Woman suffered kidney failure but birthed healthy baby

Over two years ago, Patricia Mogapi who has end-stage kidney failure fought for her dream to have a child and start a family.This is because for women with kidney failure and receiving life-sustaining dialysis treatment, getting pregnant is not only uncommon, but also often an anxious process due to the high risk of complications for both mother and child.In fact, Mogapi was given an option to have an abortion when she found out that she was pregnant. “I was strongly advised to have an abortion and should I choose to keep the baby, then I should brace for a difficult life-threatening journey ahead,” she said.Mogapi was diagnosed with kidney failure in 2016. She was 22 years old at the time studying for Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and Management at the University of Botswana (UB).She has relied on a machine to stay alive for the past six years. This means three times a week, for four hours each time, she is connected to a dialysis machine that pumps her blood through a specialised filter, a dialyzer, to remove toxins from her body.These regular dialysis sessions not only drain a patient’s strength, Mogapi explains, but cause hormonal changes that affect ovulation. For this reason, a vast majority of women on dialysis cannot conceive, she was told.And even when dialysis patients do manage to get pregnant, about two-thirds of them will lose the child. High blood pressure which Mogapi was also diagnosed with, is one of the leading causes of Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD).CKD also can cause blood pressure to spike and can lead to extreme swelling and other issues that make a healthy pregnancy challenging.As taxing as dialysis can be for the patient, it is even more so for the unborn baby. In order to prevent her urea level from rising to a point that would be potentially hazardous to the foetus, Mogapi had to undergo as many as six, four-hour dialysis sessions weekly instead of the usual three.Special attention had to be paid to liquid control and her blood pressure. She also explains how doctor-patient communication and therapy are two key aspects to avoiding complications.“From the very first moment my renal doctor and nurses were patient with me and explained how everything would have to be. I understood that I had to follow a set of medical instructions, slightly different from my usual ones, such as daily dialysis,” she said.The big day finally arrived, at eight months, Tanicia Ludo Mogapi was born through a Caesarean section on the 1st of March 2022 weighing just 1.7 kg. Fortunately, even though she was underweight, her daughter was healthy and did not need to be put on a ventilator.“It was a shock and a pleasant surprise and everything that goes with it. They said I couldn’t and shouldn’t have a baby at all. But she came healthy and beautiful. She is my miracle baby.”Now a year old, Tanicia is thriving as her mother continues dialysis therapy. She hopes her experience can help alter public perception of what it means to be a dialysis patient.“You can lead an almost normal life to the extent that you possibly can.”

Explore

More

News

Woman suffered kidney failure but birthed healthy baby