Mum who suffered 21 miscarriages hails 'miracle baby' and says 'never lose hope'
A mum who suffered 21 heartbreaking miscarriages has finally given birth to her ‘miracle baby’.
After years of loss, Caroline Langstone knew she might never have a child of her own but never gave up. Her heartache turned to joy when Amelia was born last month. Caroline and her partner Luke Clayton had been trying for a family since becoming a couple in 2014.
Caroline, 33, says: “I have always wanted a family so badly because I have so much love to give. About a year into our relationship we unfortunately had our first miscarriage when I was about six weeks pregnant. Then it was just constantly happening. I felt so alone, wondering why does this keep on happening?”
Caroline, who works in customer services for Coventry Council, and 39-year-old IT manager Luke Clayton, spoke endlessly to doctors. But they never found answers. Caroline says: “I did have supportive friends but thank goodness, they had never been through what I went through and so I felt more alone because they had children. I am an auntie but that was hard too.
Caroline feared she would never have a child
Proud dad Luke with Amelia“I had a miscarriage at the same time as my sister was pregnant. I was happy for my sister but it was so difficult. I felt so isolated. Every time I saw close friends or relatives who were pregnant or had babies, I felt myself being distant from them.” She considered fostering but her mother, now passed away, persuaded her to keep trying.
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Caroline was one of 450 women to take part in a research trial at the University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire, after discovering she has a womb-lining problem that could possibly be helped with antibiotics. She won’t know until the end of the year whether she took the drug or a placebo. Caroline and Luke also tried IVF and discovered she was pregnant in November.
Caroline says: “I was so scared throughout the pregnancy. I have never bought any baby clothes or anything, but friends started buying me things. Then I realised it was real.” Amelia was born a healthy 7lbs on July 24. Caroline says: “It’s amazing. She’s my miracle baby.
"She has turned our world upside down. She sleeps during the day and is awake all night, but I don’t mind. I’m not planning on another, I’ve got my miracle and my little family. After losing 21 babies, it shows you, never lose that hope.”
Caroline with Amelia on Lorraine (Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)Caroline is featured tonight in ITV’s Miscarriage: Our Hidden Loss, fronted by newsreader Andrea Byrne, who is married to former Wales international and British and Irish Lions rugby player Lee Byrne. Andrea had five miscarriages over seven years before having daughter Jemima in February 2019.
She says: “Of all the things to do with fertility, or infertility, miscarriage is possibly the greatest taboo. Lee and I always imagined ourselves becoming parents but early on realised it wasn’t going to be easy.” It’s clear from the documentary that not everyone gets their miracle baby, with many women struggling for years or finding the emotional toll is too great.
Andrea discovers inequalities in miscarriage care and patchy mental health support. But she also finds scientific understanding of miscarriage and possibly how to prevent it is progressing. Kath Abrahams, from pregnancy charity Tommy’s, says: “Miscarriage has been seen historically as just ‘one of those things’. What we know from the thousands of women that we talk to is that that simply isn’t the case. It is a devastating experience.”
* Tonight – Miscarriage: Our Hidden Loss is on ITV1 at 8.30pm on Thursday.
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