PROUD parents Brenda and Martin Emerson waited five years for their miracle daughter Abigail, and now they’re desperate for another baby to complete their family. Brenda didn’t think she would ever be able to have children after being told at 14 that she had dystonia, an incurable neurological condition which wracks her body with spasms. The disorder is usually diagnosed much later in life and doctors didn’t know how it would affect her chances of one day becoming a mum. Before should could even try to get pregnant, Brenda had to come off her medication and stop having the regular botox injections that help manage her condition And after five years of trying, Brenda had almost given up her dream of having a baby . . . when she fell pregnant. The 36-year-old, who has been married for 18 years, said: “They didn’t know what effect it would have and whether I could even get pregnant or carry a child full term. “I had to come off my medication otherwise a baby could have had severe deformities or neurological problems, but coming off it meant that my own condition could deteriorate much more quickly. “I had been trying for a baby for five years when I just reached the point where I had had enough, and resigned myself to the fact it wasn’t going to happen . . . then the next month I found out I was pregnant.” Fortunately, Brenda had a straightforward pregnancy and even gave birth naturally. Abigail, now two, will be tested when she is older to see if she too carries the dystonia gene . . . a one in five chance. Brenda, of York, said: “It is possible to carry the gene but not develop the disorder, or to get a mild form. I only started getting symptoms when I was about eight. “I will feel very guilty if she does develop it, but we had to go through all that dilemma before we even made the decision to try for a baby. “When I gave birth to Abigail it was the happiest and proudest moment of our lives.” Now Brenda and Martin, 49, who acts as her full-time carer, are trying for a second child. Because of her condition Brenda has never been able to work, and finds daily tasks a struggle. She said: “I can’t work as I would be a liability to myself and others because I have very little control over my movements. “Abigail was very young when she picked up on the fact that I wasn’t like other mummies and is a very independent little girl. “One thing I can’t do is buttons, so she learned to dress herself very quickly. If I do have another baby, I know that I have got the perfect little helper!” | 
