Natasha Harridge is anticipating a child along with her associate, Jordan Rodwell, however she’s adorning two nurseries as a substitute of 1.
One room might be for her baby, who’s due in February 2023, whereas the opposite might be for the gathering of ‘reborn’ dolls she’s been constructing since she was a teen.
The dolls have been an incredible supply of consolation for her after she misplaced six pregnancies in 4 years, and she or he refers to herself as their mom.
Natasha, 23, mentioned: ‘Even when I've my very own child, the reborns will all the time be part of my life.
‘However once I misplaced my infants, it meant a lot to me to have the ability to sit and cuddle them.
‘I'm absolutely conscious that they aren't actual, however there's an emotional bond there and I do name myself their mum and love them.’
Natasha’s adorning the second nursery with Jordan’s, 26, approval, with the one for his or her baby painted yellow and the one for the dolls painted sage inexperienced.
She is already wanting ahead to introducing her actual child to the gathering, with every doll costing round £500.
She mentioned: ‘I received’t have as a lot time to spend with the reborns as a result of, clearly, my actual child might be my precedence. However I might love to have the ability to introduce them to one another.
‘As soon as the newborn will get a bit older, in the event that they present an curiosity within the dolls, I might like to get them their very own reborn doll known as a “playborn.” They're made particularly for youngsters and price round £100 to £200.
‘I prefer to think about, as soon as we have now expanded our household much more, watching our son or daughter at Christmas opening their first reborn doll and seeing their expression.’
Natasha, a carer, first met milkman Jordan, on a relationship app in 2021, and a month into their relationship, she launched him to reborn doll Scarlet.
She was ecstatic to search out he ‘fell in love along with her’.
She mentioned: ‘He calls Scarlet his “Daddy’s lady” now and loves her sitting on the couch with him and interacting along with her.
‘He’ll say, “Look, she’s watching us watch TV” or “She’s watching me play my sport.”
‘It’s actually candy.’
Jordan can be wanting ahead to the beginning of his baby, and to introducing the newborn to the reborns.
He mentioned: ‘Earlier than I really noticed the reborns, I wasn’t that fascinated with them as a result of I initially thought they have been bizarre.
‘However in the future Tasha had Scarlet downstairs once I came visiting, after we had simply beginning relationship, and a couple of week or so later, I assumed she was fairly cute. Ever since then, I've proven extra curiosity in them.
‘I do want the toddlers. The infants are okay, however I discover them very small and don’t actually do something with them.’
Jordan continued: ‘Will probably be a giant change to have an actual child, however I've grown up round youngsters, so I've numerous expertise with infants.
‘And I'm excited for after they change into somewhat bit older and I can present them new adventures.’
Jordan even steered the pair purchase one other reborn toddler collectively to maintain Scarlet firm, which they known as Sammie.
Natasha mentioned: ‘Jordan purchased Sammie for £500 at Christmas, in order that Scarlet may have a brother, which is admittedly pretty.
‘They keep within the nursery together with my new child reborns, Meadow and Rue.’
Natasha, who was adopted when she was three, was given her first reborn doll, which price £70, for her fifteenth birthday by her mother and father.
She mentioned: ‘I discovered a video on YouTube simply after Christmas of somebody unboxing their reborn doll.
‘At first, I used to be actually confused, as a result of it seemed like an actual child, after which I realised it was painted. I actually wished one.
‘My first child was Hannah, who had brown hair, closed eyes and open palms, so you can see her little toes and fingers.
‘At any time when I had a nasty day in school, I may come dwelling to Hannah and it calmed me down to carry her and alter her nappy and comb her hair.’
From then on, for each Christmas and Birthday, Natasha requested for one more reborn doll.
Her assortment took on an entire new which means for her in 2016 after two of Natasha’s relations miscarried.
She mentioned: ‘I used to be so excited to fulfill their infants.
‘Once I came upon that they had misplaced them, I used to be truthfully devastated. I couldn’t cease crying.
‘It broke my coronary heart that I might by no means get to fulfill or know the infants.
‘I simply keep in mind hugging Hannah, my reborn, so tightly.’
Natasha began making movies with the dolls for her YouTube channel, which she started in 2015.
‘I began off with unboxing movies and excursions of the dolls in my room,’ she mentioned. ‘Then I had requests for role-play movies, so I might fake to place them within the bathtub and maintain their heads, or put them in matching outfits and movie myself placing them of their buggy and taking them to the park.’
Natasha continued: ‘Individuals would all the time suppose they have been actual and ask how outdated they have been.
‘If I used to be in a superb temper, I might clarify they have been dolls and why I had them, in any other case, I’d simply associate with it and say they have been nevertheless many months outdated.
‘I like to look down the newborn aisle once I’m out purchasing and infrequently purchase just a few bits or child garments for them, too.’
When, at 19, Natasha began working at her native council, she was capable of purchase extra dolls.
Her assortment was 13-strong by 2018, and price roughly £5,000, with the most expensive of the bunch being the blonde-haired ‘chunky’ Everley, which price £1,000.
She mentioned: ‘Most weekends, I might get up, change them and take them for walks in a pram or sit and fake to learn them tales or feed them.
‘I took my Aubrielle, who had painted hair and completely attractive darkish blue eyes, away with my household to Dorset in 2017.
‘It was so good to have that vacation time one-on-one time to bond along with her.
‘I took her out round city just a few instances to have a look at the retailers and right down to the seashore sometimes.’
Natasha’s boyfriends over time have accepted her bond along with her assortment, with Natasha recalling: ‘I informed my first boyfriend at 16 immediately that I had reborns, and it didn’t trouble him.
‘[I even took one in all my toddler reborn dolls, Lucas, on a date with me to Birmingham, as a result of I needed to journey on the prepare, which I hate.
‘My date thought he was fairly cute!’
Whereas her bond along with her assortment – which now quantities to 4 in whole as she offered some after she stopped interacting with them – was robust earlier than, Natasha actually got here to depend on them for consolation after she suffered her miscarriages.
She mentioned: ‘It was devastating.
‘The reborns won't ever exchange my losses, however they did give me consolation.
‘It actually helped to have a cuddle with them and maintain them.’
Natasha endured two miscarriages with Jordan final yr, and earlier than assembly Jordan, in November 2020, she had an ectopic being pregnant in her fallopian tube which resulted in termination.
She additionally has three earlier miscarriages between January 2019 and April 2020.
Natasha is a daily customer to reborn doll reveals up and down the nation, and is already excited in regards to the subsequent present within the calendar in October, in Peterborough.
‘I’ve been going for 9 years and once I go subsequent yr, I might be taking my actual child, too,’ she mentioned.
‘I'll really feel like I’ve come full circle.’
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