A woman who was told she may never have children has defied the odds and given birth naturally twice – losing 7st in the process. Aged 16, Araba Coxon, now 40, was diagnosed with polycystic ovaries and was told fertility could be a future issue.
She frequently had nightmares about having a baby which would then disappear. But after 18 months of trying, Araba and her husband Elliott, 36, fell pregnant naturally with their son Zane, now three, in February 2019.
She weighed 15st 9lb and was so embarrassed by her size she avoided photos with her newborn. Determined to not let her size get in the way of having another baby - and taking snaps - she ditched takeaways and embraced vegetables in her meals.
She lost 6st, due to doing the 1:1 Cambridge diet, shrinking down to 9st. In 2021, with nine months and no pregnancy, the couple signed up to a fertility clinic, spending £4k on medication and a deposit. And just before she was due to start to IVF treatment and after losing a further stone and a half she fell pregnant with her second child Nova, aged one.
This time she was proud of her new healthy body - and was overjoyed to capture treasured snaps with her daughter. Araba an auditor from Beddington, Sutton, said: “I felt disgusted with myself.
"I didn’t like the person who I was; the person I was in the mirror. I barely took any pictures of my son in the first six months which I am sad about now.
"When I look back the pictures aren’t of me - I am always behind the camera taking the picture of my son and my husband, Elliott. I lost who I was, I didn’t feel like Araba anymore, I was embarrassed to go out, and I still wore my maternity clothes.”
Speaking about life after her weight loss, she added: “I was so happy to be able to wear beautiful clothes again and maintain that healthy eating. For me losing weight meant that I got Araba back - any mum that reads this will identify that when you become a mum you lose part of yourself.
“In that relationship, you become someone that this little person relies on completely, losing that weight, Araba came back – my confidence came back. I feel incredibly blessed - my son's name is Zane which is God's gracious gift and we picked that name before I got pregnant as I always felt any child I had would be a blessing.
“My daughter is called Nova, both children felt like an impossible dream that has become a reality.”
Polycystic ovaries is a common condition that affects how a woman's ovaries work - affecting around one in 10 women in the UK. Araba said: “I was always told one way to overcome my fertility issues was to keep my weight down but that was a losing battle.
“I managed to get pregnant with my son but I had to lose weight for him. I weighed 15 stone and nine pounds with a BMI of 39, and I am only 5ft 2inch. I knew to have a child I would have to do something about it.
“Knowing the struggle I went through with my son, I didn’t want to go down that road again.”
After the birth of Zane in February 2019, Araba said she felt “disgusting” and would barely look at herself in the mirror. She lost 6.5 stone in 2019.
The couple applied for IVF in May 2021, and while they were waiting to start later that year, she lost another 1.5st - to help with the future IVF success - and fell pregnant. She said: "I knew at the back of my mind to qualify for a fertility clinic, my BMI could not be over 30.
“I had IUI treatment and I paid for the drugs to start IVF in June as the IUI treatment didn’t work – I then got back down to nine stone and conceived naturally. For all my life I used to have dreams of not being able to have a baby and I would wake up in heart-breaking tears as this baby that I dreamt of had disappeared.
“That is how desperately I wanted to be a mum, it is funny as my little girl Nova looks so much like the baby in my dreams.”
After losing weight, Araba feels like she has got her life back. She said: “I share myself on social media, I share my journey with people to the point where I even influenced my brother and mum to do the diet with me – I am not just Araba again but Araba plus.”
Araba who was a self-confessed “secret eater” has managed to maintain her weight loss and got her family involved.
Meal plan before
Breakfast – Coffee
Lunch – Rice and curry, biscuits chocolate
Dinner – Takeaway or large portions with no vegetables
Snacks – Crisps, chocolate, biscuits, flap jacks
Drinks – Fizzy drinks, coffee
Meal plan after
Breakfast – Muesli with dried raisins or dried fruits with a fat-free yoghurt or skimmed milk
Lunch – Salad with chicken breast
Dinner – Black eye beans with grilled plantains, smaller portions with more veg and fewer carbs
Snacks – Fruit, nuts, protein bar
Drinks – Four litres of water, black coffee
