Baby had eight ops in womb

McKenzie had eight blood transfusions while still in the womb

A baby girl has been born alive and well after eight blood transfusions while still in her mother's womb.

McKenzie Gwynne survived heart failure twice to be born by Caesarean section ten weeks early at the Royal Gwent Hospital, weighing 3lb 5oz.

Her mother, Catherine, has a rare condition in which her own blood attacked McKenzie as she grew. She had already lost two previous pregnancies.

Doctors gave the blood transfusions through McKenzie's umbilical cord.

We knew it was risky and we could lose her at any time - but we wanted her to live and it was the only way Catherine Gwynne

Doctors told Ms Gwynne that her baby was dying in her womb and needed life-saving blood transfusions to keep her alive.

The 30-year-old, from Ebbw Vale, south Wales, had already lost two baby boys in the womb because of the same condition called neo-natal alloimmune thrombocytopenia.

Medics diagnosed that McKenzie had just 6,000 blood platelets to help her blood to clot. A normal healthy baby has around 150,000 blood platelets.

'Our last chance'

Ms Gwynne and partner Ian, 27, said they had decided not to try for another baby before they saw a TV programme about a woman with a similar condition. That woman's baby had been given blood transfusions to keep it alive.

A week later, Ms Gwynne fell pregnant with McKenzie.

She said: "We knew it was risky and we could lose her at any time. But we wanted her to live and it was the only way.

"We knew the treatment was our last chance of having a child.

"The first transfusion was terrifying. Eight doctors and nurses surrounded me. We watched the scanning monitor as the miniscule needle went through my stomach and into McKenzie's cord.

The tots heart stopped twice during the eight transfusions

"It felt like I didn't breathe for the entire time. My head was dizzy with nerves.

"Ian and I held hands feeling completely helpless."

The two-hour transfusions took place every seven to 10 days.

During the fifth operation McKenzie's heart stopped beating. Doctors took blood from Catherine's arm and injected it directly into the baby's heart.

"Ian and I knew this could be the moment we lost her. The doctors' faces were grey.

"But amazingly as we watched the monitor we saw her heart flicker back to life. She really is a miracle."

'She's perfect'

The last three transfusions went well and McKenzie was born seven weeks ago and is said to going from strength to strength.

She spent three weeks in hospital before being allowed home.

Ms Gwynne said: "Every day I think how lucky we are to have her. She's perfect and worth every inch of worry we went through."