When LeeAnne Hodge was just 16, she was given the news that most women dread: she'd never be able to have kids.
The Australian mum was diagnosed with endometriosis, a condition that makes conception very difficult. “I was upset but still young and the reality never really sunk in,” she told Kidspot.
Naturally, LeeAnne assumed that she didn’t need to worry about contraception – but she was shocked when she learned she was pregnant just months after her 18th birthday.
Even more incredibly, the 34-year-old mum from New South Wales went on to have six babies! Despite how easy she fell pregnant each time, she didn’t have an easy time of it during her pregnancies.
With her first child Shinae, she ended up in hospital after suffering from hyperemesis – prolonged vomiting. It was so bad that LeeAnne threw up every day until her daughter was born.
“She was posterior and had shoulder dystocia, resulting in a lot of trauma for me and I ended up with bladder distension and a catheter for five weeks after.”
After experiencing menstrual cycle issues and pain for five years after her firstborn’s arrival, Lee-Anne underwent an operation to remove some of the endometriosis.
Again, she was told she wouldn’t have any more kids. “I was told to count my daughter as my miracle baby,” she said. “I was devastated at the thought of no more but two months later found out I was pregnant again.”
She was hospitalised with hyperemesis once again, and had morning sickness every day until her little boy Alex arrived. “My pregnancy otherwise was fairly uncomplicated,” she said.
Almost as soon as Alex was born, Lee-Anne’s endometriosis symtoms came back on the scene. After 18 months, she had more surgery to cut away more fibrous tissue.
Again, she was told “conception would be a miracle, and if it was to happen I would never carry the baby to term due to the fibroids,” she said.
So she was advised to have a hysterectomy. At 25, Lee-Anne refused, not keen to remove the chance that she’d become a mum again in the future.
“One week later, I found out I was pregnant with our third!” she said.
“I had chronic morning sickness with Joey too and at 36 weeks tore a muscle in my stomach and spent a night in hospital. I was induced a week later at 37 weeks. The birth went well except for a small haemorrhage.”
After little Joey was born, Lee-Anne ended up having a period that lasted until her boy was 10 months old!
Then it stopped. Why? Well, she was pregnant, of course.
At 41 weeks, she was induced and her second daughter, Ayla, was born. However, it wasn’t long until her symptoms returned so she went back to the doctor.
This time, she agreed to have a hysterectomy.
“He said with my symptoms I most likely wouldn’t stop bleeding until I had the surgery so any future kids wouldn’t happen and that four was enough and I had to now think of myself.”
She was put on a 90-day waiting list. And 70 days into that stretch, she found “two little lines” on a pregnancy test.“I couldn’t believe it,” she said. “And the very next day, the hospital called for me to go for my hysterectomy!”
Carrying Eli wasn’t easy, however.
“I was borderline diabetic and put on a Gestational diabetes diet. I had carpal tunnel and irritable uterus as well, and then at the end I had excess of amniotic fluid in the amniotic sac,” she said.
Induced at 38 weeks, Lee-Anne ended up having her first C-section.
“My first four babies were around 2.7kg and Eli ended up being 3.6kg with a 37cm head. It was just too much for my 1.4m body to deal with.”
Then things got worse. The doctor accidentally pulled her uterus out, and it flipped inside out during the C-section.
“I luckily escaped a blood transfusion but the doc said it was a lot of trauma on top of all my other issues and that another baby would be highly unlikely.”
Surprise, surprise, they were wrong. Again!
Two years later, she had baby number six. Kody was born via C-section after doctors became worried.
“They had to push back up to get Kody out,” she said. “He had a few issues after birth with some rapid eye movements. They thought they were seizures and did an MRI and he spent a few days in the special care nursery, but got the all clear luckily.”
After having been told time and again that she wouldn’t be able to have kids, Lee-Anne eventually sought an explanation.
“The doctor said I was what he would call a ‘super fem’, that I produce high amounts of oestrogen.” This made it possible to conceive despite her endometriosis.
While Lee-Anne undoubtedly has a busy life as a mum-of-six, she has no regrets and loves her big family.
“We have now six happy, healthy, beautiful kids,” she said. “As a little girl, I always wanted four and never dreamed I’d have six, but I love my life and my kids and am so thankful that I have been this blessed.”
Wow. Super fem indeed!
