When Kourtney Kardashian and husband Travis Barker announced they were expecting their first child together, fans were thrilled for the reality TV star. The Poosh founder and Blink-182 drummer struggled to conceive, even turning to IVF in an attempt for Kourtney to get pregnant. Ultimately, it finally happened for them — but then something scary happened during her third trimester.
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In September 2023, the eldest Kardashian-Jenner sibling's unborn son, Rocky, underwent emergency fetal surgery. Not much was shared at the time of the scary medical issues. However, Kourtney recently opened up about the experience on The Kardashians.
A doctor discovered a medical issue with the baby during an at-home ultrasound.
During the season five premiere of The Kardashians, Kourtney explained how a medical issue was discovered with her baby.
“We had planned a scan at home so all the kids could see the baby, and Travis was about to leave for tour,” she told producers. "The doctor who will come to the house to do the scan is a high-risk doctor who's really detailed and thorough at looking for everything. And something caught his eye where he wanted me to see a couple specialists."
Kourtney's baby needed fetal surgery, which she described as 'terrifying.'
Ultimately, doctors determined that Kourtney's baby needed surgery before he was born. Kourtney described the experience as "terrifying" in the Hulu series. Kourtney's mother, Kris Jenner, drove her to the hospital for the surgery as Travis attempted to make it home in time to support her.
Travis immediately hopped on a plane.
At the time, Travis was away from home for Blink-182's concert tour. The band postponed shows, and the drummer immediately hopped on a plane home.
"The thing that was awful was his Wi-Fi was broken on the plane," Kourtney shared on The Kardashians. "So the whole time, he couldn't get updates."
By the time Travis got home, Kourtney already had the surgery.
"Travis, as soon as he landed, came straight to the hospital and then took over and slept at the hospital with me," Kourtney said on The Kardashians.
The timing of discovering baby Rocky's medical issue was 'miraculous.'
On The Kardashians, Kourtney explained how significant it was that the medical issue was dedicated and corrected when it was. "The timing of it was miraculous. Like that, like, saved everything," she said.
The mom of four continued: "I just feel so grateful that, you know, how everything played out. And for the doctors that really helped to make the best decisions that really saved our baby."
Doctors told Kourtney that what happened was 'super rare.'
"My doctor's like, "There's nothing that you did wrong. It's not age-related. And it's, like, just a super rare thing that happened,'" Kourtney told producers.
The 45-year-old also noted that she received an outpouring of gratitude after sharing about the fetal surgery on social media.
Kourtney explained: "So many people, like, they were so grateful that I posted something about it because they said so many people don't feel comfortable even telling their friends or their family members because they're like, 'Did they do something wrong?' or different things."
She was on bed rest until Rocky was born on November 1.
Following the fetal surgery, Kourtney was put on strict bed rest for the remainder of her pregnancy.
“There’s a hole in the amniotic sac from where they had to go in,” she explained. “So I’m not allowed to drive. I’m not allowed to stand for more than 20 minutes. I’m really not leaving the house.”
Baby Rocky Thirteen Barker arrived on November 1, 2023.
