My daughter was pregnant with my grandchild.. as I gave birth to her brother

It was in the winter of 1998 when I discovered that I was pregnant. I hadn’t been using contraception as there wasn’t much of a physical relationship with my now ex-husband. We had sex once or twice a year, so I honestly assumed there was zero chance of me falling pregnant , particularly as I was approaching 40.

Even so, when I started feeling sick I’d had an inkling. I was already a mum of three and even though I’d had my last child 14 years earlier, I still recognised the signs. To put my mind at rest, I did a test on my own in the family bathroom.

I didn’t even have to wait a minute when the pregnancy test showed positive. I flung it across the floor and burst into tears. I was just in shock. When the surprise wore off though, I was delighted because I adore children. I have always loved being a stay-at-home mum because children are my life.

But being an older mum was going to be weird, even before I found out about Becky being pregnant at the same time.

I was at a friend’s engagement party when I told my neighbour that I was having another baby. She was having a sip of wine at the time and nearly choked, before eventually saying, ‘You are joking, aren’t you?’

It was seven months into my pregnancy when Becky, who was then 19, announced that she was pregnant too. I knew she’d been too scared to tell me as she was with someone I didn’t approve of, but as she was having problems with him she moved back home. I was delighted and determined she was going to be a good mum.

Thanks to Becky, the pregnancy passed without any problems at all as we looked after each other as our bumps grew.

I was admitted to hospital with high blood pressure two weeks before my due date and the following day – July 16, 1999 – Joshua arrived. Becky was my birthing coach and she was so calm. I couldn’t have done it without her. She cut the cord and dressed Joshua after he’d been born.

It wasn’t that long after Becky gave birth to Tamzin on February 25, 2000, and we started taking our babies out together. By then Joshua was a very bonny seven months old but he and his niece were joined at the hip from the moment she arrived.

Even though he’s officially her uncle, Joshua and Tamzin have always been more like brother and sister.

By the time Tamzin was born, Becky and her partner had decided to make a go of their relationship. And they were only about 10 minutes away, so close enough for me to pop by.

The children went to the same nursery and, although they were in different classes, I’d often pick them up at lunchtime and cook for them. They had their own little toddler-sized table and chairs, where they’d sit eating their lunch together.

It was a blessing that Tamzin arrived at the same time as Joshua. There was such an age gap between Josh and my other three, that without her he’d have felt like an only child.

That bond is unbreakable between them. They even have their own pact: they’ve always promised to tell each other secrets before anyone else.

I know Becky, who has another two children now, has always loved and viewed Joshua as her son rather than a brother. And I’ve always cherished Tamzin as a daughter.

They get treated exactly the same and I can honestly say that no one has ever teased them about being uncle and niece – it’s not something they’ve ever been concerned about either.

Looking back, it was the best pregnancy for me because my own daughter was there to support me. I’m sure Jade Jagger, as a proud new mum and grandma, feels exactly the same way – it’s as though you’ve won the lottery twice.

When I found out I was pregnant I was incredibly surprised. It wasn’t a planned pregnancy because I’d just broken up, again, with my partner. We’d been in an off-and-on relationship since I was 16. He didn’t like Mum and the feeling was mutual. We both realise now that her insisting he wasn’t good enough for me only meant I dug my heels in even more. It was during one of the brief times we got back together that I’d fallen pregnant. I only did a test because I’d missed a period, yet I was secretly very excited when I found out.

I called Mum straight away. I was nervous about breaking the news because I’d already had one termination at 15.

That’s why, at 19, I had to go ahead with my pregnancy, even though Mum was also pregnant and things were far from OK with my partner. I was too traumatised to go through it all again.

Initially my partner wasn’t keen on becoming a dad, so I moved in with Mum. Being pregnant at the same time brought us closer together. I can’t imagine what it must be like for first-time mums coping with a newborn baby without the first-hand experience I got.

When Josh arrived I was three months pregnant. I understood what unconditional love meant when I watched him being born. Seeing him take his first breath was incredibly emotional. As Mum’s birthing partner I cut his umbilical cord, too. It was a lovely experience. Having gone through that with Mum made me better equipped to go through the birth with Tamzin.

I learnt so much from watching Josh’s first few months. I changed his nappies, watched how he breast-fed and would even soothe him to sleep.

Mum wasn’t at Tamzin’s birth. By then I’d got back together with my ex and he wanted it to be just us. Nonetheless, we moved near her. It was an immense relief to know she was always close by for advice.

Even before the children were born, Mum and I had our routine of shopping together for baby clothes and the endless paraphernalia needed. It’s something we still do.

Having our children at the same time definitely mended our turbulent relationship. We’re now incredibly close.

For me, there are numerous milestones from Tamzin’s and Joshua’s lives: going to school hand-in-hand, learning to swim at the same time and spending Christmas together. They’ve shared all those special moments that an actual brother and sister would share.

They find it really hard when they are separated from each other. It’s the same for me: I am incredibly close to him. Even today, Josh regularly stays over at our house. Now that he’s 15, we’ve discovered we’ve got the same sense of humour and love to wind each other up. We do get on like brother and sister, but at the same time he’s Tamzin’s best friend as well so that’s brought Tamzin and I closer together as well. Josh has basically got two mums – what could be better than that?

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