The Real Housewives of Cheshire star Tanya Bardsley and her Stoke City footballer husband Phil introduced baby Ralphie to the world and opened up about his dramatic entrance to the world. Ralphi Brian John Allan Bardsley was born at 9.55am on 12 August 2016 weighing in at 6lb 4oz – and if definitely wasn't plain sailing for proud mum Tanya. "He definitely gave us a scare alright," she remarked. "The moment he was born I held him and although he seemed to be breathing, he wasn't responding or making any noise. He was blue. I started crying out, 'What's happening, is he still alive, is he alive?' I was panicking. I kept saying,'Phil, talk to him. Make him cry.'"
Tanya and Phil Bardsley introduce their adorable baby boy
Tanya explained: "The next thing we knew, all these people rushed into the room with oxygen equipment and he was put into an incubator. It was probably only 15 minutes but it felt like the longest 15 minutes of my life." Eventually, Ralphi opened his eyes and started crying. "They handed him to me to hold skin to skin and I cried with relief," says Tanya. Later, Phil took off his shirt and joined in the bonding experience with his third son.
All had gone according to plan in The run-up to the birth. Tanya had arrived at Manchester's Saint Mary’s Hospital the afternoon before the baby was due to be induced. "We decided it was the best thing to do because I have three children, Phil has his football matches and my mum lives two hours away. I don't have a nanny and I didn’t want the children to be scared if I went into labour. So it made sense to be at the hospital at a set time."
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The reality star was due to begin filming the day before she gave birth, meaning the other Real Housewives had been on hand to offer support. A few weeks earlier, Leanne, wife of Sunderland footballer Wes Brown, had organised a baby shower for Tanya at a nearby venue, The Oak Tree of Peover, all captured by the TV cameras for the forthcoming series. It was a jungle theme based on I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!, but re-titled I'm BabyBardo... Get Me Out of Here!.
READ: Tanya Bardsley shows off her bare baby bump as due date nears
After all of the drama surrounding Ralphi's birth, it's unsurprising that Tanya is insistent he will be their last baby. She adds: "That's it now – we're done."
