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Mother's joy over baby born after 18 miscarriages
Sophie Goodchild and Miranda Bryant18 Feb 2010
A woman who had 18 miscarriages told of her joy today after giving birth to a “little miracle” following pioneering hospital treatment.
Angie Baker, 33, is now the proud mother of daughter Raiya after unsuccessfully trying for a baby for 13 years.
“She's perfect in every way,” said Ms Baker, from Peacehaven near Brighton, who was helped by Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals Trust.
“Raiya's my little miracle. I'm overwhelmed. It seems like a dream and I still have to pinch myself.”
Ms Baker's miscarriages took place one after another, at between five and eight weeks after conception, from the age of 20.
She said: “Emotionally it was a roller-
coaster. Every time I got pregnant I was hoping this was the one and it wasn't going to end in a miscarriage.
“I never gave up. I was desperate for a baby so I persevered.”
She said she was encouraged by the fact that she became pregnant so easily.
She added: “Deep down I always thought it would be a little problem that could be cured.”
After considering the possibility of adoption she found out about Dr Hassan Shehata, who specialises in recurrent miscarriages. She contacted him for help in 2006 and was referred for treatment.
Dr Shehata said: “It's the most unusual case I've come across. This is a huge number of miscarriages and you're more likely to win the lottery than have this many through bad luck. So there must be an underlying cause.”
A specialist test, only available at three hospitals in the world, showed that Ms Baker was suffering from high levels of Natural Killer cells — a sub-type of white blood cells — thought to affect about 15 per cent of women.
Rather than protecting the pregnancy, the NK cells mistook the foetus for a foreign body and attacked it.
Now, after Dr Shehata's steroid treatment — which starts before conception — Ms Baker and her partner Lee Gibson have a healthy 10-week-old girl, who weighed 7lb when she was born.
Ms Baker said: “I absolutely love her. She's so precious. I can't believe she's here and she's mine.”
One in four pregnancies in the UK ends in miscarriage, premature birth or stillbirth but baby charity Tommy's said at-risk women have a statistically better chance of a successful pregnancy if they are monitored.
Reader views (12)
The pain and grief of losing a child is unimaginable. I myself have lost 3 babies in the last year. Jon, imagine if you would, the joy of finding out that you are going to have a child, planning and dreaming the life of your child from the very minute you find out. Both parents dare to start dreaming from the minute you get that precious 2nd line on a pregnancy test. Imagine all your dreams and plans being completely crushed by the incredibly traumatic experience of miscarriage. Unless you have been through it you can't possibly even start to understand. After the loss desperation engulfs you and all you can think about is being pregnant again. It is not an obsession, every woman has the right carry a child through a healthy and happy pregnancy. The NHS pays for people to go through drug rehabilitation and helps people stop smoking which costs the taxpayer millions a year. Why shouldn't a woman be entitled to a test that costs £200? And why shoudln't she try for number 2? The treatment only costs £20, they don't have to test again as they have already done that. Your words are incredibly insensitve and distressing.
I think that Angie is an incredibly strong woman for having got through the last 13 years and I am thrilled for her that she now has her precious daughter. I wish her and her family all the best for the future.
- Jessica Shaw, Enfield, 20/02/2010 10:14
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where in the article does it say the NHS paid a penny? even if it did, is its purpose only to treat life saving illnesses? if so Jon I hope you don't get rushed into A&E with a broken leg.
- Rbn, London, 19/02/2010 12:00
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Great news. Sometimes the answer is out there, a simple and cheap answer, but it seems to take forever to find it. That's one side of the NHS for you.
- Bloke, Lambeth, 19/02/2010 09:26
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Such determination to drag a poor kid up in this rotten world.
- Eddie, London, 19/02/2010 08:50
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Congratulations Angie and Lee. With best wishes to you and your beautiful baby, Raiya.
- Helen, Epsom, UK, 18/02/2010 20:08
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overjoyed for you !!!!!
- Frances Travers, richmond, 18/02/2010 17:39
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Jon, what big expense? Sounds like all her pregnancies were natural, not assisted (ie IVF),so no bill to the taxpayer. Steroid treatment for NK cells is nothing new .. in fact this article is wildly inaccurate. It's standard treatment now for lots of women who have suffered recurrent miscarriage to be tested for NKC and the steroid tablets cost hardly anything. To say that only 3 hospitals offer the test is also totally untrue - loads of places offer the test, you just have to insist or go private, as not all doctors either know or believe in the NKC theory. Dr. Shehata is well known amongst women who have mc problems for his work with NKC and immune systems.
- Ori, London, 18/02/2010 17:35
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This is specialist treatment & seem very costly for taxpayers if only 3 world hospitals can provide it! Sometimes we just have to live with what nature intended....
- Jack, London, 18/02/2010 17:16
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Wow poor Jon seems to have suffered a catastrophic humanity bypass. Hope he doesn't waste NHS money getting it fixed.
Congratulations to Angie and her family. Now you can have some peace at last and love your baby.
- Judith, Arundel, 18/02/2010 13:28
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Sounds like a big expense to the taxpayer for what appears to be an obsession. Trying for number 2?
- Jon, london, 18/02/2010 13:05
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What a fabulous woman. I have gone through 2 miscarriages and found them both traumatic. To have had that faith and hope so strong after 18, is unbelievable. I'm so happy for you at finally having a child. I wish you, your family and beautiful daughter good health and happiness.
- Nicky, London, 18/02/2010 12:48
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Congratulations to her. I hope her and her partner enjoy their daughter immensely.
- S-M Hearmon, London, UK, 18/02/2010 12:45
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