A mum who lost two sons has shared her joy after falling pregnant with a 'miracle' baby.
Lynsey Drummond and her family suffered double heartbreak after her sons Evan and Taylor died just three years apart, aged five and 21 respectively. She had become a full-time carer of the boys, who had cerebral palsy.
Her second son Evan had developed the condition after catching a cold sore as a baby. The Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV) can be lethal to babies as their immune system is not strong enough to fight it, but while Evan managed to survive, he was left with brain damage which led to him developing cerebral palsy, the Mirror reports.
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Taylor was born premature at 31 weeks and had the condition from birth. Evan died first in 2014 and was sadly followed by his older brother three years later.
But following these tragedies, Lynsey has revealed she is pregnant again, this time with a girl. She and her 45-year-old partner Derek are expecting to greet their daughter in July.
Speaking about her experiences with Evan, Lynsey said: "Evan was just 12 days old when the midwife came to check on him and said that he didn't seem right. All babies get that little rash, but it was on his nose and nostrils and it was bleeding.
"At first they didn't know what it was, they thought it might be meningitis but the tests weren't making sense. When they told me they thought it was the cold sore virus, I said what are you talking about, I've never had a cold sore in my life. But then they explained how easily it could have been transferred from someone else without us realising."
Lynsey will never know for definite where or how Evan contracted HSV and as result, she is understandably anxious about letting anyone kiss or touch her new baby. She said: "I'm a nervous wreck to be honest, I'm higher risk because of my age but they are keeping a close eye on me which is reassuring."
She continued: "She's my rainbow baby, she feels like a little miracle.
"I was lost after the boys died because they both needed 24-hour care so I felt like I had no purpose in life, I wasn't a carer or a mother anymore. We weren't trying and I wasn't even sure if I wanted another baby but when we fell pregnant we were over the moon."
Discussing her fears, Lynsey said: "I'm so worried about people saying oh wow isn't she beautiful and giving her a wee kiss, but I'd like to think that because of covid people will be more careful these days. Most people that know me know that I'm too scared to let anyone kiss her so they wouldn't do it anyway, but I think it's always something that will play on the back of my mind."
But while the fear of the virus will always be there, Lynsey is learning to enjoy the experience of her new pregnancy, and has even got a special name in mind for the baby, chosen by her eldest son. She said: "We haven't told anyone the name, but we do have one in mind and it was technically chosen by Taylor.
"He always said he would adopt a baby one day and this is the name he said he wanted for her, but he never got to do it. I know my boys will be looking down on their baby sister and this way a part of them will always be with her."
