Latest news with #singlemum
The Sun
08-07-2025
- Health
- The Sun
My man was 44 & healthy but collapsed & died – I was pregnant with our 6th baby & am begging strangers for help
A SINGLE mum of six fears losing her home after her 'healthy' partner died suddenly from a stroke while gardening. Amanda Conlon, 40, is hoping to raise £200,000 to pay off her mortgage after her partner Clint Robinson, 44, died from a stroke in July 2024. 9 9 9 Clint was out tending to his vegetable patch on a sunny Thursday morning when he came stumbling inside asking his pregnant partner for help. Amanda said: "While I rang 999 he was still able to talk a little bit - they were asking what happened and he said he'd got a headache and went dizzy. "He went to call our two year old, and he said her name wouldn't come out of his mouth." Clint was rushed by ambulance to Scunthorpe General Hospital's stroke unit where he complained that he was unable to feel the left side of his body. Amanda, who rushed to the hospital in pursuit of her partner, says a nurse told her she should return home to allow Clint to rest, and had assured her he'd be back to normal by the following day. When she tried to return to the hospital at 8pm, however, she was told she wasn't allowed to visit her partner of 24 years - but she was assured he was fine. The following morning, however, her worst nightmares came true - doctors said Clint was only responding to touch and that a bleed on his brain had continued overnight. He was taken to intensive care, but Amanda had to make the difficult decision to turn off his life support after 10 days when she was told there was 'no activity' in his brain. Amanda feels like her last hours with her partner, whom she was planning to marry next year, were taken away from her due to the hospital's decision to bar her from visiting. She said: "I called at midnight and they said 'he's fine, he's been asking for you quite a lot but he's gone to sleep now', I said 'please can I come and sit with him then'. How to check your pulse, for risk of stroke "I just feel like they took that away from me - any time I could have had left with him, they took it away because they told me he was going to be fine." MORTGAGE WORRIES To make matters worse, the mortgage on the couple's home was entirely in Clint's name, and the qualified joiner was without life insurance after cancelling it over financial difficulties during the Covid pandemic. The distraught mum was told her home could face repossession if she is unable to remortgage or pay the home off in full. 9 9 9 Orphaned at nine years old, Amanda, who works as a teacher trainer, doesn't have any parents she can rely on for financial help. Now, the single mum, whose children are aged 20, 15, eight, three, one, and five months, has set up an online fundraiser to pay off Clint's mortgage and ensure her children have somewhere to live - something she knows is a tall order. Writing on the GoFundMe page, she said: "I still can't find the words for what it felt like to stand there holding my children while telling them their daddy was never coming home. I still hear their cries at night. I still can't believe this is real life. 9 9 "Now I'm here, I've given birth to our youngest daughter without him by my side. A single mum with six children — three of them under the age of 3. "I have a newborn baby in my arms, and I'm trying to hold everyone together with no partner, no parents, no grandparents for my children. "I can't work right now — I'm home with three babies under three, doing every feed, every bath, every sleepless night alone. And at the same time, I'm trying to grieve a man I can't even begin to live without." MONEY PLEA 9 Amanda has currently raised over £15,000 - a large sum, but under 10 per cent of the target. She said: "The amount I'm trying to raise is a substantial amount - I don't want anyone to think 'oh, wouldn't we all like our mortgage to be paid'. "The reason why I've done it is because I think if I died tomorrow then my children have got a home - it would be my oldest daughter who would need to look after them. "If anything were to happen to me, they would have that security. I can't work right now — I'm home with three babies under three, doing every feed, every bath, every sleepless night alone. And at the same time, I'm trying to grieve a man I can't even begin to live without Amanda Conlon "If everybody just put in £1, if 200,000 people put in £1 that would make all the difference. "I'm not asking anybody for a large amount, I don't even like asking anybody for anything, but I've always helped people and Clint has always helped people. He always told the children that if anybody needs help, it's really important to help." Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust has been contacted for comment. What are the symptoms of stroke? The FAST method – which stands for Face, Arms, Speech, Time – is the easiest way to remember the most common symptoms of stroke: F = Face drooping - if one side of a person's face is dropped or numb then ask them to smile, if it's uneven then you should seek help. A = Arm weakness - if one arm is weak or numb then you should ask the person to raise both arms. If one arm drifts downwards then you might need to get help S = Speech difficulty - if a person's speech is slurred then this could be a sign of a stroke T = Time to call 999 - if a person has the signs above then you need to call 999 in the UK or 911 in the US for emergency care. Other symptoms include:
The Sun
07-07-2025
- The Sun
I lost everything when my £4.3k UC stopped.. now I've been sacked from my new job for eating a customer's chips
A SINGLE mum who lost ''everything'' after she stopped receiving her hefty £4.3k/month Universal Credit payment has revealed she's been sacked from her new job. Ebony Wood, 26, used to be living off a mega UC payment, which saw her allegedly receive an astronomical £4.3k every month. 3 3 3 At the time, the young mother insisted that those who spent long hours working to earn money were ''dumb''. However, it all took a sharp turn at the end of June when TikTok trolls ''mass reported'' her to Jobcentre and she allegedly lost her rights to UC. Universal Credit is a payment to help with your living costs. According to the Gov website, it's paid monthly - or twice a month for some people in Scotland. Brits may be entitled to it if they're on a low income, out of work or you cannot work. ''They're taking away all my money and I don't know what I'm going to do,'' she cried in a video posted on her page at the time, sparking fury. Since then, Ebony, who previously begged strangers to fund her boob job, has managed to find a job - and lose it in a matter of days. The 26-year-old was chuffed when she announced ''boss man'' had given her ''a delivery job at a kebab shop ''. While the young mum was ''very excited'' after not being in employment in seven years, she skipped the first shift after struggling with ''bad'' period cramps. Sadly, her employment journey didn't even get a chance to start properly, as a few days later Ebony found herself without a job again. Begging to get her ''Universal Credit back'', Ebony took to TikTok to share the unfortunate update. ''Just lost my job because I ate a chip, fam. ''Did my first delivery job last night and they literally fired me two hours after I started because I ate a chip. ''I'm not gonna lie, I was bare hungry because I worked for an hour solid, and they literally didn't offer me food - so I just robbed a few chips. ''Other excuse was I didn't show up for the first three nights but it was because I was on my period and I was at home ill, you get me? ''So yeah, I'm bare unemployed again. If anyone's got a job, hit me up,'' she begged in the clip. ''Sick of thisss! This is how poor people are really treated!'' she ranted in the caption. Am I entitled to Universal Credit? According to the GOV website, if you're on a low income or need help with your living costs, then you could be entitled to Universal Credit. To claim, you must live in the UK, be aged 18 or over (with some exceptions if you're 15 to 17), be under State Pension age, and have £16,000 or less in money, savings and investments. Other circumstances are if you are out of work, or unable to work, for example because of a health condition. 'Welcome to the real world' The video, posted under the username @ bonniedontcare, has since racked up close to 13k views, leaving many TikTokers furious. More than 100 people flooded to comments, where critics slammed the former UC recipient. One person commented: ''Are you serious one hour of work and your hungry why didn't you have something before you went. ''Some people work 12 hours and only get 1 hour on break . your so used to living off of other people HARD EARNED taxes you think an hour's work is hard work. welcome to the real world.'' Another chimed in: 'This is what is wrong with society.''
