This must see picture of a baby delivered via C-section with its amniotic sac still in tact has my head reeling. I look, but then I have to look away, but then I have to look again. Giving birth is an awe-inspiring event in and of itself, but what if you gave birth to a baby that was still in its amniotic sac? A baby born its amniotic sac (aka veiled birth) is a very rare occurrence, It's quite a phenomenal event and it's not every day that you get a chance to see something like it.
This picture, shared on the SaludMedica.com Facebook page really caught my eye. I have never in my life seen anything like it and I'm not exactly sure how I feel about it. It looks unreal. I know it is a beautiful and blessed event and some even see these kinds of births–or caul births, named for the remnant of the amniotic membrane the baby is born in–as a sign of good luck or an omen that the child is destined for greatness.
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I wish I could say that I am one of those women who is totally immersed in the beauty of birthing. But no, I did not make placenta tacos out of my afterbirth and served them to my family with pride. I'm just not a mom who thought that everything about labor and childbirth was "beautiful". When the doctor asked me if I wanted to take my placenta home, I didn't even want to look at it.
Eh, I guess sometimes the miracles of nature are totally wasted on me. I saw this picture of the child still in its amniotic sac and instantly felt relieved that my babies were not encased in what looks like a pod from Invasion of the Body Snatchers (that's a science-fiction movie for those of you that are painfully young).
Anyhow, there is a whole lot of superstition surrounding these births and i hope the mom feels super great about her very rare, possibly auspicious birth. Hey, at least her baby is in good company! Did you know that Jessica Alba's second daughter is named Haven because she was born inside her amniotic sac? Sigmund Freud and Napoleon Bonaparte were also supposedly caul births too.
Images via Facebook & Flickr/David Swift Photography
