Baby joy for medic who saved Scots soldier

A paramedic whose bravery saved the life of a Scots soldier shot by Taliban fighters has achieved her dream of becoming a mum.

Michelle Ping was serving with the Royal Navy Reserves in Afghanistan when sniper Craig Paterson was shot in the head.

She threw herself into the firing line as she crashed down on Craig, protecting him from being hit again.

Craig, 27, from Inverurie, Aberdeenshire, has since made a remarkable recovery.

Now Michelle, 43, who was known as “mother” by 4th Scots soldiers, has opened a wonderful new chapter in her life by giving birth to a beautiful little girl, Ellena Rae.

Michelle was overjoyed to become a mum – although going into labour early meant she missed Craig’s wedding.

Speaking from her home in Andover, Hampshire, Michelle said: “I have experienced some wonderful times in my life but becoming a mum tops them all.

“My partner Chris and I have been truly blessed.

“Ellena is an adorable baby and we couldn’t be happier.”

Making her dream of motherhood come true was far from easy.

The National Ambulance Resilience Unit instructor had been told that she would not become pregnant without the help of fertility treatment.

Baby Ellena was her last chance of conceiving.

Michelle explained: “Doctors managed to harvest eight eggs from my ovaries and fertilised
them.

“Seven did not make but the last one did and grew into a beautiful baby girl.

“Seeing her on a scan shortly after the egg was implanted into my body was wonderful. She
looked like a dot on the screen, and I called her Dotty, but grew to a healthy 6lb 11oz,
even though she arrived 10 days early.”

A tricky labour resulted in Ellena being delivered by Caesarean section.

Michelle described holding her daughter for the first time as “a moment of absolute joy”. “I never knew it was possible to feel so happy,” she added.

“After all the worry about whether we would be able to have a baby, here was my beautiful little
girl smiling up at me.”

The surprise early delivery put paid to Michelle and Chris’s plans to attend Craig and teenage sweetheart Louise Dalgarno’s big day.

Michelle said: “We were so looking forward to seeing them wed but Ellena had other plans. She was born six days earlier on July 9, so we had to wish them all the best from 550 miles away.”

Modest Michelle played down her lifesaving intervention.

“Saving Craig was just part of my job as a medic.

“I thought he was dead at first and thought, ‘How am I going to tell the boys?’

“Then I remember thinking, ‘I’m not going to have this’. I couldn’t hear anything, my focus was on him. I got the boys to get him down off the roof and I patched him up.”

Four years on, Craig has made a remarkable recovery, with Louise by his side every step of the way.

Michelle’s heroism earned her a mention in dispatches and the Queen’s Volunteer Reserves Medal.

She was also praised by Prince Harry at the Military Awards Gala.

Saving lives in the Royal Navy runs in Michelle’s family.

Her grandad Reginald Watson, 93, served on a gun boat during the Second World War and rescued stranded British troops from Arromanches in 1940.

“I call him ‘Admiral’ and he will always be that in my eyes.” she said.

Last night, Craig said: “It’s great news that Michelle has become a mum. She will be a brilliant one.

“She saved my life by risking her own – a true hero.”