DONNA and Tony McTighe are the proud parents of two miracle babies they thought they could never have.

The couple, from Cedar Place, Easingwold, are over the moon after the births of little Rhys and Ellie, born only nine months and two days apart.

Donna, 30, was told by doctors that she would not be able to have a baby naturally after health problems and four miscarriages.

But after putting her name down for IVF treatment, she got pregnant out of the blue and Rhys was born in June last year.

Then, only weeks after Rhys' premature birth, Donna became pregnant again with Ellie, who was born in March this year, nine months and two days later.

Both pregnancies were difficult ones and Donna spent the bulk of them in hospital.Ellie was also born prematurely, but today both are healthy and their parents are overjoyed.

Donna said: "At one point I went into depression because I thought I would never have a baby.

"But now I'm absolutely over the moon to have two within nine months."It's a miracle - they're both miracle babies."

Donna said she and Tony now both wanted to say a big thank you to staff at York District Hospital who had looked after her during the two pregnancies.

When pregnant with Rhys, she nearly had a miscarriage at 12 weeks, and then spent most of the pregnancy in the hospital until he was born eight weeks early.

He was then cared for in the special care baby unit.

It was when Donna went to find out about having a hysterectomy after having Rhys, that tests showed she was pregnant again.

Again she spent the last three months of her pregnancy in hospital and then had Ellie ten weeks early, this time at Leeds General Infirmary. Ellie was again cared for in the special baby care unit at York for several weeks.

"Basically the two babies wouldn't be here if it wasn't for the care of staff at York District Hospital - they were absolutely fantastic," said Donna.

Tim Hedgley, from the National Fertility Association, said: "It is not common but it does happen that women do get pregnant like this.

"As a national association we're delighted for her.

"Some people who have been infertile for 15 years, give up and stop treatment then find themselves getting pregnant."

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.