Awoman has had 17 children removed from her by social services over the past 20 years, in what is thought to be the highest number recorded in England and Wales.
The woman, from Newcastle Upon Tyne, has been pregnant throughout most of her adult life and has given birth to child after child, only for them to be taken from her within hours of being born.
Details of the case emerged as part of the launch of a project in the city by the charity Barnado’s to help cut the number of young children being taken into care.
The reasons for the woman, who is now thought to be in her late 40s, not being able to keep any of her children have not been revealed.
But the case has thrown light on the chaotic circumstances experienced by some women struggling to cope with having children.
According to Barnado’s the most common reasons for mothers losing their children are domestic abuse in the home, drug and alcohol problems and mental health issues.
A mother in nearby Gateshead has had 10 children taken into care, with nine children each removed from three women in Cumbria, Sunderland and Durham.
One woman in Northumberland had eight children taken into care.
The figures came to light as the result of a Freedom of Information request by BBC Newcastle.'
In a separate study researchers found that in 2013, a total 2,018 babies were taken into care at birth or soon afterwards, up from 802 in 2008.
The study, Vulnerable Birth Mothers and Recurrent Care Proceedings, funded by the Nuffield Foundation, found that between 2007 and 2014 a total of 13,248 babies were removed by the authorities.
Professor Karen Broadhurst, from Lancaster University, found that one in four women who have already had a child taken into care will have further children removed.
Sian Bufton, assistant director with children's services for Barnardo's, said the case of the mother who had 17 children taken into care was "exceptional."
She said: "It is likely she would have had difficulties such as domestic abuse, mental health problems, a chaotic lifestyle, possibly substance misuse.”
#LookedAfterChildren are often amongst the UK’s most vulnerable. We’ve long been supporting them & look forward to#CSWB debate tomorrow.
Barnado’s said it hopes its Pause project, which was founded in Hackney to help reduce the number of "repeat removals" - and has since been opened in Doncaster, Greenwich, Hull, Islington, Newham and Southwark - will help stop a similar situation arising again in Newcastle.
Ms Bufton said: "I think she is an exception, I don't think anyone else in Newcastle has reached anywhere near that figure and hopefully in the future there will not be any more because we will have been able to deliver this service. The reason it has got to 17 is because of those sort of factors and because there hasn't been a service like Pause."
Elaine Langshaw, service director for Newcastle Women's Aid - which has helped abused women for 40 years - said: "It is very sad and tragic that one woman has had 17 children removed. We don't know her circumstances; there are probably lots of complex additional needs.
"We have to look really closely at the intervention that needs to be put in place for each individual woman, it is different for everyone and depends on the levels of violence and abuse and the length of time it has gone on."
Ms Langshaw said the Women's Aid service, based in the city's deprived Walker area, was seeing women who had previously attended as children with their mothers.
"Their mums have been in crisis, they haven't stayed safe, there hasn't been appropriate intervention and therefore they're back with us now as young mums, adults themselves," she said.
One woman who sought help from Newcastle Women's Aid said she "felt judged by social services".
"They said I was too upset to look after my child but, of course, I was upset they were going to remove him," she said.
Newcastle City Council said it made the decision to remove children from their mothers on a “case by case” basis, and was working closely with Barnado’s to develop the Pause project.
A spokesman for the council said: “There is nothing particularly unusual about Newcastle’s approach to this issue. Aftercare to mothers who have had a child removed would be dependent on the particular needs of each mother, who may themselves be a vulnerable adult.”
The spokesman added: “We have studied good practice from other parts of the country where there has been particular success in identifying and addressing the issue of mothers who repeatedly have their children taken into care. As a result, we are working closely with Barnardo's to develop a new service, which will work with mothers in these circumstances.”
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