Sheffield Mama celebrates baby born during dialysis

When Tendaichi Sambara was told he needed to undergo dialysis due to chronic kidney disease, he was told that it was virtually impossible to get pregnant while undergoing treatment.

A recent study found that in the six years from 2008 to 2014, only 584 women worldwide gave birth normally while on dialysis.

But for all the possibilities, in 2023 Tendai received unexpected news that she was pregnant and gave birth to her son Zane in January.

Tendai, 36, came to Sheffield from Zimbabwe with his 14-year-old family.

She was studying at Bradford University when she was first diagnosed with 20-year-old kidney failure.

“My legs would be really swollen after Uni. I was raising them, but they weren't getting better, so my parents convinced me to go to the hospital,” she said.

The Sheffield doctor informed her that her kidney function was slowly deteriorating and that she needed medicine, dialysis and, ultimately, a transplant.

She was also advised, “Loading another body on my body would mean my kidneys are under so much strain.”

During pregnancy, healthy kidneys must work outside of hours to keep their blood clean while releasing waste into the mother's bloodstream.

Pregnancy is even more difficult for women with no kidney pregnancy, and dialysis is recommended more frequently to keep the blood as clean as possible.

Tendai said she was able to agree with a double bomb at first, but she said it got more difficult over time.

“When my boyfriend became my husband, we managed it together. I was on medication and we got used to the everyday stuff,” she said.

“But all of our friends started giving birth to babies and I went to a bunch of baby showers.”

She said she and her husband, Crispen, began considering surrogacy when they unexpectedly became pregnant.

“I didn't believe it. It wasn't real. I showed my husband the test,” she said.

“We purchased four more pregnancy tests.”

During her pregnancy, she was frequently monitored by multiple medical teams, including obstetricians, midwifes, a doctor of kidneys, dialysis nurses, and kidney nutritionists.

She had to go to the hospital three times a week for dialysis during her pregnancy, and her baby's progression was continuously monitored via frequent ultrasound scans to identify and treat problems early.

“We've seen a lot of different things,” said Veena Reddy, a consultant nephrologist.

“The level of care and coordination between several specialist teams, including Jessop Wing's kidney team, nutritionist, anesthesiologist and maternal medicine team, was incredible.”

Shortly after Zane was born in January, another twist emerged in Tendai's story.

A kidney donor was found and she was assigned for a transplant.

However, she made the difficult decision to decline the offer, saying she wanted to make sure her son was first caring for him.

“If I had been transplanted, I would have had to give up holding my baby,” she said.

“I can't breastfeed him. I couldn't do that.”

Tendai is now back on the waiting list as he decided to refuse the port.

She no longer needs weekly dialysis, but she is still taking medication for her condition.

But she said that “He's incredible. He's smiling at everyone. He has to know that he's a miracle,” and that being a mother was all worth it.

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