Every day I count my blessings; BABY LIFELINE 21 YEARS ON.

Byline: KRYSIA DIVER 

WHEN Judy Ledger was told she could never have children, after losing three premature babies, her heart sank. But instead of wallowing in self- pity, she decided to channel her energy into setting up a charity for newly born babies and expectant mothers.

And little did she realise that a few years later, her own children would be in need of life-saving incubators purchased with Baby Lifeline cash.

Today, Judy lives in Kenilworth with her husband Tim and three children Richard, 19, James, 15, and Sara, 12.

Every morning, she counts her blessings to have the family which 20 years ago was a distant dream.

"Losing three children was tragic," she recalls, "I had black days when I could have locked myself away.

"The nurses at Walsgrave gave me so much support that I didn't want to just buy them chocolates to say thank you.

"I knew they needed an incubator for their neo natology unit so I organised all sorts of charity events. I even organised a party on a barge, but I forgot to bring the raffle tickets so we ended up using toilet roll."

A year after setting up Baby Lifeline in 1981 - and contrary to strict warnings from her doctors - Judy fell pregnant and was under close medical observation for five months.

"I became so hospitalised," she recalls, "that I ended up talking to the plants."

But apart from striking up conversation with her Venus fly trap, Judy organised several fundraising events from the confines of her hospital ward and managed to raise pounds 30,000 for Baby Lifeline.

And after months weeks of hormone replacement injections and round-the- clock treatment from medical staff at Walsgrave, Judy gave birth to a healthy baby.

"Holding a beautiful, cute little baby that belonged to me felt too good to be true. The whole ward was jubilant and the Lord Mayor even sent me flowers," she said.

Five years later, Judy fell pregnant again with James.

But James was born almost five weeks early and had to be whisked into an incubator and treated for jaundice. And four years after that, Judy gave birth to baby Sara, who couldn't breathe on her own and had to be tube-fed.

Judy said: "When I set up Baby Lifeline, it was to help pregnant mums and newly born babies. Not once did I think that my own babies would benefit from an incubator purchased through the charity," she said.

Judy has become so involved with Baby Lifeline that she is very aware of the fine line between life and death and she confesses to being "extra vigilant" with her children.

Sara, who has just passed entrance exams to Kings High School, in Warwick, said: "Every time I go out, mum asks me if I am warm enough, tells me not to talk to strangers and not to cross the road without an adult. But I guess all mums are like that."

Although Judy is a devoted mum, her children have come to accept that Baby Lifeline plays a huge part of her life and theirs too.

During Sara's school holidays she helps to man the phones in the Baby Lifeline office and all three children are often "dragged along" to charity functions.

But there are advantages of having a mum who organises celebrity charity events as her sons recently discovered.

Judy's eldest son Richard, aged 19, who studies marketing at Coventry University, said: "Mum is always pretty busy with Baby Lifeline, but it doesn't bother me because I it means I can meet people like the Sky Sports presenter Richard Keys at charity dos."

And reflecting on family situation Judy added: "I never thought I would be a mum, but I am so proud of how they are growing up. It is amazing, but in a strange way, I feel as if I have earned them for all the work I put into Baby Lifeline.

"It was worth all the pain, agony and heartache to have my wonderful family."

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CAMPAIGNER: Judy Ledger with her children (from left) Richard, James - pictured below in the incubator - and Sara. Picture: MARK RADFORD