Woman with polycystic ovary syndrome who was told there was ‘no hope’ of getting pregnant reveals how she found out she was expecting a ‘miracle’ baby boy on Christmas Day
- Kerry Proctor, 27, from Thurrock, Essex, was diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) at 16 after her periods failed to start
- Doctors told her the condition was so bad she had ‘no hope’ of having children
- When her sister fell pregnant, Kerry decided to spend Xmas abroad with her partner Chris Baxter, 32, because she couldn’t bear to be around a new baby #
- Couple found out they were expecting a baby in Dutch capital on Christmas Day
A woman who had been told by doctors that there was ‘no hope’ of her conceiving a child naturally has spoken out about her shock at discovering she was pregnant – on Christmas Day.
Kerry Proctor, 27, from Thurrock, Essex, was diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) at 16 when her periods failed to start, with doctors telling her in her twenties that there was ‘no chance’ of her having a child of her own.
Feeling devastated at the prospect of not being able to conceive with her boyfriend Chris Baxter, 32, Kelly threw away her contraceptive pill in despair.
However, just five months later, on a Christmas trip to Amsterdam – plotted to avoid a family Christmas after her sister gave birth – she began to feel nauseous and after taking a test found out they were expecting.
Kerry Proctor, 27, from Thurrock, Essex, who threw away her contraceptive pill in the belief that she would never conceive with her partner Chris Baxter, 32, (pictured together) has welcomed a son named Jackson – after finding out she was pregnant on Christmas Day
Kerry (pictured when pregnant) was first diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome after her periods failed to start at age 16
The couple have now welcomed their ‘Christmas miracle’ – little boy Jackson, who was born in August 2017, weighing 8lbs 15oz.
Kerry, who works at Hamleys toy shop, said: ‘At first I just didn’t believe the test result said positive so we went out again to buy two more tests.
‘I still didn’t want to fully get my hopes up, but it was an incredible feeling. I’d been told I had zero chance of carrying a child naturally and wouldn’t be able to get pregnant.
‘I’d been feeling so low after the news, that’s why we’d gone away for Christmas, I just needed to get away and be alone with my boyfriend.
‘My sister, who I love, had just had a baby too so it was especially hard to be around that.
‘So to find out I was in fact pregnant after all, on the most magical day of the year too, it was just so special.’
Kerry was diagnosed with PCSO syndrome in 2008, as a teenager.
Her mum, Maria Proctor, 51, an Ikea cashier, became concerned that she hadn’t started her periods and, after tests, her GP confirmed she the condition and explained that she might struggle to have children.
The toy shop worker was stunned to discover that she was pregnant with Jackson (pictured), while on a Christmas trip to Amsterdam; the couple were so stunned they refused to believe the tests were correct until a doctor confirmed
Kerry (pictured with Chris) says she’d pushed her PCOS to the back of her mind, until she and Chris began discussing their hopes of having a family
It was only after a whirlwind romance with, Chris, in 2015 that she began to really worry about her fertility.
She said: ‘I knew I had the condition, but I don’t think I realised how severe my case was and just pushed it to the back of my mind.
‘And I definitely wasn’t thinking about having kids at that time. It wasn’t until I’d been with Chris for about six months and we started to talk about a five-year plan that I admitted I might find it hard to conceive.
‘He was really proactive and we went to the doctor the next week. I had six or seven appointments for blood tests, scans, consultations with specialists, and I wasn’t really too worried.
‘But then early one morning, a few weeks after my last appointment, the doctor called and said he had bad news. They then told me that I’d never be able to conceive as my PCOS was so severe.’
Kerry (pictured aged 16) found the possibility of not becoming a mother difficult, especially when her older sister, Stacey, 32, announced that she was expecting her first child
Kerry says the news sent her into total shock: ‘It’s a very, very hard thing to hear as a woman. I felt like my chance to be a mum had just been snatched away, it was heartbreaking.
‘Chris was so supportive and said we had other options when the time is right, but I didn’t want to think about it.
‘I couldn’t bear to look at women pushing prams in the street, I’d cross to the other side and even found it hard to be around my mate’s kids too.
‘I felt quite depressed after that, I tried really hard to push it all to the back of my mind but I couldn’t do it.’
Kerry found the news even harder to take when her older sister, Stacey, 32, announced that she was expecting her first child – who was due in early December.
Before Jackson (pictured) was born, Kerry admits she was happy for her sister but found it difficult to be around her while pregnant
Despite wanting to spend Christmas with her family, Kerry decided it would be ‘too hard’ to be around a newborn and so decided to go away.
They booked to stay in The Apollo Hotel, in central Amsterdam, for three nights.
She said: ‘I was so happy for my sister, but it was just too hard being around her heavily pregnant and I knew it would be even worse once my nephew was born.
‘I’ve always loved Amsterdam and Chris had never been so we decided it would be a good place to visit. It was lovely and chilly and festive there. I was really craving pancakes, although I had no idea why at the time, so we ate a lot of those.
‘I had been feeling nauseous on and off but put it down to a bug. I was exhausted the whole time too, we had to keep stopping for rests as my legs were aching, which wasn’t like me at all.
She says she realised that her own symptoms were similar to the pregnancy symptoms experienced by her sister – and did a test to ‘put my mind at rest’.
The 27-year-old admits she refused to believe her positive pregnancy test results until they were confirmed by a doctor
Kerry explains: ‘We were really lucky that there was a pharmacy open near where we were staying and so we rushed out on Christmas morning to buy a test.
‘They came in packs of two so when the first one came back positive, and I didn’t believe it, I decided to do the next one right away! I then sent Chris out for another pack of two, I couldn’t take it in.’
Believing that PCOS can cause false pregnancy results, Kerry refused to accept her positive results until she’d been seen by a doctor.
After returning to the UK on Boxing Day the couple had to wait over two weeks, until the 13th January 2017, for an appointment at Basildon University Hospital, Essex.
She said: ‘The nurse confirmed that I was 13 weeks pregnant and I think I was still in disbelief that I was actually going to be a mum.
Kerry (pictured) said she’d been so upset about the possibility of never having a baby, that she refused to believe she was expecting
‘I’d been so upset that I never would have a baby and so it was like I was scared to believe it.
‘It wasn’t until I told my mum later that day that it actually started sinking in.
‘We found out that we were expecting a boy at the 20-week scan, I’d always wanted a son, I call him my little miracle.’
After an easy pregnancy Kerry gave birth to a healthy baby boy, Jackson Baxter, now two, on 13 August 2017, weighing 8lbs 15oz, at Basildon University Hospital, Essex.
She said: ‘The birth was a scary experience but so worth it.
‘Jackson has defied all the odds to be here, he really is my Christmas miracle.’
Jackson Baxter, now two, was born on 13 August 2017, weighing 8lbs 15oz, at Basildon University Hospital, Essex
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