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My £8,000 baby girl
SUZANNE Gregory cuddles the £8,000 baby she thought she would never have - after weight-loss surgery cured her of infertility.
The 36-year-old, from Bradwell, near Sheffield, who tipped the scales at 19 stone, was told by doctors she was too fat to conceive.
But today she is the proud mum of miracle baby Brooke - conceived after a gastric band operation helped her lose more than four stone in four months.
Suzanne conceived naturally after losing weight and is overjoyed she and partner Richard Wilson are now parents to month-old Brooke.
"She's worth every penny," said Suzanne. "She's a lovely baby and, after waiting so long for her, we couldn't believe it. We were just so emotional when she was born."
Suzanne and Richard, 38, had been trying for a child for a year without success when they discovered her weight was contributing to a hormone problem and making it impossible to conceive.
Fertility doctors said Suzanne needed to lose four stone before she could take medication to boost her chances of having a child.
The couple decided to pay privately for a gastric band op - tried by celebrities including Fern Britton, Sharon Osbourne and Anne Diamond - as Suzanne had tried conventional diets before which had failed.
She quickly shed the weight and discovered she was pregnant not long after reaching her four stone goal and without needing to take fertility medication. "When I did a pregnancy test I couldn't believe it," said Suzanne. "We did five tests in total, including one at the doctor's, before we believed it was true!"
The operation, which restricts the amount of food a person can eat, was carried out by Gateway Health at the private Claremont Hospital in Sheffield.
Once she discovered she was pregnant Suzanne went back to the Claremont where the gastric band was readjusted, so she could eat more to ensure both she and the baby got the right amount of nutrients.
Having seen her weight fall to 14 stone and nine pounds, Suzanne now hopes to shed another two or three stone, to reach her ideal weight.
Suzanne said: "Having a new baby is very tiring when you're up in the night, but I'm sure I'd have struggled far more if I hadn't lost the weight."
She will have the gastric band – which is implanted permanently – readjusted once she is ready and a new injection of saline will be pumped in to restrict the amount her stomach can handle.
Suzanne, who has three other children from a previous relationship, said: "I feel much better, much more confident."
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Weather for Sheffield
Saturday 26 May 2012
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