It is not easy for a new mother to attend any event or function just hours after giving birth.
But this bridesmaid managed to make it to church for her sister’s wedding, just hours after giving birth to a baby who’d arrived three weeks early.
Emily Chell, 27, from May Bank, Newcastle-under-Lyme started to have labour pain while staying in the hotel with sister Katie on her wedding day.
The pregnant bridesmaid was immediately taken to hospital where she gave birth to baby boy Brody Barratt just after 7 am on the morning of the wedding. Just five hours later, Emily and partner Wayne Barratt rushed to church with their newborn son to walk bride Katie down the aisle.
After the wedding newlyweds couple posed for a picture of holding their new nephew.
Emily told: ‘’Brody wasn’t due for another three weeks so it was really unexpected when my waters broke on Friday night.’’
‘’It was about 10 pm and my mum drove me home because my neighbour is a midwife.’’
‘’About midnight, my neighbour told me I should go to the hospital so she drove me and I just kept telling the doctors I had to go to the wedding.’’
‘’It was a natural birth and luckily there were no complications and we went to the ward for a little rest,’’
‘’We left the hospital at 11.15am and drove 13 miles back to the wedding venue.’
‘’We’d called ahead and someone had brought my bridesmaid dress there so as soon as I got there I put Brody in his crib and jumped in the dress.’
‘’I was ten minutes late but people had waited for me so I walked down the aisle holding Brody. Everyone cheered when we walked in. It was a lovely moment.’’
”I was looking forward to the wedding and everyone was taking bets Brody would be born on the day but I didn’t think it would happen,” she added.
‘’When we were in the hospital I kept saying I wanted to get to the church on time.’’
‘’The doctors kept telling me if there were no complications and he was born b7 am we would make it. Even though he was born at 7.10am they let us go.’’
Emily who gave birth to baby boy runs her own beauty salon business, was staying with her sister at the Lion Swan Hotel in Congleton, Cheshire, to prepare for the wedding.
Emily said: ‘’It was pretty mad because my mum hadn’t even met Brody until we made it to the church.’’
‘I was still feeling very light headed from the drugs I’d been on but we managed to make it to the reception and left after the speeches so I could feed Brody.’’
She gave birth to 7lbs 7oz Brody at the Royal Stoke University Hospital. Emily jokingly said that her newborn didn’t want to miss the excitement of the wedding.
Bride Katie said: ‘’It was a crazy day and I was completely overwhelmed by everything.’’
‘’Emily tried her hardest to get to the wedding and I was glad she made it in time. We’ll now always share our anniversary with Brody.’’