HISTORY MAKERS
Mum with rare condition first to give birth at Royal Stoke
YOUNG mum Courteney Beaman has made Royal Stoke history – after giving birth to baby boy Theo.
The 24-year-old, from Meir, has lived with a rare heart defect since the age of five, and ordinarily her pregnancy would have been transferred to medics in Birmingham.
The condition – CCTGA – means her heart had to do double the amount of work during her pregnancy, which could have threatened the health of mother and child.
But Courteney remained at the Royal Stoke University Hospital throughout to give birth last November – with the ‘virtual’ assistance of experts at two Birmingham hospitals.
She said: “I was five-years-old when I found out I had CCTGA, and my first memory of something happening is when I was seven.
“I had to be rushed to hospital because I had palpitations and my heart rate was more than 200 beatsper-minute.
“Generally it doesn’t bother me too much having the condition but I can’t really do a lot. I can’t exercise much and sometimes I get tired just going up the stairs.
“Going into labour, I didn’t really feel nervous because I know what my body can handle. Everything felt quite calm and normal.”
The Royal Stoke care was led by consultant cardiologists Dr Adrian Morley-davies and Dr Diane Barker, alongside colleagues Dr Jules Allt, Peter Young, and Uma Bathula.
Dr Morley-davies said: “When Courteney became pregnant, it was recognised that there would be more challenges.
“Many women with CCTGA are at significant risk when they go through labour, and if things get out of control it can make both mother and baby very unwell very quickly.
“Complex obstetric cases are often managed at Royal Stoke, but this is the first time a patient with CCTGA has delivered here, principally because it’s such a rare condition.
“Many patients with CCTGA don’t even reach childbearing age, so it really is of very serious concern.
“Patients of this complexity would often have been seen in Birmingham in the past for physical reviews during pregnancy.
“However, with the expansion of local expertise and the difficulties imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic, remote working has become possible and necessary.”
The CCTGA condition afflicting Courteney – who lives with her 22-year-old partner Jesse Owens – means the lower half of her heart is the wrong way around.
Ms Bathula said: “Courteney was induced and she actually had a very smooth labour.
“The excellent outcome in this case highlights the relentless dedication of all the clinicians involved, and at the Royal Stoke we were extremely proud to be involved in this unique experience.”