Daily Mail
05-07-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
I was told by my midwife that my baby and I were going to die...then I woke up in the delivery room alone
A Sydney mum has shared the terrifying moment she woke up alone after being told she and her baby were going to die during labour. Ruby Nichols, 25, suffered a placental abruption while giving birth to her three-year-old son Kobi, and after being put to sleep while doctors rushed to save her life, she woke up alone, believing her baby had died. The single mum, who lives in Sutherland Shire, 26km southwest of Sydney's CBD, recalled her traumatic birth story to Daily Mail Australia. 'When I was 41 weeks and five days, I went into labour,' she said. 'I hadn't experienced any Braxton Hicks throughout my whole pregnancy so I wasn't sure if I was in labour at first. 'But within 20 minutes my contractions were a minute long and like five minutes apart. They were strong and fast.' Ms Nichols remembered asking herself: 'How am I going to survive this?' After getting to the hospital, the mum recalled holding onto the sink in the bathroom and swaying back and forth when the midwife came to check on her son's heartbeat. 'We could hear it was non-existent and my mum's face just went white, the midwife's face went white and she just hit the emergency buzzer,' she said. Ms Nichols suddenly felt an immense release of pressure and assumed her waters had broken, but when she looked down all she could see was blood. Doctors told Ms Nichols she needed a Caesarean and despite initially wanting a water birth, all she cared about was making sure she and her baby were safe. She explained her son's dad, who she is no longer in a relationship with, was getting ready to come into theatre while she was having her blood pressure measured and a cannula inserted into her arm. 'I was still having contractions at this point and I started feeling really dizzy and I couldn't see the room straight and my arm was burning,' she recalled. 'My arm was swollen and pulsating, and then I was told my blood pressure was dropping and they needed to move along quickly. 'I just wanted my partner and I kept asking, "Can I please have him, where is he?" And then this nurse turned to me and said, "You and your son are both gonna die". Terrifyingly, this is the last thing Ms Nichols remembers before being put to sleep. 'The hardest thing for me was that I woke up in a room by myself, all I could remember was being told that my son and I were gonna die, but obviously I woke up so I knew I was alive but I have there's no baby,' she said. The mum explained she struggled to speak when she first woke up as she had been given ketamine during the birth to sedate her. 'I was trying to scream, "Where is my baby?" but I couldn't vocalise anything,' she said. After 'what felt like 15 minutes' she 'started yelling' when she saw a nurse walk by asking, 'Is he dead?' Ms Nichols was told her baby was upstairs with his dad. 'I remember losing it and saying, "Take me to my baby right now",' the mum recalled, noting she was told she had to wait for a porter to collect her, but she refused to wait a second longer. 'I told her, "I will literally rip this catheter out of myself and walk up there by myself, take me to my baby right now". The single mum noted from the time her son was born to the time she met him was around four hours. 'The recovery nurses were incredible, they were really great and supportive, but the thing that always upset me the most was that I woke up by myself and they did not attempt to do any skin-to-skin, which is so important,' she added. She said she's 'forever grateful' to the medical team, but the 'trauma' and 'fear that I had woke up without him was so terrifying'. 'If a nurse is going to vocalise something as horrible as that or even the trauma in general then someone should've made sure when I woke up I had a familiar face with me,' Ms Nichols said. After sharing her story with her midwife in the months following the birth, Ms Nichols was encouraged to make a complaint to the hospital. 'I am fully aware that when you are in a state of emergency and it is life or death, you're not thinking how can I comfort this person? You're just trying to get them to live and their baby to live. 'The part that I was raising my concern with was the fact that I woke up by myself in a pitch-black room with no familiar face after I've been told we weren't going to make it.' The Sydney hospital reached out to Ms Nichols and apologised, adding that they have taken her concerns on board.
The Sun
02-07-2025
- Health
- The Sun
I became a ‘hot girl' after losing three stone on fat jabs, but a mortifying side effect nearly ruined my life
