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SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — Women who receive kidney transplants may have a more difficult time getting pregnant, however, it is not impossible.
In 2020, we brought you the story about how Breanna Eichelberg was in need of a kidney transplant after being diagnosed with a disease only one in a million people get. And with over 100,000 people listed for kidney transplants, with 12 people a day dying from lack of a transplant, it was a miracle that her husband Mason was a perfect match.
Eichelberg continues to defy all odds by giving birth to the first Sanford baby born after receiving a kidney transplant. However, the road to motherhood was not an easy one.
“Transplant kidneys, they don’t fail any more frequently when you get pregnant than if you’re not pregnant, but still, you take a risk, and a risk with those underlying processes certainly is not for the faint of heart,” says Breanna’s High Risk OB/GYN Dr. Michael McNamara.
Before becoming pregnant with her current child, Eichelberg had a miscarriage. Then, with her last pregnancy, she developed different conditions.
“They told me in the beginning, I would more than likely get preeclampsia, which I did end up getting, and I also developed cholestasis as well, which affects the liver,” says Breanna Eichelberg.
Her doctors also noticed her kidney function acting up the closer she came to giving birth.
“But when you’re on medications that suppress your immune system, when you have other medical conditions, that it is much harder to not just become pregnant, but to also have a viable pregnancy,” says Breanna’s Transplant Doctor Dr. Mohammad Qamar.
While Eichelberg did have to have a C-section a few weeks earlier than planned, and her baby Isla had to spend a few weeks in the NICU after coming out of the womb not breathing, three months later, both mother and baby are doing well.
“I think this is a very resilient family. And I think Breanna’s always had the will and perseverance to go through this,” says Qamar.
“I feel like I found my purpose in life to be a mom, to her especially, she’s so awesome,” says Eichelberg.
Doctors say while Eichelberg was the first Sanford baby post-kidney transplant, they are excited about the opportunity for more babies like this in the future.
