A 42-year-old who gave birth to ‘miracle’ twins after mistaking her pregnancy signs for Covid has spoken of her joy. Claire Mcwhinnie had just returned home from Dublin when she began feeling unwell in September 2021.
The property developer, from Bolton , felt nauseous and likened her symptoms to a ‘long hangover’. Despite believing she had Covid, she decided to take a pregnancy test just to be sure.
To her disbelief, it turned out she didn't have the virus – she was expecting. But Claire and her partner Geoff Hennefer, 44, were in for an even bigger surprise when they discovered Claire was pregnant with twins.
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“I went for a scan and they said there were two heartbeats in there; I was shocked,” Claire told the Manchester Evening News. I’ve had three miscarriages and have a really low egg count; I had no clue I was pregnant.
“I went to Dublin with the girls and got back and I didn’t feel great. I thought I had Covid, it was my first holiday away after lockdown.”
Claire, who lives in the Westhoughton area, did not have a smooth pregnancy. She was admitted to Royal Bolton Hospital with a blood pressure condition and a suspicious blood clot before contracting Covid just weeks before her due date.
Thankfully Claire and Geoff welcomed the safe arrivals of Louis William Hennefer and Florence Rose Hennefer on May 11, weighing at just over 6lbs each. Though they have since had many sleepless nights, the couple say they are over the moon.
“Even before the vaccine, my anxiety was through the roof with Covid and I didn’t want to get it while I was pregnant,” Claire continued. “I went to hospital with a suspected blood clot and I was in and out of hospital with my blood pressure.
“The second week, quite close to the birth, they told me I was positive for Covid. I had to move to a side room and isolate. I was too poorly to go home so they said I may as well stay in so they could keep a close eye on me.
“I had a C-section birth, it was touch and go whether they were going to do it because of the Covid but they were absolutely fine. Life is very overwhelming; it's like all my Christmases have come together at once - I don't know what boredom is like anymore!
“I can’t thank the hospital staff enough, without them they would be here. I owe them everything and more.”
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