Miracle baby born after 18 miscarriages

A woman has given birth to a healthy baby girl after having suffered 18 miscarriages.

Angie Baker, 33, had been trying for baby for 13 years, but suffered repeated miscarriages in the early stages of pregnancy.

But Ms Baker refused to give up: "I just knew that I was meant to be a mother. Every time I miscarried I felt more determined. I never felt like giving up.

"Even though doctors couldn't tell my why it was happening, I felt sure there was a cure. I just knew I had to persevere."

However, her best friend's mother had read about pioneering work on multiple miscarriages being carried out at Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust led by Dr Hassan Shehata. Ms Baker was referred for treatment in 2006.

Dr Shehata had been working with an immunologist at the Trust, Dr Amolak Bansal, to find out why some women's bodies reject their pregnancies.

They found that with some women, a subset of immune system cells, called Natural Killer cells, acted abnormally and attacked the foetus, causing miscarriage. Around 15% of multiple miscarriages are thought to be due to this.

Dr Shehata said: "We knew how to test the function of the natural killer tests to see how aggressive they were and we knew how to treat it.

"By giving suitable women steroids, we can lower the number of Natural Killer cells and increase their chances of having a baby."

Speaking about Angie's experience, Dr Shehata commented: "The odds of having so many miscarriages are minuscule, but she (Angie) was so determined to carry on. I am so happy that she has got her dream - a healthy daughter."

The treatment resulted in the birth of baby Raiya on 9 December last year, weighing a healthy 7lb.

Ms Baker said: "I can't explain how I feel. I have to pinch myself sometimes because I just can't believe it's happened - she's perfect in every way. Being a mum is everything I thought it would be, and I'm just so happy that Dr Shehata could help me. I cannot thank him enough."

This article was published on Fri 19 February 2010