AFTER losing three stone on fat jabs, Emmie Barwise loved nothing more than picking out a stylish outfit to showcase her svelte new figure. However, there was one accessory she wasn't expecting to add to her wardrobe. 6 6 As well as figure-hugging dresses and thigh skimming skirts, Emmie was forced to start wearing panty liners daily. Aside from her astonishing weight-loss, incontinence has been an unwelcome side effect of taking Mounjaro. The 34-year-old explains: 'It would happen when I laughed, coughed or sneezed. "I wet myself during one date, I never imagined that could happen with the jab. 'It was so frustrating, I finally felt confident enough to go on dates but I spent the whole time worrying it would happen. 'It was humiliating - I was a hot girl who couldn't pull.' Events manager and single mum Emmie, who lives in Manchester with her 12-year-old daughter, says the unfortunate side-effect made her self-conscious She admits: 'I constantly worried that I smelt of wee. 'It was really off-putting and something I never imagined I would have to deal with.' Emmie says she began struggling with her weight last year when she started comfort eating during the winter months. Doc gives advice on how to tackle Mounjaro side effect of excess loose skin She says: 'I loved a good takeaway, a bottle of wine and chocolates. 'It was so cold last year, I found myself indulging way too much.' By Christmas, the mum realised she'd gained three stone in just two months. 'As well as my main job, I also do catalogue modelling,' she says. 'I knew I needed to lose weight as I noticed I was losing work since gaining weight.' A mortified Emmie hit the gym but found it hard to shift the pounds. 'I had friends who were using weight loss jabs, I'd heard good things and decided to give them a go,' she says. In January, Emmie bought Mounjarno on a private prescription, paying £150 a month for the jabs. 6 6 6 'As soon as I started taking the jabs my food noise disappeared for the first time in my life,' she says. But while Emmie quickly noticed her weight falling off, she soon became aware of her unfortunate side effect too. She says: 'In the first four weeks, I lost seven pounds and felt amazing. 'But around the same time, I had been chatting to a man at a bar when I realised I had wet myself. 'It was just a few drops, but I fled to the loo with my jacket around my waist.' Emmie's rapid weight loss in the first four weeks meant a rapid loss of tone around her pelvic floor muscles. A study by revealed Ozempic or semaglutide can be linked to stress urinary incontinence. This means the pelvic floor muscles can't hold up under pressure when you cough, sneeze or laugh because the drug's rapid weight and muscle loss, especially in pelvic muscles, lowers pelvic support and increases leakage risk. Emmie says: 'The first time it happened, I convinced myself I had drunk too much. 'When it happened at work, I bought period panty liner pads to help control my pee problem. 'I even considered adult nappies for an extreme emergency. Everything you need to know about fat jabs Weight loss jabs are all the rage as studies and patient stories reveal they help people shed flab at almost unbelievable rates, as well as appearing to reduce the risk of serious diseases. Wegovy – a modified version of type 2 diabetes drug Ozempic – and Mounjaro are the leading weight loss injections used in the UK. Wegovy, real name semaglutide, has been used on the NHS for years while Mounjaro (tirzepatide) is a newer and more powerful addition to the market. Mounjaro accounts for most private prescriptions for weight loss and is set to join Wegovy as an NHS staple this year. How do they work? The jabs work by suppressing your appetite, making you eat less so your body burns fat for energy instead and you lose weight. They do this my mimicking a hormone called GLP-1, which signals to the brain when the stomach is full, so the drugs are officially called GLP-1 receptor agonists. They slow down digestion and increase insulin production, lowering blood sugar, which is why they were first developed to treat type 2 diabetes in which patients' sugar levels are too high. Can I get them? NHS prescriptions of weight loss drugs, mainly Wegovy and an older version called Saxenda (chemical name liraglutide), are controlled through specialist weight loss clinics. Typically a patient will have to have a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher, classifying them as medically obese, and also have a weight-related health condition such as high blood pressure. GPs generally do not prescribe the drugs for weight loss. Private prescribers offer the jabs, most commonly Mounjaro, to anyone who is obese (BMI of 30+) or overweight (BMI 25-30) with a weight-related health risk. Private pharmacies have been rapped for handing them out too easily and video calls or face-to-face appointments are now mandatory to check a patient is being truthful about their size and health. Are there any risks? Yes – side effects are common but most are relatively mild. Around half of people taking the drug experience gut issues, including sickness, bloating, acid reflux, constipation and diarrhoea. Dr Sarah Jarvis, GP and clinical consultant at said: 'One of the more uncommon side effects is severe acute pancreatitis, which is extremely painful and happens to one in 500 people.' Other uncommon side effects include altered taste, kidney problems, allergic reactions, gallbladder problems and hypoglycemia. Evidence has so far been inconclusive about whether the injections are damaging to patients' mental health. Figures obtained by The Sun show that, up to January 2025, 85 patient deaths in the UK were suspected to be linked to the medicines. 'I had no idea that this was a possible side effect of the jab, it's definitely not one that people talk about.' In a bid to ease her embarrassing symptoms, Emmie immediately began doing her pelvic floor exercises three times a day. She says: 'I use Kegel balls, which come in different weights with strings attached. 'You pop inside your vagina and practice holding them for different periods of time. 'It took four weeks of training, but my symptoms have finally eased up.' While urinary incontinence might have been a negative side effect, Emmie has found an added bonus aside from her weight loss. 'The jab has increased by sex drive and my orgasms are stronger than ever,' she says. 'I consider that an added bonus.' According to research, the GLP-1 drugs can also alter autonomic nervous system responses and increase blood circulation, especially to your pubic area, which could explain Emmie's heightened sensitivity and increased sex drive. After six months of using Mounjarno, Emmie has now lost 3st 1lb and has no regrets. She says: 'I don't regret using the drug to fast-track my weight loss. 'It's not cheating, it's using what works for you. 'The oddball side effects created havoc in my life, but I got through it and I am back to feeling like my best self.' 6
