Family info for the Solomons: Stacey, Zachary and Leighton

Stacey announced she's expecting baby number 3 in February 2019 a with cute scan pic below - more news as it happens...

Stacey's 1st pregnancy

In 2008, before she found fame on The X Factor, Stacey and then-boyfriend Dean Cox found out they were expecting their 1st child together.

Stacey was 17 at the time and Dean was 19 - something she admits caused her to struggle with the news in an interview with the MailOnline, and in her book Stacey: My Story So Far.

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She was shocked to learn of the pregnancy - it wasn't planned - and that it was especially unexpected because she had not had unprotected sex. She also continued to have periods throughout her pregnancy, too.

After taking a test, Stacey revealed that she'd considered terminating her pregnancy... but by the time she'd had the news confirmed with her GP and had a scan, the baby was 18 weeks old and well-formed.

Though her family were delighted, Stacey felt distraught - she had to leave her performing arts course at college due to the amount of dancing required.

‘I spent days sitting in a fog of blankness," she told the Mail. "I cut myself off from people. I didn’t want to speak to anyone and I definitely didn’t want to tell people I was having a baby."

Needless to say, Stacey didn't have the happiest of pregnancies ?

Zachary Solomon

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On 21 March 2008, Stacey gave birth to a healthy baby boy, who she named Zachary. (Pictured left, in 2017.)

However, she was 9 days overdue and contractions were induced. She also had to stay in hospital for some time, due to tearing.

Immediately, Stacey was completely overwhelmed by new motherhood, struggled to breastfeed (despite wanting to try bottle-feeding instead) and began to show signs she was suffering from postnatal depression (PND).

"Because of the difficult labour I had to stay in hospital, and my family had to leave eventually. I was alone apart from the baby lying next to me. The more I cried, the more Zach screamed, and that really distressed me," she confessed.

"After 3 days I was allowed home. He wouldn’t feed – actually I had no idea how to feed him as no one had shown me at the hospital. Mum helped to get him attached but he would cry."

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"I couldn’t express my milk well so I had him constantly at my breast. I felt like a human cow and I hated it.

"His needs seemed never-ending and I became more exhausted. No one else could get up in the night and feed him, it had to be me.

"You can’t take a break when you are breastfeeding, it’s you that has to be there.

"Mum helped, but I felt so terribly sad all the time. Dean came to see us but we gradually drifted apart. Frankly, a boyfriend was the last thing on my mind."

"My life blurred into one long unhappy day. My thoughts and feelings didn’t seem to be part of me – they were somewhere else in the distance."

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Fortunately, around 3 months after giving birth, Stacey came back from a week-long holiday with her girlfriends (her mum took care of the baby) feeling well-rested, refreshed and much more like herself.

She also looked at Zach upon her return to the UK and felt a rush of love - a real bond, which she hadn't felt previously.

"He looked at me and smiled. It melted my heart. I imagine it’s what mothers usually feel when their baby is first handed to them. I just had it a few months late."

Stacey's journey as a mum hasn't always been easy... but she's grown in the role, and now says becoming a mum is the best thing that ever happened to her ?

Stacey's 2nd pregnancy

In 2011, post-X Factor fame, Stacey found out she was expecting her 2nd child - this time with boyfriend of 3 years Aaron Barham.

She was 22 at the time, and he was 24.

Stacey was nervous to tell Aaron about the pregnancy, and though it was a surprise, the couple said they were really delighted to be expanding the family. (Years later, speaking with hindsight, Stacey hinted the pregnancy might've been an attempt to 'salvage' her relationship.)

There were a few pre-pregnancy things Stacey missed. She told New! magazine she was keen to eat things you're not recommended to during pregnancy.

At 7 months pregnant, Stacey appeared on CBeebies. Again at 7 months, she was also criticised for smoking a cigarette, bump in tow. The pics caused a huge controversy, with Stacey saying:

“I am really ashamed and embarrassed that I have been smoking during pregnancy. It’s something that I am deeply upset about and not proud of in any way.”

Leighton Barham

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On 5 May 2012, Stacey gave birth to a baby boy, who she named Leighton. Fortunately, she didn't experience PND the 2nd time round - and found the whole new mum experience rather lovely.

“Leighton is such a good baby. He’s very alert but he’s also calm and happy to sit there and watch what’s going on,” Stacey told fans 3 weeks after the birth.

“Labour was surprisingly wonderful. I had a really hard time with Zach, so compared to that, this was a dream.

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"It was 2-and-a-half hours. I got to Queen’s hospital in Romford at 10am on 5 May. Leighton was born at 12.30pm, weighing 7lb 7oz. Perfect."

Stacey also revealed that she'd chosen the Concord Neo buggy for baby Leighton.

In April 2014, Stacey and Leighton's dad Aaron called off their engagement and decided to go their separate ways.

In 2017 aged 5, it would seem Leighton's grown up to be quite the social media star! The little one is always keen to get in on Instagram selfies with mum - more so than his older brother, anyway ?

2018 in the Solomon household

As of January 2018, things are looking rosy in the Solomon household.

Brothers Zachary and Leighton seem to get on a dream, and Stacey's happy in a new relationship with fellow I'm A Celeb star Joe Swash. He seems to get on great with the boys, too!