CHERYL Robinson had given up hope of becoming a mum when her baby boy arrived - just three weeks after discovering she was pregnant.

Baby Oscar weighed just over 1lb - less than a bag of sugar - when he was born during lockdown at Bradford Royal Infirmary. Born premature, with lung problems, he remained in hospital for three months. Because of Covid restrictions, Cheryl and her husband James weren’t able to stay with Oscar overnight so they made daily trips to the hospital. Now their surprise lockdown baby is home with them in Wilsden.

“I found out I was pregnant on May 3 and Oscar was born in May 21. He’s the baby we never expected to have,” said Cheryl. She and James were having IVF treatment but faced the heartbreaking prospect of being unable to have a baby.

“I have polycystic ovary syndrome and had been told that getting pregnant would probably never happen,” said Cheryl. “I’d made my peace with it. Then we went into lockdown and I started to feel a bit rubbish. I put it down to my polycystic ovaries.”

Cheryl, who works for sexual health services in Bradford, decided to get checked out. “I thought I’d get someone at work to do a test for a possible urine infection. Then I had a scan which confirmed I was pregnant. It was a lovely surprise,” she said.

It was during an appointment at the BRI that Cheryl found herself about to give birth, at just 25 weeks. “The consultant examined me and I was 5cm dilated. Before I knew it I was in labour,” she said. “I was distraught, I couldn’t talk. James took on most of the information. They tried to delay the baby but he came within five minutes. Thankfully James was allowed to be there. It would’ve been even more scary without him, going through it all alone. Everything happened so fast, we were very unprepared. Because of lockdown, I hadn’t had chance to talk to anyone in my situation or buy baby things.

“Oscar had breathing problems and was ventilated. He spent three months in neo natal, the doctors were amazing. We were there all day with him, then home to sleep, then back. Now he’s a healthy 13.4lb, he’s on oxygen therapy but is doing great.”

The couple have been introducing Oscar to the family, including big sister Leah, James’s 19-year-old daughter, via Zoom. “He’s a little character,” smiled Cheryl.

James’s brother, William, has yet to meet his nephew but is doing a coast to coast walk, Cumbria to Robin Hood’s Bay, next May to raise funds for the BRI neo natal unit. To make a donation go to justgiving.com/fundraising/william-robinson14