Mother who had FIVE kidney transplants and lost two babies gives birth

Mother, 45, who had FIVE kidney transplants and lost two premature babies celebrates the start of 2019 with a healthy newborn son

• Jubilant Sophie Foale is so delighted she named him after her medical expert
• Sophie and husband Trevor, 46, have named their new arrival Andrew 
• Little Andrew was born on December 18 at 32 weeks, weighing in at 4 lb 1oz 

Jubilant Sophie Foale is so delighted she named him after her medical expert

A woman who had five kidney transplants and lost two premature babies is celebrating the start of 2019 – with a healthy newborn son.

Jubilant Sophie Foale, 45, is so delighted she has even named her son after the medical expert who made the birth possible.

Sophie and husband Trevor, 46, have named their new arrival Andrew, after Professor Andrew Shennan, who leads the pioneering specialist pre-term surveillance clinic at St Thomas’ Hospital in London.

Sophie, a public relations manager from Epsom, Surrey, said: ‘Christmas was one of the best ever. It’s been such a hard road to having a family.’

Little Andrew was born on December 18 at 32 weeks, weighing in at 4 lb 1oz.

The birth marked the final chapter in what has been a turbulent ten years of various medical treatments for Sophie. Her body rejected four donor kidneys before finally accepting one from her sister. And after the success of the transplant, Sophie began trying for a family in her mid-30s.

Tragically, she lost a daughter to premature birth at 20 weeks in 2008 and then five years later lost a son, Nathan, born at 25 weeks. He survived for just three days.

Sophie and husband Trevor (left), 46, have named their new arrival Andrew

She was then referred to the team headed by Prof Shennan at St Thomas’. He enabled Sophie to have her first baby, John, born at 31 weeks in 2016, after diagnosing an ‘incompetent’ cervix that could not maintain a pregnancy to full-term.

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Then Sophie and project manager husband Trevor decided to try to complete their family with baby number two. As with John, Prof Shennan’s team put a stitch in Sophie’s womb at 12 weeks, confident this would see the couple’s second pregnancy beyond the crucial 30-week mark.

But disaster struck at 27 weeks when the stitch started to give way and Sophie appeared to be at the start of labour, with the strong chance that the baby might die.

The birth marked the final chapter in what has been a turbulent ten years of various medical treatments for Sophie

He was named after Professor Andrew Shennan, who leads the pioneering specialist pre-term surveillance clinic at St Thomas’ Hospital in London (pictured)

A new stitch was inserted to tighten the cervix once more and Sophie remained in hospital for complete bed rest until she gave birth last month.

Prof Shennan said: ‘As a transplant patient, Sophie ran a higher risk of miscarriage or having a very premature baby due to the drugs she takes to prevent rejection of her kidney. These drugs suppress the immune system. This makes it more likely that infection gets into the womb which cannot be fought off.

‘Infection may have contributed to her two losses.’

Sophie said: ‘There was never any doubt about the name of our second son. Andrew made it possible for us to have children in the first place and undoubtedly saved our precious second child.’

Prof Shennan added: ‘It is an honour to have Sophie’s son named after me.’

Baby Andrew is now in the special care baby unit at the couple’s local hospital in Epsom, where he will remain until he has put on enough weight to be allowed home.

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