Premature baby 'helps' with marriage proposal

Nurses helped to organise the unusual proposal

The father of a premature baby surprised his partner by proposing to her with a little help from his two-day old son.

John Sellors' son Cobie was being cared for at King's Mill Hospital in Nottinghamshire when Mr Sellors came up with the idea.

He organised for a ring to be placed in Cobie's incubator and a sign asking "will you marry my daddy".

Cobie was welcomed into the world 10 weeks early

Sian Stafford, 26, said the gesture came as a shock but her answer was yes.

The couple, from Pinxton in Derbyshire, welcomed their son into the world 10 weeks early at the start of August.

Cobie was taken to the hospital's neonatal intensive care unit and weighed 3lb 9oz (1.36kg) at the time of the proposal.

The couple have been together for eight years

Mr Sellors said: "I'm not usually the romantic type, but I really wanted to do something to lift Sian's spirits and she'd been dropping hints for a while about wanting to get married.

"The nurses were great and really helped. They told me to take Sian for a coffee and they'd sort it out for when we got back.

"When we got back the message and ring were there and it was such a lovely moment, I can't thank them enough."

'Surreal moment'

Miss Stafford said: "I was so shocked. I really didn't expect it and I was really overwhelmed.

"When we got back on to the unit, the nurses told me that Cobie had been taken off his breathing machine, so I needed to go and look, as I'd be able to see his face more.

"I was concentrating so much on Cobie that I didn't even notice the note and ring at first.

"Then John said, 'look, I think Cobie wants to know something'. I read the note and it was such a surreal but happy moment."

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The couple, who have been together for eight years and already have a daughter, said they would start wedding planning at a later date.

They said Cobie was still in intensive care but was doing well and they hoped to bring him home in the coming weeks.

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