The Sun
01-07-2025
- General
- The Sun
I was shocked when quoted £10K for a garden reno so did it myself for £1K as a single mum with ChatGPT and B&Q bargains
A SAVVY single mum-of-two who was quoted £10,000 for a garden renovation has done it herself for just £1,000 with the help of budget stores and ChatGPT. Thrifty Holly Metcalfe said the 'shocking' price tag offered by professionals felt unjustifiable, especially as England doesn't get good weather all year round. 3 And while she knew it would be a mammoth DIY project, she wanted to show her kids it could be done. The 37-year-old mum, who has a son, 16, and daughter, 14, turned to B&Q, Amazon and ChatGPT for ideas and gardening advice, and then rolled up her sleeves. 'After getting shocking quotes for the work I wanted to be done, I decided I would give it a go myself to save money", said Holly. 'I've always been quite headstrong when I get an idea, and I knew I could see it through. 'I also wanted to show my two children that you can be capable of achieving anything, even if it means getting your hands dirty. 'I just thought this is a lot of money to spend on a space that we only get to use for a few months of the year when the weather is good. 'It was challenging at times and I had to dip in and out of it between being a mum and working, but I really enjoyed the process and felt really empowered when I stood back and looked at it finished.' Holly spent every free moment doing the DIY and admits it was 'back-breaking' work. Holly, who works in housing, added that the project was 'exhausting' but that she had 'never felt stronger'. She said: 'I feel so empowered as a single mum achieving this on my own around all of my other commitments. 'It's spacious enough for two adults' - The Range release double garden rocking chair less than €120 'This project has pushed me out of my comfort zone in more ways than one. 'It was a physical and mental challenge – pushing through with the heavy lifting or digging in the rain – but also it has brought me so much confidence. 'The garden looked a lot worse before it started to look better. 'I spent many pockets of time on it; evenings, lunch breaks on days working from home, weekends. 'I gave up any relaxing time really, I ate while I was working at my desk so that I had my hour lunch break to get out in the garden. 'I normally love sitting down to watch EastEnders in the evening, but I gave that up to focus on the project. 'I made sure I still got up at 6 am to head to my fitness classes, though.' Holly had to start the project with hardcore manual labour by digging up decorative stones. She then measured sizing for her shed and searched through home improvement websites for the best but cheapest paint, turf and furniture. Holly said: 'I kept myself going with the project by giving myself timescales to adhere to. 'I ordered the shed before laying the base, then I knew I had to get the base down before it arrived. 'Painting my fences and building the shed was probably one of the most rewarding things I did in the garden. 'Getting the turf sorted was a really hard job as the earth needed turning over, and it was really dry and hard. 'My back was aching from carrying the grass, which is surprisingly heavy. 'The paving was equally back-breaking, and it felt like I was never going to get it done - this was the part where I felt like giving up, but I pushed through. 'I felt like the garden was getting bigger and bigger with every bit of digging. 'I also had to re-lift the paving I had laid because it wasn't perfectly level. 'Give me a shed to build any day over doing that.' The mum repurposed the slabs by first cleaning them with a pressure washer and then painting them with masonry paint. She said: 'I did it, the whole thing, myself. 'My dad helped me carry some things in from the car, and my teenage son has helped with some heavy lifting as well. 'But the rest was all me. 'I strongly believe working on things like this is essential for your mental health. 'The sense of achievement I have gained from doing this has left me feeling so empowered. 'I also learned new skills with recording and editing the footage, and putting myself out there by sharing it online. "The kids have been full of compliments and are really proud of what I've done. I've found we're spending time outside more as a family now. 'My family and friends have been totally amazed by what I've done when showing them progress and videos, they say they're shocked by what I have managed to do on my own and that it has turned out beautifully. 'My friends tell me I'm superwoman, and they can't believe I've done this myself. 'I have received so much lovely support on social media, too.' The mum is adding the finishing touches to her garden with more lights and plants – and is already considering what to DIY next. 3
