Couple who met in hospital as premature babies are now engaged
Watch: Couple who met as premature babies are now getting married and have their own baby
A couple who first "met" as premature babies in the neonatal unit have shared how they fell in love later in life and now have a child of their own together, born in the exact same hospital.
Jack Richardson and Bronwyn Tacey were both born prematurely at Queen's Medical Centre in Nottingham.
Their families forged a friendship during their time in the NICU and stayed close in the years following.
Though Jack and Bronwyn then drifted apart in their teens and early twenties, having reunited via Facebook, they realised they were soulmates aged 27.
Now both 29, they went on to have a daughter - also born in Queen's - and are getting married in 2025.
Jack and Bronwyn were both born prematurely in 1994, with Jack born at 30 weeks and Bronwyn making her arrival 26 weeks into her mother's pregnancy.
Both had to spend time in hospital - with Jack recovering in the NICU until he was a year old.
Due to their shared experiences, the families forged a bond and kept in touch when both babies returned home.
"I was in hospital for fourteen weeks before I came home," Bronwyn, who works in care, explains.
"Jack was in intensive care. He was in there for a year with numerous hospital appointments.
“It was touch and go whether we would both make it. It’s a complete miracle that we are both here.
"I had growth hormone injections until I was 16 to ensure I was not really short."
With the families remaining close friends, the kids grew up together, but when Jack and Bronwyn started different schools and made new friends, they started to drift apart.
However, they were still never too far from each others’ minds, remembering birthdays every year and making time to see each other sporadically while pursuing relationships.
"We saw each other every month when he was studying," Bronwyn explains.
But everything changed in October 2021 after she posted a new photo on social media.
"I [was pictured with] my hair done and he messaged me on Facebook,” she says.
The pair got chatting once again with Jack broaching the subject of dating.
After going on a few dates, the pair clicked and realised they were “right for each other”.
“I always knew there was something - but I didn't think we would make anything of it," Bronwyn explains.
But less than two years later, in May 2023 the couple announced they were engaged and by June found out they were expecting their own child, much to the delight of their families.
"It was just amazing," Jack's mum, Sharon Pickering, 53, explains.
"The first person he met is the person he's got a baby with."
Bronwyn gave birth to a daughter, Sienna, on February 23, 2024 in the exact same hospital that she and Jack were both born in.
Reflecting on the unusual way the couple got together Bronwyn admits it is "strange" to explain how they first met.
"I don’t know anyone else or any other relationships that are like this," she says.
Now living in Nuttall, on the skirts of Nottingham, the couple say they couldn't be happier as a family of three.
"It’s a great partnership," Bronwyn says of their connection. "We’re like best friends as well as partners. It's the best of both worlds.
"We just get each other, finish each other’s sentences. We know what each other is thinking before we say it.
"It just feels really natural to be together."
Additional reporting SWNS.
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