A woman gave birth to a miracle baby after suffering 18 miscarriages thanks to a new treatment developed by a local doctor.

Angie Baker, 33, had been trying to have a baby for 13 years, and after 17 miscarriages in the early stages of pregnancy, she got in touch with Dr Hassan Shehata, a consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist, in Epsom.

Thanks to the treatment developed by Dr Shehata, after 10 years of research, to help women who suffer recurrent miscarriages, Mrs Baker has given birth to a healthy baby girl named Raiya.

She said: “I just knew that I was meant to be a mother. Every time I miscarried I felt more determined. I never felt like giving up. Even though doctors couldn't tell my why it was happening, I felt sure there was a cure. I just knew I had to persevere.

"I can't explain how I feel. I have to pinch myself sometimes because I just can't believe it's happened - she's perfect in every way. Being a mum is everything I thought it would be, and I'm just so happy that Dr Shehata could help me. I cannot thank him enough."

Dr Shehata had been working with an immunologist, Dr Amolak Bansal, to find out why some women's bodies reject their pregnancies.

Their work focused on “natural killer cells”, which are found in everyone's white blood cells (which defend the body against infections and foreign bodies).

They found that some women's natural killer cells are so aggressive they attack the pregnancy, which is exactly what was happening to Mrs Baker.

Dr Shehata said: "About ten years ago, a doctor in the United States proved that there was a link between these natural killer cells and infertility. I became interested in the subject and we began work to further study the link.

"After three years of hard work, we mastered it. We knew how to test the function of the natural killer tests to see how aggressive they were and we knew how to treat it. By giving suitable women steroids, we can lower the number of natural killer cells and increase their chances of having a baby.

"Angie is an amazing woman. She is a very strong woman, and had such a great sense of belief. The odds of having so many miscarriages are miniscule, but she was so determined to carry on. I am so happy that she has got her dream - a healthy daughter.”

The technique of diagnosing and treating multiple miscarriages was developed at Epsom and St Helier Hospitals Trust.