Mother spent three months upside down to avoid miscarriage

Donna Kelly had two miscarriages one at 23 weeks and one at 19 weeks. When she got pregnant again, she was diagnosed with an incompetent cervix resulting from the birth of her first child four years ago. Although Kelly received progesterone cream and a stitch in the cervix to keep it shut, the cervix had opened again by 23 weeks. Her doctor made an unusual suggestion, and Donna Kelly spent three months on bedrest with her legs tilted upward.

Siobhan Quenby is an expert in recurrent miscarriage. She told Mark and Donna Kelly that their only chance to escape another miscarriage was to take the pressure off Kelly's cervix... by lying in a bed that was tilted upward, with her head down and her legs in the air.

This brave mother spent 10 weeks like that, 24 hours long. She only got up to use the toilet, and ate, read, and watched TV in her bed. The venture was apparently successful, and the couple now have a healthy baby daughter called Amelia. She was still delivered six weeks early by emergency cesarean section after Donna Kelly's waters broke unexpectedly, but she made it! All thanks to her mom's upside down bedrest.

Donna Kelly described her experience: "I was surprised when she told me to lie in bed at a tilt but I was ready to give anything a try. It made me feel sick at first but after a couple of days my body adjusted and I soon got used to it. I propped myself up with pillows and the barrier round the bed kept me from falling out. I'd even have to stay in the bed to eat by rolling on to my side, but I'd always have a dead arm by the end. It could be boring at times but I knew it wouldn't be as painful as losing my baby."

Baby Amelia is 17 weeks old now, and had to spend two weeks in an incubator. The family is over the moon to have her, and her brother Joshua said he was very proud to be a big brother.