Stacey Herald, the ᴡᴏʀʟᴅ’s sᴍᴀʟʟᴇsᴛ mother, is about to ɢɪᴠᴇ ʙɪʀᴛʜ for the third time, ᴅᴇsᴘɪᴛᴇ ᴡᴀʀɴɪɴɢs she is ʀɪsᴋɪɴɢ her ʟɪFᴇ.
Stacey Herald, who was ᴊᴜsᴛ 2ft 4ins, had a ʀᴀʀᴇ ɢᴇɴᴇᴛɪᴄ ᴄᴏɴᴅɪᴛɪᴏɴ called Osᴛᴇᴏɢᴇɴɪsɪs IᴍᴘᴇʀFᴇᴄᴛᴀ, which sᴛᴜɴᴛᴇᴅ her ɢʀᴏᴡᴛʜ and ᴄᴀᴜsᴇᴅ ᴜɴᴅᴇʀᴅᴇᴠᴇʟᴏᴘᴇᴅ ʟᴜɴɢs and ʙʀɪᴛᴛʟᴇ ʙᴏɴᴇs. Stacey became a mother ᴀɢᴀɪɴsᴛ the advice of ᴅᴏᴄᴛᴏʀs, who ᴡᴀʀɴᴇᴅ that if she got ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴛ, the baby could ɢʀᴏᴡ ᴛᴏᴏ ʙɪɢ and ᴄʀᴜsʜ ʜᴇʀ ʟᴜɴɢs and ʜᴇᴀʀᴛ. She said :”They all told me that I would ᴅɪᴇ. They ʙᴇɢɢᴇᴅ me not to have a baby. even my mother said,’ You know you ᴡᴏɴ’ᴛ sᴜʀᴠɪᴠᴇ ʀɪɢʜᴛ?’”
Mrs Herald admits being ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴛ is “ᴜɴᴄᴏᴍFᴏʀᴛᴀʙʟᴇ” and ʟᴇᴀᴠᴇs ʜᴇʀ ʙᴇᴅʀɪᴅᴅᴇɴ for weeks on end. By the time the new addition, a boy, is one he will ᴀʟʀᴇᴀᴅʏ ᴛᴏᴡᴇʀ over his mum. Herald said :” It was ʜᴀʀᴅ, I got so much ʙɪɢɢᴇʀ Fᴀsᴛᴇʀ. At my ᴡᴏʀsᴛ ᴘᴏɪɴᴛ I remember ʙᴜʀsᴛɪɴɢ ɪɴᴛᴏ ᴛᴇᴀʀs, because I looked like a beach ball with a ʜᴇᴀᴅ ᴀɴᴅ ʟɪᴛᴛʟᴇ Fᴇᴇᴛ. I told her: ‘It’s a ᴍɪʀᴀᴄʟᴇ that I am here, that I have life, why couldn’t this be a ᴍɪʀᴀᴄʟᴇ too?’”. But ᴅᴇsᴘɪᴛᴇ all the ᴏʙsᴛᴀᴄʟᴇs, Mrs Herald and her husband, a ᴛʀᴀɪɴᴇᴇ ᴘʀɪᴇsᴛ, say they want even more children.
After 28 weeks, ᴅᴏᴄᴛᴏʀs ᴘᴇʀFᴏʀᴍᴇᴅ ᴀ ᴄᴇsᴀʀᴇᴀɴ sᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴ and daughter Kateri was born without any ʙʀᴏᴋᴇɴ ʙᴏɴᴇs., ᴡᴇɪɢʜɪɴɢ ᴊᴜsᴛ 2ʟʙs ᴀɴᴅ 1ᴏᴢ in 2006. She grew well but there was ʜᴇᴀʀᴛʙʀᴇᴀᴋ for the family when they ᴅɪsᴄᴏᴠᴇʀᴇᴅ Kᴀᴛᴇʀɪ ʜᴀᴅ ɪɴʜᴇʀɪᴛᴇᴅ Mʀs Hᴇʀᴀʟᴅ’s ᴄᴏɴᴅɪᴛɪᴏɴ and would also ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ ɢʀᴏᴡ ᴛᴏ ᴀ ɴᴏʀᴍᴀʟ ʜᴇɪɢʜᴛ. She said :”It was ʜᴀʀᴅ. But we knew we would be the best support possible for him, because Kateri and I have both been there already.” Despite being ᴄᴏɴFɪɴᴇᴅ to a ᴡʜᴇᴇʟᴄʜᴀɪʀ, Stacey played an active part in looking after the children, along with her husband.
She added:” At the moment because I’m getting really big again I can’t hold my youngest daughter because my ʙᴇʟʟʏ gets in the ᴡᴀʏ and I ᴄᴀɴ’ᴛ ɢᴇᴛ my ᴀʀᴍs ᴀʀᴏᴜɴᴅ her. All my babies are ᴍɪʀᴀᴄʟᴇs, but we haven’t thought about if we’re going to have some more, as they’re a real handful right now. We didn’t plan to have more than two kids, we just think that they’re a great gift to the world, and when I look at them I see husband and I feel so full of love, it’s tough not to want more.”
