A very grumpy baby was captured pulling a huge scowl as she was born, with her mum deeming her the ‘incredible sulk’.
Little Jersey Leeming didn’t look best pleased to be entering the world as she left her mum’s womb, and mum Stacey says it’s as though she knew the pandemic was looming.
Jersey, who was born via c-section at Royal Preston Hospital in Preston, Lancashire, sat for four minutes with her head poking out of her mum’s belly looking utterly livid.
She didn’t stay mad however, as, after a good cry, she snuggled in her mum’s arms for seven hours.
Now Stacey says it’s like Jersey, now two, ‘could see Covid on the horizon’ when she entered the world in October 2018.
The mum-of-four, from Preston, Lancashire, said: ‘It was amazing seeing her being born, but it was also overwhelming to watch.
‘When I saw the little face she pulled I just started laughing. You do understand though, she’s gone from being all cosy and warm to the bright lights of theatre.
‘Seeing her for the first time looking like that was so cute, the first thing I saw was her bottom lip poking out, she was definitely the Incredible Sulk.
‘The doctors left her sitting there for a good three minutes just sulking, the picture was perfect.
‘The expression on Jersey’s face is like she knew Covid was round the corner, she could see it on the horizon.
‘It’s like she knew it was going to be a total disaster.
‘The first year was alright but for the past year of her life she’s not really been able to do anything, it’s such a shame.
‘People who’ve commented on the picture I shared have said “I’m not surprised she’s got a face like that”.’
To have Jersey, full-time mum Stacey booked in for a ‘gentle’ c-section – a procedure during which the baby’s head is delivered, then the tot effectively delivers themselves by wriggling free.
Choosing this option was important to Stacey because she ended up delivering her first three children via ‘scary’ emergency c-sections.
Stacey, who is also mum to Maddison, 13, Leo, seven, and four-year-old Brooklyn, said: ‘I’ve got four children and the first three were emergency c-sections, they were all rushed and scary.
‘My first daughter was born eight weeks early, the second one was an emergency and the third one was planned, but I went into labour and there were complications, so she became an emergency as well.
‘With two of them – Maddison and Brooklyn – I was put to sleep, so I didn’t see them for a little time after.
‘With Jersey I was dead set on wanting everything perfect and relaxed so decided on a gentle c-section.
‘They put Lana Del Rey’s Video Games on in the background, and it was just really, really peaceful, everything went really smoothly.
‘Because everything had gone wrong the first three times I was just expecting the worst, but it was perfect from the beginning, it turned out to be the best experience of my life.
‘They helped Jersey’s head out and then left her sat there like that, they held her head and she wriggled herself out and pulled her feet out.
‘It was amazing seeing her being born, but it was also overwhelming to watch. Everyone was happy, except the baby.
‘She’s still just as grumpy now.’
Stacey wanted everything with Jersey’s birth to be as perfect as possible, going for a ‘mummy makeover’ and getting a spray tan, tint and wax on her eyebrows, fake eyelashes and had her nails painted pink.
Knowing this would be her last pregnancy, Stacey wanted things to be picture perfect and to have beautiful memories to look back on.
Stacey said: ‘I had a spray tan before I went in, my friend came over who does mobile spray tanning, and I had a tint and wax on my eyebrows and my eyelashes done.
‘I had my nails painted pink because I knew I was having a girl.
‘I decided to treat myself because all my others were emergencies and I never got to prepare, and I always looked terrible.
‘Because I’d had three c-sections before it would have been too dangerous to have labour, then they tied my tubes after that because it was too dangerous to have any more babies.
‘I knew this was going to be the last time, so I just wanted to feel my best.
‘It was bittersweet really because I love children, but I knew that was the last time I was ever going to birth a child, it was nice but sad at the same time.’
Stacey chose to keep the baby a secret from everyone but her and her partner’s parents for nine months, enjoying keeping their little secret.
Stacey said: ‘I kept the pregnancy a secret for nine months, absolutely no-one knew about it – only my parents and my partner’s parents.
‘When I announced her birth on Facebook, everyone couldn’t believe it.
‘I don’t know why I kept it quiet, it was just nice to keep it to myself.’
Stacey adds that little Jersey is full of beans and keeps everyone on their toes.
She said: ‘She gives her brother and sisters a run for their money for sure.
‘She’s still a good sleeper, but she’ll be the one running around late at night, I don’t know where she gets her energy from.’<<
