A traumatised woman who suffered five miscarriages after killer cells in her body treated her unborn babies as cancer wants to stop others going through the same thing.
Devastated Sam Catanach from Hessle, Hull, suffered four losses in the space of less than a year.
She was so heartbroken she decided to pay to investigate why her body would not carry the pregnancies, HullLive report.
The 34-year-old and husband Martin, 36, went to a top London fertility consultant and were shocked at the findings.
They couple discovered that Sam was over-producing 'killer cells' - which saw her pregnancies as foreign objects, and terminated them.
Sam tragically suffered a fifth miscarriage but after even more treatment their second child, Blossom, was born earlier this year.
Her new charity Chasing Rainbows has formed a strong support group of 18 women, who between them have suffered 86 baby losses.
She feels many people are in the dark about what help can be offered.
Speaking to mark Baby Loss Awareness Week, Sam is using her experiences to raise awareness of miscarriage - and highlighting the options.
"In 2017 I had four miscarriages and end up having treatment for killer cells which led to our son, Ted.
"But it was a very low and lonely time, and I found there was no support locally. After having Ted I launched a support group for people who have had recurrent miscarriages, which means two or more.
"My losses all occurred around six weeks, and I felt like it didn't really 'count'. When people lose babies later, people see it as losing a baby, but early loss should be treated exactly the same way, as you're excited about the baby from the minute you find out you're pregnant."
Her fertility blog, Crazy Fertility Queen, paints a picture of her struggle - and outlines why it is important not to give up hope.
Sam said: "The charity is about supporting each other, but also about spreading awareness and education, when you feel like you have reached the end of the line.
"The NHS offers some investigations with recurrent miscarriage, such as checking blood clotting and thyroid, as well as an anatomy scan.
"But the clinic I went through has further investigations, which is how I found I had too many killer cells which treated an embryo like a cancer.
"The NHS has come on leaps and bounds in recent years, and we've had tremendous support from Hull's Early Pregnancy Unit, and there is so much more knowledge and awareness now.
"But it still doesn't get the recognition it deserves.
"When I went into hospital to have Blossom, I could still remember how it felt going in and not hearing that heartbeat.
"It causes some people to have PTSD, it's shouldn't be underestimated.
"Within the group, the support we get from each other is amazing, and we've all decided to stick with the group on this journey. Some have gone on to have babies and others haven't and are still on this journey, but we share it all."
