 News
12th April 2008
Kerry's baby
boy born five weeks earlyReality TV star Kerry Katona has given
birth to a baby boy. Maxwell Croft was born at 5.42pm Friday, five weeks
early, and weighed 5lbs 4oz. Katona's spokesman said: "Mummy and baby are
doing well and the family are very excited about their latest addition. "Kerry
would like to thank all the staff at the Macclesfield District General Hospital
for the fantastic care she received." Kerry said: "He's absolutely fine,
he's beautiful. We can't wait to get him home. It's a beautiful boy to go with
our three girls." Husband Mark Croft was at the hospital for the new arrival,
who has been named after publicist Max Clifford. Max Clifford told the
Daily Mirror, "Mum and baby are really well. It was a natural birth. Everything
was fine. "It's been a scary time, a real rollercoaster, but now everything
is great. I imagine she will stay in for checks but will hopefully be home soon."
He added, "I am very proud that Max was named after me. I think the world
of Kerry. She's almost like another daughter to me." The former Atomic
Kitten singer has been in hospital since Wednesday when her waters broke, and
doctors had given her medication to try to halt contractions. But the decision
was taken to induce labour. The pregnancy has been an eventful one, with
fears just after Easter that she was suffering from pre-eclampsia, a condition
which causes high blood pressure. However, this was later discovered to
be water retention and very low iron levels. Earlier, Kerry had thanked
her fans for their messages of support from her hospital bed. The 27-year-old
was believed to be in the middle of filming the final episodes of her controversial
MTV fly-on-the-wall show, Crazy In Love, when her contractions began on Wednesday
night. The drama was thought to have been caught on camera even though
she had reportedly decided to pull out of the show. The couple already
knew the baby was a boy and had planned to call him Max. Her pregnancy
has been plagued with health concerns and rumours of drug-taking and drinking,
allegations which she has denied. The couple, of Warrington, Cheshire,
are already parents to one-year-old Heidi. Kerry is also has two girls
with ex-Westlife star Brian McFadden - Molly, six, and Lilly-Sue, five. Where
to next? | 
