Two days before he succumbed to renal cancer, a mother gave birth to her child prematurely so that her boyfriend could see their daughter.
Beccy Hunter was delighted when Jamie Hunter, age 38, was able to cuddle his newborn daughter Harper-May in May 2020.
Becoming a father was “all he ever wanted” for Jamie, so when Beccy was eight months pregnant, she made it a priority for him to be present at Harper’s delivery.
Jamie, a teacher and football coach, was able to say hello to his daughter before he tragically passed away two days later.
The grieving mother of six had to fight for two years to have Jamie’s name added to their daughter’s birth certificate.
The procedure cost her £3,500 and caused her much sorrow, all because they were not married.
Beccy, who changed her surname from Flint just before Jamie’s death, was required to visit a lawyer and arrange for DNA samples to be taken from her deceased boyfriend and her newborn child.
This included moving Jamie’s body from a funeral home to Heartlands Hospital in Birmingham, preventing her from visiting him for three weeks.
Beccy was required to explain to social services and a judge why she wanted Jamie’s name on the birth certificate.
Beccy from Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham, stated, ‘It’s been awful, and I’m furious that we had to endure this. If we had been married, they would have just assumed he was the father.
Just because the law is so out of date. Many people are not married when they have children today.
Beccy was aware that announcing Jamie as the father would not be a smooth process because she had already spoken with the register office.
Beccy stated, ‘I was required to arrange for a London-based organization to obtain a DNA sample from Jamie. It meant I was prohibited from visiting him at the funeral home for weeks out of fear of contaminating the body.
The mother indicated that if DNA had not been extracted from Jamie, it would have been extracted from his sibling. Due to its rarity, he had to be moved to Heartlands Hospital to undergo the procedure.
Beccy stated, ‘It was also unpleasant for Harper. She was just three weeks old when they arrived wearing masks to collect her sample. But that was simply the beginning of the story.
The subsequent interview with social services was arduous for her.
“They wanted to know if Jamie wanted to become a father, and I had to demonstrate that I was a suitable mother.” I’m not sure what difference that made, but permission was the determining factor here.
“When an unmarried couple registers a birth, they go together to the register office, and the father gives his consent to be listed on the birth certificate in this way.” The problem was that Jamie was not present to demonstrate his consent.’
Due to backlogs, waiting for her case to be heard in court was prolonged. Beccy reported that when she was finally allowed to go, she cried in front of the judges.
Beccy stated, “I had to go to court and swear on the Bible in front of three judges in order to convince them to include Jamie’s name on the birth certificate.” It was so nerve-wracking that I was shattered. Never having appeared before a judge, I felt like a criminal.
Why was I required to appear before a judge when I had committed no wrongdoing? I spent the majority of the time crying, and the judges, who are used to hearing several criminal cases, also shed tears.
Once I had described what it meant to me and Harper, they looked at each other and stated, “We are all in agreement and we are going to approve this”
Beccy was thereafter required to submit an application for a second birth certificate.
In July 2022, more than two years after Harper-birth May’s on May 11, 2020, she was finally in possession of the copy bearing Jamie’s name.
Beccy remarked, “I could not believe it when I finally received the certificate.” I had not been able to view the original where the word father and a blank space existed. It was improper.
For Jamie, being a father was his one desire. Why should Harper grow up with a blank spot for her father on her birth certificate? I did it for Harper.
If we were married, they would have simply written his name on the certificate. It is completely wrong. We considered getting married, but everything happened so quickly due to his illness.
“There was simply no time to plan a wedding; I was eight months pregnant and our priority was getting him to Harper’s birth.”
“Two days before he passed away, he gave me a ring, and I changed my name to Hunter so Harper could grow up with the same name.”
“The entire procedure is flawed, and we must raise awareness in an effort to alter it.” If I can help someone in the same tragic situation as me, then it will be worthwhile.’
»Mother delivers early so her spouse can meet their daughter two days before he dies«
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