My fitted embroidered gown flowed beneath me as we swayed along to Tracy Chapman’s Fast Car.
‘I love you, Mrs Tatum,’ my new husband Oli, then 29, said, holding my tiny waist. It was June 2019 and after seven years together, we’d tied the knot. Now we were centre stage for our first dance and I’d never felt more beautiful. After months of pre-wedding dieting to slim down my size-12 figure, my size-8 dress fitted my slim 10st body like a glove. And didn’t I deserve to feel special? Because the journey to get here hadn’t been easy.
As a child, I’d been diagnosed with the rare genetic condition Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS). It meant my body didn’t produce enough collagen to support my connective tissue. My joints had worn away and over the years I’d undergone reconstructive surgery on my ankles, knees and femurs.
Oli had been one hell of a partner to me since we’d met when I was 25, on a night out at uni in Northampton. He’d helped me like a carer with my disability and during my darkest days, including the loss of my father to a heart attack in 2016. Now I was thrilled to call him my husband.
We minimooned in Disneyland Paris, then honeymooned in Aruba a few months later, and enjoying myself, I indulged in wonderful food and cocktails.
Back home, with my wedding diet long gone, the pounds had crept on, and as I stood in front of the mirror one day, I felt disappointed knowing the hard work I’d have to put in to shed the weight I’d gained.
But I also knew that my body would change again soon, or at least I hoped it would. I’d always wanted children, but EDS put me at high risk of complications during pregnancy and birth. Even so, in January 2020, Oli and I started trying and by October, I was holding a positive pregnancy test.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der March 02, 2024-Ausgabe von WOMAN'S OWN.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent ? Anmelden
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der March 02, 2024-Ausgabe von WOMAN'S OWN.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
MIND OF MY OWN
The Woman's Own columnist has her say on cooked brealdfasts, divorce and cleaning
GOING SOLO
Claire Waite Brown, 52, hadn't travelled alone for over 30 years
The rise of DUCHESS SOPHIE
The Duchess of Edinburgh has transformed from PR girl into the Royal Family’s secret weapon’
EXPLORE THE SURREY HILLS
For great walks with spectacular views, this green oasis is a welcome retreat
THE TRUE COST OF ACID ATTACKS
After the number of chemical assaults making headlines this year, Woman’s Own investigates the devastating impact on victims
LOW-CAL FAKEAWAYS
Healthier fast-food favourites, all under 405 calories per serving
'CANCER WON'T RUIN MY WEDDING'
Just weeks before her big day, Charlotte Nash-Pye, 36, found a lump in her breast
HE WENT ON A NIGHT OUT, AND NEVER CAME BACK
Safina Powell will never know the truth about what happened to her son
I'M 64 AND I'VE NEVER HAD AN ORGASM
Despite being happily married for over 30 years, Carole Baker never truly enjoyed sex
'IT'S A NIGHTMARE'
Coleen Nolan on why stress is causing her to have a 'meltdown'