Miracle twins for Worthing mum who suffered baby heartache
MEET toddlers William and Benjamen Purdy – the miracle twins their mother thought she might never have.
Clare Purdy, from Worthing, suffered unimaginable tragedy before the
birth of her gorgeous boys and had begun to give up hope of becoming a mother.
In less than a year, she had a stillborn son called Toby, followed by three miscarriages.
She said it left her feeling incredibly low, desperate for answers and
fearing she would not be able to have children.
But after visiting an expert doctor in London, he diagnosed her with Hughes Syndrome, an autoimmune disorder that can cause recurrent miscarriages.
He assured her she would be able to have a baby, and 10 months later, she gave birth to her non-identical twins.
Clare, 31, of Offington Avenue, said: "I had started to accept that having children might not happen for me and decided I didn't want to be
that person who was obsessed about having a baby.
"My husband and I went on an amazing holiday and I decided to go back to
work, and it was after that I got pregnant and had the boys.
"I think it was being in that state of mind that helped me safely through the pregnancy because it was a real turning point for me."
Clare became pregnant for the first time in 2005, but at her 20-week scan was told her baby was small and she was referred to King's College Hospital in London.
The consultant there told her that there was a problem with her placenta, and that he would see her again if her baby was still alive in two weeks.
Against the odds, her baby continued to grow and Clare thought he would be fine until her water broke at 29 weeks.
She did not progress into full labour and doctors decided it was too risky to her health to do anything more, so she had a stillbirth – a boy named Toby.
She was advised she could try for a baby again and got pregnant weeks later, only to miscarry. This happened twice more in the following months.
Clare said: "I was angry at the whole world and at God for what was happening.
It was frustrating that I was able to get pregnant but for some reason my body wasn't able to carry a baby."
Clare got in contact with a Worthing group called Forget Me Nots, which supports women who have had stillbirths.
She said it helped her come to terms with what happened.
After having the three miscarriages she started doing research on the internet and came across a woman who had been treated by Dr Munther Khamashta at St Thomas' Hospital in London.
She telephoned him and he saw her the next day, when he assured her he would be able to help her have a baby.
When she got pregnant a few weeks
later she started taking blood thinning drugs straight away, as advised by Dr Khamashta.
It enabled her to carry the twins to 35 weeks, when they were delivered by caesarean section at Worthing Hospital.
"The staff at Worthing Hospital were absolutely incredible, especially Dr Fazin Pakarian and midwife Pat Schan, and I couldn't have asked for better care," Clare said.
"Having twins is really tough, but I think because we were just so grateful to have them that we didn't mind. They are miracles really."
Clare, who is due to start work as a theatre nurse at Worthing Hospital in the coming weeks, said she and husband Justin, 35, love being parents to the boys.
She said they both have different personalities and William, who was born a minute before his brother, is sensitive and a "loving soul", while Benjamen is full of mischief and has real character.
In the future, Clare said she would like to have more children, but for now is enjoying being parent to the children she so desperately wanted.
-------------------------------------
Click here to go back to Worthing news.
Where are you? Add your pin to the Herald's international readers' map by clicking here.
Email the Herald: letters@worthingherald.co.uk
Click here for the Herald staff directory.
Want to read this page in French, German, Spanish, Polish, Portuguese, Urdu or 48 other languages? click here for Google translate
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Worthing
Sunday 27 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 11 C to 22 C
Wind Speed: 16 mph
Wind direction: South east
Tomorrow
Light showers
Temperature: 13 C to 21 C
Wind Speed: 17 mph
Wind direction: West
