Ruby’s a little miracle
Published: August 31, 2005
RUBY Doland entered the medical record books before she was born!
The youngster was still in her mother Kelly’s womb when doctors carried out a blood transfusion on her at London’s Queen Charlotte Hospital.
Kelly, 27, was 17 weeks pregnant with Ruby when doctors discovered she needed the life-saving procedure and Ruby became the youngest baby ever to have a blood transfusion while still in her mother’s womb.
Doctors had discovered Kelly’s body was producing antibodies which were breaking down the baby’s red blood cells, causing anaemia and a condition called Rh immunisation.
The rare condition had already seen Kelly lose a baby in the womb at 34 weeks and when she had son Harry in 2002 she had to go through the procedure that saved Ruby when he was 22 weeks in the womb.
Doctors had to insert a long thin needle into Kelly’s stomach and into Ruby’s umbilical cord.
Thankfully, they hit their target first time and managed to carry out the transfusion and Ruby was born on May 31 at a healthy 6lb 13oz.
Kelly, who was brought up in the St Nicholas area of Stevenage and attended John Henry Newman School, talked about her ordeal at her home in Stanford Road, Southill, Bedfordshire.
“It was incredible that they got the cord first time. There was a risk the op could have caused her heart to stop beating,” said Kelly
“I cannot thank the wonderful doctors and hospital enough.
“Thank God both my children are healthy and gorgeous. Ruby still has to have blood transfusions. I will have no more children. I have a boy and a girl and my husband Neil and I are thrilled and very lucky to have two wonderful little children.”
Kelly and plumber husband Neil, 29, had gone through hell to make sure both their children survived and are fit and healthy.
“I could not go through all that again,” added Kelly.
“My body started producing antibodies after my first baby died in my womb and since then, every time I have become pregnant I have had trouble.
“But we are now happy with Harry and Ruby. Harry has been given the all clear now and no longer needs transfusions.
“It was worth all the pain just to see their happy little faces every day.”
Ruwan Wimalasundera, a consultant at Queen Charlotte’s Hospital’s foetal care unit, told the BBC: “This is the earliest blood transfusion we have on record and was particularly tricky because the pregnancy was so early.
“We would normally inject into the liver, but in this case because it was so soon the team led by consultant, Salesh Kumar, had to go into the umbilical cord. About 85 per cent of babies with this condition die if they don’t get the treatment.
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