When Katie Jeavons, 31, and her husband Ross, 34, saw two lines appear on their pregnancy test after months of trying for a child, they were overjoyed.
But that excitement quickly turned to grief when Katie, a university halls manager, had a miscarriage at six and a half weeks pregnant.
The couple had been trying for a baby for a year but ‘nothing was happening’, until Katie became pregnant for the first time in December 2018.
After that first miscarriage, Katie went on to lose three more babies in the space of a year.
The couple from High Wycombe, Bucks, say they developed a ‘thick skin’ during 2019 as they lost four babies, all before the second trimester.
Katie told Metro.co.uk: ‘We started trying for a baby in May 2018 but nothing was happening.
‘We began to wonder why it was taking so long but eventually I fell pregnant in December.
‘We were so excited and instantly downloaded baby apps and started looking at names.
‘After six weeks, I took another test and it came back negative and our whole world collapsed.
‘It was awful. We were told it is fairly common so we hoped it was a one off and wouldn’t happen again.
‘We were absolutely gutted but determined to keep on trying for a baby.
‘I fell pregnant again in February but we didn’t dare celebrate or tell anyone.
‘I felt pregnant more than the first time as I was constantly throwing up.
‘But at a 10-week private scan, there was no heartbeat.
‘I broke down a few days later, I couldn’t believe it was happening again.’
It wasn’t until Katie had lost three babies that she was referred to a doctor, who told Katie she had ‘killer cells’ that meant her body was killing her unborn embryos.
They found an ‘incredibly helpful’ charity called Tommy’s – which funds research into miscarriages and still births.
Katie said: ‘When it happened again, we were destroyed.
‘All our friends were having babies and we couldn’t even be around them.
‘I’ve always been maternal and never expected it to be so difficult.
‘We were depressed and wouldn’t attend baby showers or birthdays.
‘We felt guilty but we couldn’t handle the pain.
‘The NHS were unable to investigate so we had to do some digging of our own.
‘The charity website and support groups online were amazing – they made me realise I am not alone.’
Katie was advised to take progesterone, a hormone that could help to prevent miscarriages, and began receiving acupuncture, too.
She said: ‘I began to feel so embarrassed and ashamed.
‘We didn’t tell many people what we were going through as I felt like my body was failing me.
‘I was willing to give anything a go so had acupuncture too.
‘It seemed to be working as I fell pregnant again in June.
‘This time, we weren’t excited one bit – every twinge, I worried.
‘I was so anxious in case it happened again – sadly, it did at six weeks.’
They sought private healthcare to get some answers and achieve their dream family.
While waiting for her test results, Katie was given treatment to combat natural killer cells.
She was put on steroids and Letrozole – a drug to act as super ovulation which will increase the amounts of follicles which leads to mature eggs.
In July, Katie had another miscarriage.
When she fell pregnant once more in November, Katie struggled to believe she would carry the baby to term.
But in July 2020, the couple welcomed their first child, Callum, weighing 7lb 8ounces.
Katie said: ‘We had reached rock bottom and couldn’t get much lower – we just got on with our lives.
‘I was given medication and steroids but I didn’t think they would work.
‘I fell pregnant in November and was in complete disbelief when we were at the 12-week scan and everything was fine.
‘We began to relax at 20 weeks but I still couldn’t enjoy the pregnancy as much as I would have liked.’
Katie and Ross are sharing their story to break the ‘taboo’ of miscarriage and give hope to other couples trying to have children.
Ross said: ‘2019 was undoubtable the toughest year ever.
‘We still pinch ourselves to this day as we can’t believe we are finally parents.
‘Callum has a heart of gold and Katie is the most amazing mummy.’
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