Pregnancy and giving birth is difficult as is, so imagine what it must have been like for British mom Sarah-Jane Harrup when she was told her baby needed to undergo a life-saving surgery…while still inside the womb!
Doctors diagnosed Harrup's daughter, Sienna Smith, with a rare condition that would have prevented her from breathing normally after birth. So Harrup made a drastic and risky decision: she allowed a team of 20 medics to conduct a two-hour emergency procedure before the birth.
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According to the Daily Mail, doctors first spotted an odd swelling on Sienna's neck at a 20-week scan. When it came time to perform the procedure at 37 weeks, doctors conducted a C-section and then inserted a breathing tube while the baby was still partially inside the womb. It was only after the tube was inserted that fully removed her and cut the umbilical cord, as in typical births. Thankfully, the rest of the labor went smoothly and Sienna was soon resting in mom's arms.
Wow! Amazing, right? It's pretty incredible what medical and technological advances allow us to do these days. Thanks to those dedicated doctors, an unborn baby in a potentially dire situation was saved. If only every mom-to-be and their child was assured the same amount of help and care!
I'm just glad to see that Sienna is now doing well and that her family was lucky enough to get this happy ending to an otherwise scary ordeal. I wish them all a long and healthy life together!
Image via Thinkstock
