As a Paralympic equestrian champion, it was a big moment when Natasha Baker introduced her newborn son to her beloved horse Lottie. And as these precious first family photos show, the meeting went very well indeed, with Lottie affectionately nudging her silky nose against the tiny legs of the newest addition to the family, whose name, HELLO! can reveal, is Joshua Fio Jaconelli.
"Lottie absolutely loves him," says Natasha, 33, joining husband Marc Jaconelli, 31, at her parent’s livery yard in West London to proudly introduce their first child to us. "She is the gentlest horse in the world and she literally went up to his head and snuggled into his hair. Itwas so sweet.”The new parents have been riding high since Joshua was born on 25 April, weighing 8lb 6oz. Out of everything I’ve ever done, Joshua is definitely my biggest achievement,” says Natasha, who has won six Paralympic golds: two at London 2012, three at Rio 2016 and one at Tokyo 2020. "Natasha’s been incredible. She’s taken to it like a second nature," adds Marc.
WEDDING PHOTOS: Natasha Baker and husband Marc Jaconelli share their stunning pictures from big day
Natasha can’t wait to get back in the saddle. She hopes to be back riding in early July, when she will begin her bid for the Paris 2024 Paralympics.“To have Joshua in the crowd, if I’m lucky enough to get selected, would be amazing,” she says. However, becoming a mother has shifted her view on winning. “Before, your career is everything to you. Now, Joshua and Marc are my life and my identity. Being a good mum is my priority.”
Because of Natasha’s disability – she contracted transverse myelitis, a rare inflammatory disease, as a baby, which left her able to walk only short distances with sticks and needing a mobility scooter or wheelchair to get around – Joshua was born via Caesarean section under a general anaesthetic. “They put me to sleep at 12.05, Joshua was born at 12.11 and he was with Marc at 12.17 andI was out of theatre and woken up by 12.48! The team were amazing and they videoed the birth, which was so nice because Marc wasn’t allowed in once I had the general anaesthetic, so we both missed it,” explains Natasha.
Natasha and Marc are full of praise for Queen Charlotte’s Chelsea Hospital in London. “Queen Charlotte's were beyond phenomenal; every doctor, every midwife went above and beyond to look after us,” says Natasha, while Marc adds: “You have to be a special person to do what they do, and they really, really were.”
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Being a disabled parent has brought new challenges, says Natasha: “The world isn’t set up for us naturally anyway, but I’ve now seen the lack of accessibility for disabled parents. We were hoping there would be something out there to enable us to attach my wheelchair on to the Stokke buggy so I could push, but there’s nothing. Marc’s brother is into design and engineering, so we’re trying to come up with something ourselves. It’s not been an easy thingto overcome.” Joshua may only be four weeks old, but Natasha is looking ahead to expanding their family, telling us: “I want to do it all over again already,” to which Marc looks a little alarmed. "Nooo! We’re only doing it once,” he says, turning to her and laughing. “I’d say ‘hold your horses’ if it wasn’t such an obvious pun.” “That’s the only thing we’re disagreeing on,” says Natasha with a smile. “I’ll change his mind!”
PHOTOS: LIZ McAULAY
STYLING: ALEXANDRIA REID AT FRANK AGENCY
HAIR AND MAKE-UP: ALICE THEOBALD AT ARLINGTON ARTISTS USING ACTIVESILVER, BENEFIT COSMETICS, EYLURE &; L’ANZA
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