PROUD parents were shocked to find that their lockdown baby was a boy after being told they were expecting a girl.

When Kacey Strickland, 17, gave birth in Worcestershire Royal Hospital her mother was not allowed to be there to hold her hand as Covid-19 meant birth partners were limited.

So when grandmother Julie Strickland, 50 got the call she was expecting to hear her 'granddaughter', due to be named Ella, had arrived.

Instead, she discovered she had a grandson instead.

The doting grandmother said: “After two and a half days of labour and complications Kacey was given an emergency C section, three days after due date.

“This was her biggest fear about the birth but she found strength from somewhere to accept this is the safest way for both her and baby.

“As her mum and with Covid-19 restrictions in place, I had to leave her at the main door with her never having been in hospital before. We sat for six hours in the hospital carpark until her partner Luke was allowed to be with her. Then spent many hours pacing and waiting for updates.

“Finally at 11.41am on Wednesday May 27, weighing a massive 8lb 15oz, baby pops into the world. However, baby Ella makes an appearance as a fella! The gender scan was wrong. The poor little chap spent two days in pink clothes!

“Within hours friends and family had rallied around and collected lots of boy clothes. Everything from the changing mat to bottles were pink.

“Even though ‘Chunk’, as he was known for two weeks as no name had been chosen, is absolutely gorgeous and perfect, it also felt like a bereavement for baby Ella. I have never felt such bittersweet emotions of loss and joy at the same time before.

“Emptying her clothes out of the draw and packing them away before they came home was like we had lost her. Very strange feeling! Even the midwives were expressing how in many years that’s the first wrong gender birth they’d personally experienced.”

Both mum and baby are now home and getting on well. And ‘Chunk’ is now known as Noah George Anthony Dunsby.

Kacey said: “ I was anxious not knowing what to expect, but I stayed focused on the end result. Now Noah is here we couldn’t be happier.”