“I’d read about other people’s miracles, and now I’ve got mine,” says Laura Worsley. After 13 ᴍɪsᴄᴀʀʀɪᴀɢᴇs, Laura Worsley’s daughter Ivy is a personal miracle baby for her and her husband Dave.
Nine months ago, the couple, from Kenilworth, England, welcomed their first child after a hard and ᴛʀᴀᴜᴍᴀᴛɪᴄ road to parenthood. Laura, 35, had her first miscarriage in 2008. Three more ᴍɪsᴄᴀʀʀɪᴀɢᴇs soon followed, so Laura and Dave went looking for answers.
Laura was diagnosed with Antiphospholipid sʏɴᴅʀᴏᴍᴇ after going to Uɴɪᴠᴇʀsɪᴛʏ Hᴏsᴘɪᴛᴀʟ of Cᴏᴠᴇɴᴛʀʏ and Wᴀʀᴡɪᴄᴋsʜɪʀᴇ’s Bɪᴏᴍᴇᴅɪᴄᴀʟ Rᴇsᴇᴀʀᴄʜ Uɴɪᴛ. The sʏɴᴅʀᴏᴍᴇ results in ʀᴇᴄᴜʀʀɪɴɢ pregnancy ʟᴏss.
“We were told a high dose of Fᴏʟɪᴄ ᴀᴄɪᴅ might sort it, but it didn’t. We took part in trials, did all the ᴛᴇsᴛs and ᴛʀɪᴇᴅ different ᴍᴇᴅɪᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴs, hoping something would work. It was all I ʟɪᴠᴇᴅ Fᴏʀ – I ʟᴏsᴛ ʏᴇᴀʀs ᴏF ᴍʏ ʟɪFᴇ. I just thought, if I can’t have a baby I don’t see a point in my life,” she added
After undergoing further testing, doctors found that Laura’s ᴘʟᴀᴄᴇɴᴛᴀ ʜᴀᴅ Cʜʀᴏɴɪᴄ Hɪsᴛɪᴏᴄʏᴛɪᴄ Iɴᴛᴇʀᴠɪʟʟᴏsɪᴛɪs, ᴡʜɪᴄʜ ᴄᴀᴜsᴇs ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴏᴅʏ ᴛᴏ Fɪɢʜᴛ pregnancy. Despite the obstacles, Laura and Dave decided to try one more time, with help from Professor Siobhan Quenby, who had helped women with this sʏɴᴅʀᴏᴍᴇ successfully get pregnant.
“I thought if there’s that one bit of hope, I had to try again, I spoke to Dave about it and he felt the same. I told myself, ‘this is the last time I’m doing this.” Laura said
On their 14th try, the couple conceived with help from ᴍᴇᴅɪᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ᴛᴏ ɪᴍᴘʀᴏᴠᴇ Lᴀᴜʀᴀ’s ᴡᴏᴍʙ ʟɪɴɪɴɢ, as well as sᴛᴇʀᴏɪᴅs, which Professor Quenby said were used to suppress Laura’s ɪᴍᴍᴜɴᴇ sʏsᴛᴇᴍ to allow the pregnancy to progress ʙᴇʏᴏɴᴅ 24 weeks when babies have a chance of sᴜʀᴠɪᴠɪɴɢ if they are born ᴘʀᴇᴍᴀᴛᴜʀᴇʟʏ.
Laura gave birth at 30 weeks, and her miracle baby, Ivy, was delivered via ᴄ-sᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴ weighing just 1.7 lbs. The couple had to wait three days before they could hold their daughter and were warned by doctors she could develop sepsis.
“I just thought, she’s a Fɪɢʜᴛᴇʀ. She just kept going forward all the time, she never went back,” Laura said.
After an 11-week hospital stay, Ivy was released and has been in great health since, being taken extreme care of by her loving and grateful parents.
“Even now, nine months on, I can’t believe she’s actually mine, It’s so important to be able to make a difference for anyone else going through what I went through, Through my story I want to give others the hope and strength to carry on even when things seem impossible. I look at her and think ‘miracles do happen, I’d read about other people’s miracles, and now I’ve got mi” said Laura. “
