A comfort eater has become a mum after trying for 14 years after losing 13 stone. After years of late-night binging on Cadbury's Dairy Milk and Haribo Tangfastics, Hayley Howell, 34, was tipping the scales at 23st 8lbs and squeezing into a dress size 26.
Despite trying to rein in her sweet tooth, she found it impossible while dealing with the stress of not being able to conceive for over a decade. In October 2018, the sweet fanatic and her partner, David Hart, 51, consulted a GP desperate for help on their quest to be parents.
The doctor recommended Hayley lose weight and after a year of yo-yo dieting, Hayley was put on a waiting list by her GP for a gastric bypass. Hayley, who works in admin, had the NHS-funded operation a year later and lost 4st 9lbs in the first three months post-surgery.
By December 2021, she had slimmed down to 10st 9lbs and a dress size 10. Just four months later, she was delighted to discover they were expecting a baby.
Despite having a smooth pregnancy, in October 2022, Hayley woke up to a ''horrendous bleed'' at 28-weeks. She was rushed to Salisbury District Hospital, Wiltshire, where she was monitored for a couple of days before returning home.
However, just days later, she was rushed in again before giving birth to her son, Fletcher Peter Richard Hart on 12 October 2022 at 5.35 am, weighing 3lbs 2oz. Due to being 12-weeks premature, the tot spent nine weeks in the hospital's 'Stars Appeal' neonatal ward.
The couple were able to bring Fletcher home just in time for Christmas on 13 December and now seven-months-old, he is thriving. Hayley, from Amesbury, Wiltshire, said: "The years of disappointment and not feeling good enough took a toll and so I turned to food.
"It was hard seeing friends my age having children and we were met with negative tests. Sweet treats would temporarily fill the void of not being able to fall pregnant.
''I was able to eat packets of sweets a day, the big family sharer ones. I knew I had to change my lifestyle if I was ever going to have a chance at motherhood.
"Getting that NHS bypass was the best thing I ever did- before Fletcher that is. Even after he was born we were living day by day as he was so fragile but we're so thankful for the wonderful hospital staff.
"He's doing great now- you wouldn't think he'd been through anything! He's my miracle baby, has the sweetest smile and the most infectious giggle."
Growing up, Hayley had a ''normal'' relationship with food and despite being bigger than her friends, she never saw her weight as an issue. It wasn't until Hayley hit her 20s that she began comfort eating.
She said: "When the plethora of negative tests started to come through, I found myself turning to food more and more. It became my crutch for when times were tough.
"My fertility struggles made me feel more and more unworthy and so I would punish myself by eating myself the max. Cadbury Dairy Milk was my main weakness, some days I would put away two big bars and I would get through up to two packets of Haribo Tangfastics.''
But in March 2017, she decided ''enough was enough'' and started extreme dieting through calorie counting and fad-diets- at one point surviving on just one apple a day. A year later, she had lost five stone and slimmed down to a size 16 weighting 18st - but the weight piled back on after ''yet another negative test''.
Realising she needed help, Hayley was referred to the NHS gastric bypass waiting list. A gastric bypass is when the stomach is divided into a small upper pouch and a much larger lower "remnant" pouch which restricts the amount of food it can hold.
The operation went ahead in October 2019 at Royal Bournemouth Hospital, Bournemouth, Dorset. "I spent two months building back up to solid foods," Hayley continued.
"I even found a love of homemade casseroles, stews and salads but only being able to eat small meals at a time. I started to appreciate nutritious and sustaining meals and even took up running which helped me lose even more weight."
After shedding 13 stone, and falling pregnant, medics performed monthly scans to ensure she was eating enough for her baby's development. Although each scan came back healthy, Hayley was rushed to hospital twice with ''tight'' stomach pains, before finally giving birth three months early.
Hayley said: "When we held Fletcher for the first time, we just cried tears of joy. I was so overwhelmed and exhausted but incredibly thankful that we had our little miracle.
"David was by my side the whole time and the medical staff were superb." After suffering from breathing problems, Fletcher was put on high-flow oxygen for seven weeks, but the couple were overjoyed to take their son home just before Christmas 2022.
Now seven-months, Hayley describes Fletcher as a ''happy little boy''. The proud mum-of-one said: "He's our pride and joy and is so content.
"You wouldn't think he's been through anything! He loves watching Paw Patrol, he'll babble and giggle which is so cute.
"David has been my rock throughout it all and I know I wouldn't have been able to get through it without him. My maternal journey has been a rollercoaster but I'm so thankful for our perfect boy. I may not be able to have fizzy drinks or sweet treats, but Fletcher is more than sweet enough!"
