Saira Khan Talks About Her "Miracle" Baby
For Saira Khan, the two years she and husband Steve Hyde spent trying to conceive a baby — an effort hampered by the condition endometriosis — has ultimately made life with son Zacariah, 3 months, all the more sweet. "Every day I look at him and still can’t believe that I have a baby," the 38-year-old British television host tells The Mirror, "Having gone through the stages of thinking you might not have a baby makes having one so precious." She adds,
Now when I see him in his cot and his little gums are showing as he starts smiling it is the best start to a day I’ve ever had.
Saira says that, as someone who had become accustomed to hard work always paying off, infertility left her in unchartered territory. "At first I’d think, ‘I’m healthy, I’m a good weight, I keep fit, I don’t drink, I don’t smoke, I’ve never done drugs, I don’t even take painkillers. So why isn’t it happening?’" she says, "It was hard because it seemed there was no reason." The couple had achieved so much in their respective careers but Saira says she knew "something was missing," so after two years of trying, they consulted with a fertility specialist.
Receiving the diagnosis of endometriosis was "a real shock" because Saira says she didn’t have any symptoms of the disorder, which can cause painful menstrual cramps. At the same time, knowing what was to blame gave Saira "a sense of relief" because she finally had an answer to the question of why the couple were thus far unable to have a baby. They began discussing IVF and adoption, only to find out two months later that they had conceived their son, whom they call Zac, naturally. Says Saira,
It felt like a miracle.
Click ‘continue reading’ for Saira’s thoughts about being a working mom.
Now that she’s got the baby she longed for, Saira says she has no intention of stepping away from her career. In fact, she returned to work just four weeks after a "long and painful" delivery that ended in an emergency C-section, because she says she’s more motivated than ever to be a success.
Now I have Zac I really know what I am working for. It’s no longer about the money for new shoes or a new outfit -– it is to give him a good start in life.
Saira’s work life isn’t coming at the expense of her son, however; she notes that the nature of her job allows her to travel with baby, and next month the duo will jet off to Pakistan where Saira is shooting a documentary on forced marriages. For now, Saira says that she and Zac are a package deal.
I’m taking him with me everywhere at the moment as I want to try to breastfeed him for the first six months…I’m saying to people, ‘This is my baby and this is what is important to me -– so we either both come or neither of us comes.’
Click here for a slideshow of Saira and baby Zac!
Source: The Mirror
