pictures of pregnant-belly art.)

Dr. Robert Atlas, chairman of the obstetrics and gynecology department at Baltimore's Mercy Hospital, says he has never encountered a case of superfetation during practice. He says such pregnancies occur when a woman continues ovulating after becoming pregnant and when that second, fertilized egg is able to implant itself in the lining of the womb — two things that wouldn't happen in a normal pregnancy. Typically, hormonal changes prevent further ovulation and thicken the lining of the uterus to preclude a second embryo from attaching. Why didn't that happen with Grovenburg? No one's really sure. (See how to prevent illness at any age.)

Despite the rarity of Grovenburg's case, Atlas tells TIME the phenomenon shouldn't be cause for concern. Grovenburg's babies should behave much as twins do; in all likelihood, the second baby will be born slightly premature when Julia first goes into labor. Since the difference between the babies is only two weeks, the second baby will be nearly at full term anyway. Indeed, the last known case of superfetation had a happy ending. In 2007, a British woman gave birth to a boy and girl who were conceived three weeks apart, with no undue complications.