Introducing Maxwell Mark Croft

K: The midwife came round and thought I might have pre-eclampsiabecause my legs and my feet were so badly swollen. I was pretty freakedout because it could kill the baby and mother. The paparazzi saw me goin to hospital and they all jumped to their own conclusions.

M: It ended up being really bad water retention and her iron count was low.

K: My heartbeat is also two times faster than it should beand I’m really badly anemic so I’ve got medication for it. My heartbeatwill eventually go down, but I keep having sweats and panic attackswhere I just can’t get my breath.

K: Iwas asleep in bed and Mark was on his Xbox. Then at 4 am I couldn’tsleep properly and suddenly all this water gushed out. I shouted:’Mark, my waters have gone!’

M: And I was in the middle of a game…

K: He usually has to finish a game, but straightaway he was running around like a headless chicken. I was so calm andwas even playing my Nintendo DS waiting for him.

M: I wasn’t panicking, but with him being early we had nothing ready.

K:I was having contractions [in hospital] so they gave me an injection tostop them because the doctors said the longer I keep the baby in, thebetter. They kept me pregnant for another 48 hours and put me onsteroids to help the baby’s lungs.

As soon as the doctors said it was safe, they induced meand gave me an epidural. The contractions started straight away and thebaby was ready to come.

M: They asked me if I wanted to touch the head, so I was like: ‘Urgh, go on then!’

K: Then, after one big push, he came out healthy. Ionly held him for 10 minutes before I was rushed to theatre because theplacenta was stuck inside me. I had to have a two-hour operation to getall the bits out. Then I was put on antibiotics to get the extra bitsout.

K:Mark was asleep most of the time so I just stayed in bed with morphine,phoning everyone going: ‘Hey, my waters have broken, yeah!’

I didn’t care [about the cameras]. If it wasn’t for them I’d have no one to talk to! MTV filmed the top half.

K: Max came out and the first thing I said to him was: ‘Hello Mister!’ and then I burst out crying.

K:It was all fine, but then two days later I shouted to Mark from thetoilet: ‘Mark, come here, what’s this weird lump?’ He thought it wasmore placenta, but the midwife told me I’d prolapsed and my [vaginal]wall had collapsed.

My insides were literally hanging out and bleeding, it was so uncomfortable. I’m doing pelvic exercises to get back to normal.

K: No, he wouldn’t latch on.

M: Max thought it was a UFO, his poor head was sinking in to her boob!

K: When he was first born he looked like me, but now he looks just like Mark.

M:I’ll say to him: ‘Get what you can because you don’t know when you’llnext get it!’ Then to the girls I’ll say: ‘Don’t be getting pregnant ormeeting no boys.’

K: What mum-to-be hasn’t had a glass of champagne? I’m on five [cigarettes]
a day.

M: She’s Fag Ash Lil!(Note from Carlie: This is a British term that people who hate smokinguse for people that smoke quite often. He’s trying to point out thatshe enjoys a few more cigarettes than she lets on!) She doesn’tlisten to anybody, she won’t quit.

K: No, I won’t.

K: HaveI ‘eck, I feel better than ever. I’ve not even had baby blues, but Ihave been crying at everything. I’ve just come out of my worstpregnancy ever!

M: It wasn’t your worst, you weren’t sick. It’s just the last six weeks when you were in and out of hospital, that was the worst.

M: I went out and got drunk round Wimslow with some mates.

K: Marklikes me being pregnant. He says: ‘I made you like that!’ But I want tostart exercising and be eight and a half stone (119 lbs) again. Thebeef curry cravings have gone and I’m trying to focus on getting myfigure and my confidence back. Watching MTV and seeing me so morbid anddepressed was awful. I had bipolar on top of my hormones so I was down.

I’ve lost two stone (28 lbs) in a week — a lot of it was water and I’ve just been eating Special K. I feel great.

M: I like her size 10,but I don’t want her to go below that. I met her when she was size 8 –she needed to put weight on so I got her pregnant!

K: No,Mark is definitely getting the snip. I’ve got four kids and I’m only27, that’s enough now. I’ve got my boy, I’ve got my family now and I’msorted.