Laura Worsley was absolutely delighted with the arrival of her newborn daughter, Ivy, in September of last year. But the God-given gift of a child had a unique significance for the 35-year-old after she went through the excruciating ordeal of losing multiple babies.
Worsley suffered a staggering 13 miscarriages before delivering a healthy baby girl on September 18, 2018. “She’s our miracle baby,” Worsley told TODAY Parents. “Sometimes I’ll look at her and it doesn’t feel real. I can’t believe I’m Ivy’s mom.”
After numerous investigations, Worsley doctors at the Biomedical Research Unit at University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire. determined that there was a medical reason as to why she was having so many tragic miscarriages.
The mother was diagnosed with Antiphospholipid syndrome, also known as “sticky blood syndrome,” which according to the Genetics Home Reference, is a “disorder characterized by an increased tendency to form abnormal blood clots (thromboses) that can block blood vessels.”
Then, doctors bestowed even more bad news. Worsley was also suffering from Chronic Histiocytic Intervillositis, an extremely rare disease that causes the body to attack the placenta. The combination of the two illnesses meant that she was at high risk of suffering further miscarriages.
Worsley was prescribed medication to help strengthen her uterus and everyone looked forward with trepidation to the day she conceived once again. Doctors warned that while there were no guarantees if she could make it past the 24-week mark, the baby’s chances of survival would enjoy a marked increase.
At 30 weeks, Worsely’s waters broke and her beautiful baby daughter was delivered via C-section. Ivy, who was dangerously premature, weighed just 1 pound and 7 ounces at the time of birth.
“It was terrifying to see her so small with breathing tubes,” Worsley explained. Over time, however, her daughter began to gain strength and put on weight.
She’s still tiny for her age,” Worsley noted. “But she’s smiling and giggling and grabbing everything in sight.”
Now, with a whole life ahead of her as a mom, Worsley wants to bring hope to others going through the turmoil of losing a child.
“Miracles can happen,” she said.