Couple's delight as 'miracle baby' born on New Year's Day

Those are the words of Wolverhampton parents Terry and Laura Hales who have welcomed their first child together on New Year’s Day – after being told they had just a ten per cent chance to conceive naturally.

Violet Amanda Hales was born just before 2pm on New Year’s Day – becoming the first baby to be born at New Cross Hospital in 2020 and the new decade.

Terry and Laura, both 33 and live in Essington, had been told they had a slim chance of conceiving naturally and had been advised that IVF would be their only route to having their first child.

The couple, who met at school and married at St John’s Church, in Essington, in October 2015, suffered a miscarriage in 2016 and had been trying for a baby ever since. But around February last year, they were told they only had a 10 per cent chance of conceiving naturally and had been attending an IVF clinic.

But weeks later, to the couple’s surprise, Laura fell pregnant. Baby Violet arrived safely at New Cross Hospital shortly before 2pm on January 1, weighing 6lbs 6oz.

Laura, who has 10-year-old twins Kiera and Cameron from a previous relationship, said: “We suffered a miscarriage in 2016 and had been trying to conceive for around three years. We were told in early 2019 we would have to go through IVF and told there was no chance of us conceiving otherwise.

“I was so disheartened. Terry and I kind of gave up hope – we just thought we would have to get used to not having children.

“The next month we found out I was pregnant. We were ecstatic when we found out, I was just completely over the moon.

“At the beginning I had really had morning sickness and I kept thinking is everything ok, after the previous miscarriage.

“When she arrived on New Year’s Day we couldn’t believe she was the first baby to be born at New Cross Hospital as she arrived in the afternoon – it was very exciting. She’s our little rainbow baby. She’s a bit of a miracle baby.”

Terry, who works as an engineer, added: “We had been trying to have a baby since the miscarriage and had been unsuccessful.

“They told us we the only chance we would have of having a baby would be through IVF. The IVF clinic told us we had less than a 10 per cent chance of conceiving naturally, that was around February – March time last year.

“But around a month later Laura fell pregnant. We had been trying for such a long time, we couldn’t believe it. We had Violet on New Year’s Day – when we went into New Cross Hospital at around 6.30am they told us that no one there had had the first baby of 2020. Violet arrived just before 2pm and was the hospital’s first baby of the decade.

“We just could not believe it, we never thought we would be able to have children of our own. It was just mad when we found out. Then to have Violet born on New Year’s Day, the first at the hospital. It is overwhelming. She’s our miracle baby.”