Mother with kidney disease defies medical odds to become first in the world to g

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2679141/Mother-kidney-disease-defies-medical-odds-world-birth-twins-dialysis.html

Mother with kidney disease defies medical odds to become first in the world to give birth to twins while on dialysis
Sarah Pearce, 29 gave birth to Henley and Harper by emergency Caesarean section at Sheffield’s Jessop maternity wing
The tiny babies are being looked after until they reach 40 weeks
The twins were delivered 12 weeks early, weighing just 2lbs 1oz and 1lb 14oz
Ms Pearce was warned that she would never conceive because of the pressure regular dialysis had placed on her body
For the last 10 years she has had dialysis three times a week after being diagnosed with serious kidney disease
Women with kidney failure are often advised against becoming pregnant because of the high rate of complications for the mother and baby

A British woman has become the first in the world to give birth to twins while undergoing kidney dialysis.
Doctors warned Sarah Pearce it would be impossible for her get pregnant.
They feared the intense pressure the treatment had taken on the 29-year-old's body could render her unable to bear her own children.
But Ms Pearce has defied the medical odds stacked against her, giving birth to twins.

The new mother welcomed her son and daughter, Henley James Alex and Harper Faith Miracle, by emergency Caesarean section on June 1.
For the last decade, Ms Pearce has faced dialysis three times a week after being diagnosed with serious kidney disease.
The twins were delivered 12 weeks early at Sheffield’s Jessop maternity wing, Henley weighing 2lbs 1oz and Harper just 1lb 14oz.

They are both being cared for on the special care unit where they will remain until they have reached the full 40-week term.
The new mother said: 'A few years ago I was trying to get pregnant, but the doctors said
it was impossible, and wouldn't happen because of the damage the dialysis had
done to my body.
'But when I fell pregnant, they were gobsmacked. They couldn't believe it.
'They didn't think there was any way I would get to full term - they thought the longest the babies would survive was 20 weeks.'
‘I was shocked at first when I found out I was pregnant, but I’m so happy they are here and well. It’s unbelievable. It’s all I’ve ever wanted, to be a mum.'

She was diagnosed with incurable kidney scarring, which affects her organs’ ability to filter waste from the blood, when she was just six weeks old.
Feeling tired and lacking energy, Ms Pearce, from Rawmarch, Rotherham, was placed on the transplant list for a replacement kidney.
A match was found and she was given a transplant aged 12, but three-and-a-half years later, doctors discovered that her body was rejecting the organ.
‘The transplant meant I didn’t have to go on dialysis, but when my blood results came back and showed I was rejecting it I had to start it then,’ she said.
She used to have to travel to Nottingham for dialysis at a children’s unit, but then she started the treatment at Rotherham Hospital aged 21.
Ms Pearce usually needs the treatment three times a week, but during her pregnancy doctors put her on daily dialysis.
Women with kidney failure are often advised against becoming pregnant because of the high rate of complications for the mother and developing baby.
Many women on dialysis have anaemia - a low red blood cell count - and hormone changes.
Two years ago, Ms Pearce gave birth to a son, Karter, who was three months’ premature and weighed just over 1lb, but the tiny boy died after only four weeks.
Ms Pearce said she went into a deep depression after her loss.
And with the risk of a similar situation deemed high, doctors asked her if she wanted an abortion when she fell pregnant again.
But Ms Pearce was adamant, she would go through with the pregnancy.
‘I said no because I don’t believe in it, so they kept a close eye on me this time in case anything went wrong,’ she said.
A week before the Caesarean, a scan showed Henley was not getting enough blood flow to his umbilical cord.
She said: ‘I was scared it was happening again, but Harper helped a lot I believe - she helped Henley through it and told him to carry on because she is the stronger one.
‘At the Jessop’s they couldn’t believe it was a normal conception - they’d never seen anyone like me before.’
The twins have been moved from Sheffield to Rotherham Hospital, where their mother can easily visit them after her dialysis sessions.
Ms Pearce said: ‘Henley has been on a ventilator and Harper is fine, she just needs to put more weight on.
'I sit with them all day, every day, watching them get stronger every day.
'They're so perfect and they're getting healthier all the time.
'They have said they should be able to go home around their due date - August 28 - and I'm so excited to be a proper mummy to them.'
Ms Pearce has made medical history by giving birth to twins while on kidney dialysis.
She said: 'I've been told I am the first in the world to give birth to twins
while on dialysis.
'It just happened completely out of the blue, and I was over the moon. I was told I'd lost my fertility due to the dialysis and so I just resigned myself to believing it would never happen.'

Ms Pearce, who is unemployed due to a demanding dialysis routine, found out she was 12 weeks pregnant in January, after undergoing TWO routine operations under general anaesthetic.
'I went into hospital to have the operation in January and they took a routine blood test because I don't produce urine,' she said.
'I'd already had two operations and they didn't even know I was pregnant, so when I found out they had survived that, I knew they were meant to be here.'
After being carefully monitored throughout the pregnancy, Sarah had scans every fortnight and attended hospital appointments every month to ensure the babies were healthy.
Doctors booked Sarah in for a caesarean section at 32 weeks, but the babies decided they wanted to make an earlier appearance.
She said: 'I always knew they were not going to go to full term, firstly because they're twins and secondly because of my dialysis.
'I always talked to my bump and I told the babies to stay in there until 28 weeks.
'They listened to me because they stayed in there until the day after the 32 weeks when I went into labour.
'Although I was ready to push, I had an emergency caesarean section because they didn't want to take the risks.
'I was just relieved to learn they were healthy and be able to see my little boy and little girl in front of me.'
In future Ms Pearce could undergo another transplant, but she says it is a matter of waiting for a suitable match to be found.