A YOUNG woman with end-stage kidney failure has given birth to a miracle baby boy... despite being told she could die during the pregnancy.
Charlie Rice, 21, found out two years ago she had stage 4 kidney disease after doing a blood test for some medication.
The chronic and life-long condition soon developed into stage 5 kidney disease - also known as kidney failure – and she was soon hospitalised in early December last year.
Ten days after an emergency surgery where a dialysis line was fitted into her chest, Charlie found out she was pregnant.
Charlie was told beforehand she only had an eight per cent chance of falling pregnant and throughout her pregnancy was told she had a “50/50” chance of miscarriage.
According to the new mum, a medical health professional once suggested she terminate the pregnancy due to it being considered high risk.
She was also informed there was further risk of her dying and having a stroke during the “not very common situation”.
“They thought they were going to have a miscarriage," said Charlie, who was told her pregnancy would unlikely last 12 weeks.
At 35 weeks and one day, however, Charlie gave birth to a healthy baby boy named Vinnie in an elected C-section.
After one day of oxygen support and one day of incubation, her miracle baby needed eight days with an intermittent feeding tube.
“The doctors told me their plan with what to do, I was happy to go along with it," said Charlie.
"They had their doubts and said I had a 50/50 chance of my pregnancy being successful but he is now four months old and he is perfectly healthy."
Throughout the pregnancy, Charlie was on dialysis six days a week due to her eGFR levels being dangerously low.
She has now said she is extremely grateful for her midwife Karen who “went above and beyond” during her ordeal, as well as her nurses, midwives, the neonatal intensive care unit and Colchester’s Dialysis Unit.
She said: “I got support from every corner."
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