My miracle baby by sleepwalking woman who cheated death in hotel balcony plunge

Amy Wigfull suffered catastrophic injuries after falling 50ft from a hotel window in Spain in 2014 and, with metal screws holding her pelvis together, was told she wouldn’t be able to cope with the weight of a baby.

However, defying all expectations, Ms Wigfull, 26, with her partner Andy Smith, 23, brought baby Ralph into the world in December and says being a mum is “the best thing that’s ever happened to me”.

Ms Wigfull, from Goldthorpe, near Doncaster, was on a girls’ holiday celebrating her mother Shelly’s 40th birthday when she suffered her catastrophic fall and was lucky to escape with her life.

She got out of bed, walked into the bathroom, climbed into the bath and opened the fifth floor window before crawling out and falling onto the concrete below.

She suffered a broken wrist, shoulder and pelvis, a punctured lung, bleeding on the brain and broken vertebra in her back. Doctors said that had she woken during the fall she would have tensed her body and died.

She landed luckily: had she fallen a few metres to the left she would have hit a motorbike - and a few metres to the right she would have crashed into boulders.

In a further twist, she was found almost immediately by a man who had gone for a walk after a row with his wife. Had he not found her, Ms Wigfull was told she would have been dead within 20 minutes.

As she learned to walk again Ms Wigfull, who has no recollection of the fall, was told the devastating news that her body wouldn’t be able to cope with pregnancy.

She and partner Andy Smith, 23, said they still can’t believe they have a son.

Ms Wigfull said: “When the doctors said it was unlikely I’d be able to have children, I was heartbroken.

“I was so relieved to be alive, I tried to push it to the back of my mind but the worry never went away.

“Now, I can’t remember my what my life was like before Ralph came along.”

Ms Wigfull - who never had a history of sleepwalking - believes her night-time wandering was caused by sunstroke.

She said: “At first I thought I’d never walk again but I was so determined. Six weeks after the fall, I was taking a few steps.

“Then I broached the subject of babies with my consultant. My periods were all over the place which I blamed on the accident and I wanted to know if my injuries would stop me from conceiving.

“Two metal rods were holding my pelvis together so the consultant said it was very unlikely that I’d be able to carry a baby.”

She added: “Even if I conceived there was a huge risk I’d have a miscarriage because there wasn’t enough room in my pelvis for the baby to grow.

“Although having children wasn’t on my list of priorities, I knew I wanted to be a mum someday so to be told it might never happen was devastating.”

Ms Wigfull and Andy struggled to come to terms with the news but she focused on her recovery.

After a month in a Spanish hospital she returned home to Goldthorpe and continued to get better.

Last May she realised her period was late and recalled: “We hadn’t bothered using contraception because I didn’t think I could get pregnant so I didn’t see the point.

“After four pregnancy tests, the news started to sink in but I was terrified I’d lose the baby. I was on edge until the moment Ralph arrived.”

Ms Wigfull, a visual merchandiser, was given regular scans to check the baby’s growth.

She said: “Seeing the heartbeat at my first scan was amazing and people were constantly commenting on the size of my bump so my instincts told me the baby was growing well.

“I carried the baby high up which is probably how it found the room to grow.

“When I was three months’ pregnant I was told I wouldn’t be able to have a natural birth because the baby wouldn’t be able to pass through my pelvis, so a caesarean at 39 weeks was the only option.

“As I got bigger I started with pain in my hip and back but all I cared about was the baby and that it was healthy.

“My body had been through so much after the accident and I’ve still no idea how I managed to carry a baby to full term.”

Ralph was born on December, 29 weighing 6lb 13oz at Rotherham Hospital with dad Andy, a retail assistant, by Ms Wigfull’s side.

Ms Wigfull added: “Now Ralph is here I feel incredibly lucky. I’m alive, I’ve learned to walk again and now I’m a mum.

“Ralph is my little miracle. It seems too unbelievable.”