Success after Eighteen Miscarriages

A woman from Brighton has had her wish come true after being on an emotional rollercoaster for over a decade and having suffered eighteen miscarriages, she finally had the child she longed for!

Thirty three year old Angie Baker from Peacehaven in Brighton was overjoyed at the arrival of her baby daughter in December 2009.  Raiya Gibson was born in Epsom at the General Hospital and weighed in at a healthy seven pounds.

From when the couple were in their very early twenties, Angie and her partner Lee began trying for a baby but after over thirteen years they were still unsuccessful.  Every time Angie got pregnant she lost the baby between the fifth and eighth week of pregnancy but she was assured by doctors that there was no medical reason behind the miscarriages and that it was just something that happened.  Angie was not convinced; she believed that there had to be a medical reason why she was unable to take her pregnancies to fruition. 

Angie stated that every time she fell pregnant she hoped it would be the one that worked and was desperate to have a child.  The couple even discussed adopting a child until one day Angie was given an article from a newspaper by the mother of her best friend.  The article was about work being carried out at Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust by Doctor Hassan Shehata, a specialist for women who suffer with recurrent or multiple miscarriages.

After contacting Dr Shehata in 2006 and being referred, Angie’s treatment showed that she was suffering from something called Natural Killer cells whereby her body was effectively destroying the foetus.  Angie was given a course of steroids but when she did fall pregnant, she unfortunately lost the baby as she was found to be diabetic and the steroids increased her sugar levels.  Her next treatment was adjusted to compensate for her insulin levels and when she next fell pregnant it was a complete success.

Angie has reported that Raiya is a very easy going baby and that her daddy Lee, a kickboxing and karate instructor, dotes on his daughter.

Natural Killer (NK) Cells

Involving the immune system, these white blood cells effectively ‘kill off’ unknown cells or viruses within the body.  Around fifteen percent of the female population are thought to be affected by Natural Killer Cells.

Baby Raiya’s birth was definitely a miracle to her parents and they feel blessed to finally have their baby in their arms.