THE GREATEST GIFT

After eight miscarriages, Melissa Hosegood, 38, thought she would never be a mother

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As I pushed my son on the swing, he let out a gurgle of laughter. I grabbed my phone to capture the moment, and as he gazed lovingly at me, my heart was bursting with joy. I never thought I would be lucky enough to be a mum, and it was all thanks to one special person.

I met my husband Joe online in 2006, when we were both 22. He was fun, loving and caring, and I could tell straight away he'd make a great dad. But even though we both wanted a family, I knew it might be difficult. I was born with a heart condition called tricuspid atresia, which meant a valve was missing from my heart. I had already been told by doctors that pregnancy would add an extra strain and it would be difficult to carry a baby to full term.

It was upsetting, but I was honest with Joe from the start, and he assured me it didn't change the way he felt about us. We met each other's families, and when he introduced me to his sister Amy, then 20, we got on well straight away. She became like a sister to me.

Despite the risks, in 2011, Joe and I started trying for a baby. A year later, in November 2012, I fell pregnant. We were delighted, but anxious, so we decided to a wait until the 12-week scan before sharing our news. But at eight weeks, I started bleeding. Joe rushed me to Salisbury District Hospital, where a doctor confirmed we'd lost the baby. We were devastated.

In time, we felt ready to try again, but, in December 2013, I had a second miscarriage, at five weeks. So the third time I fell pregnant, in March 2014, we were pleased to make it through the first trimester, and we even got to see our baby at the 12-week scan. 'It's finally happening,' I grinned, squeezing Joe's hand.