THERE have been celebrations at Jersey Tourism, where three members of staff have all fallen pregnant within months of each other.

Just a few months after Shannon Hunter (38) brought in her ultrasound picture to work earlier this year and announced that she was having a baby, Sarah Thorogood (30) revealed her big news, shortly followed by Sarah-Jane Jones (31).

Marketing executive Miss Hunter gave birth to Elvi on 7 May and commercial development manager Mrs Thorogood had Elizabeth on 2 July. Development executive Mrs Jones is expecting her baby on 10 October.
The women, who work in a 20-strong department, have been comparing bumps, talking about names and discussing cravings all summer.

‘We have all been at work together with our bumps,’ said Mrs Jones. ‘Three is a big percentage – there must be something in the water. I can’t wait to see whether mine is a he or a she.’

The three women did the ‘ring’ test, in which a wedding ring is tied to a piece of string and dangled over a woman’s pregnant belly to find out the sex of the baby. If the ring swings around in a circle, it is supposedly a girl and if it rocks back and forth it is a boy.

So far the ring test has been accurate, as both Miss Hunter and Mrs Thorogood were predicted girls. Miss Jones has to wait a few weeks to see if the test is correct in her case and she has a boy.
The women even swapped tips for giving birth. Mrs Jones has been having hypnobirthing sessions after Mrs Thorogood recommended that she try it.

‘It’s self-relaxing,’ said Mrs Jones. ‘It challenges the way you look at birth so you feel less scared. Seeing Sarah and Shannon made me less nervous too. I know Sarah was nervous about the same things I was as a first-time mother.’

Elvi is Miss Hunter’s second child, so she has been a guru to the other women. ‘It was easier this time round, as I wasn’t worried about things the way I was the first time,’ she said. ‘It was nice to have the girls around on a daily basis to chat to about everything. When my back got sore, it was nice to have a wander and come and see them.’

Mrs Thorogood, who has left Tourism to become a full-time mother, enjoyed going through pregnancy with her two colleagues. ‘It really was lovely to have others going through it with you,’ she said. ‘We would compare cravings, bumps and buy food for each other. Women are keen to share their knowledge. Now everyone at Tourism are experts in baby issues.’

• Picture: Sarah-Jane Jones, who is due in October, Sarah Thorogood with daughter Elizabeth Beatrice and Shannon Hunter with Elvi Emmy. Picture by Jon Guegan (00582797)