A young mum has told how a phantom pregnancy almost destroyed her dream of having a second child. Pretty Tracie Shannon was desperate to have another baby with her husband James, 25, but was devastated to learn the "bump" growing inside her was actually a kind of tumour. Having already endured two miscarriages in her quest to provide her first son Taylor, three, with a sibling to complete their little family, Tracie was overjoyed to learn she was pregnant again. But despite experiencing all the usual signs of pregnancy, from a swollen tummy to morning sickness, her hopes were crushed when she went for a scan at 11 weeks. Tracie, 26, from Cirencester, Gloucs, had been eager to see the first scan of her unborn child, but instead a "snowstorm" appeared on the ultrasound monitor
A doting seal smiles at her sweet little pup as she tickles its tummy on the beach .
POWERFUL bolts of lightning illuminate the night sky in an incredible autumn storm over the Sardinian coastline .
These adorable pictures show the moment two cuddly red panda cubs take their first look at the outside world and are weighed for the very first time .
Southern England, the south-west and west Wales have been warned to expect more wild weather, with heavy rain and high tides possibly leading to coastal flooding and travel disruption over the weekend .
Splashing around in the water, a mother otter and her son are tangled in a family feud .
Pic By Graham Gibson/ HotSpot Media - SHARK HYPNOTIST BALANCES SHARK IN PALM OF HIS HAND- In Pic - Diver Tom and Caribbean reef sharks in the Bahamas- A SHARK hypnotist balances these predators in the palm of his hand by sending them to sleep with a gentle nose rub .
A 20st mum-of-four who was dangerously obese has lost half her body weight after her son drew her as a BLOB at school .
A group of shelter dogs showcase their loveable personalities in a series of passport-style photographs - in the hope of finding their forever homes .
VENTURING into the ocean with self-made spears and nets, the fishermen of Zanzibar put their lives on the line when they catch food for their families .
A man who conned tax officials out of £34 million and funded a lavish lifestyle of luxury hotels and restaurants has been jailed for one of the longest sentences in British criminal fraud history .
INTIMATELY showcasing personal artefacts from a family's life, this abandoned bungalow has been left to rot for almost a decade .