BY HELEN RUMBELOW, MEDICAL REPORTER March 10 2000
 
 

A BABY has defied all the odds in being born by developing outside the womb, clinging to her mother's bowel. She was born at full-term by Caeserian section on Wednesday weighing 4lbs 4oz. Her mother, 42, had been told that she could not have children. Surgeons at the Queen's Medical Centre in Nottingham where the operation took place said mother and baby were lucky to survive.

Doctors did not realise that the pregnancy was ectopicand only decided to perform the Caesarian because of a minor problem with the baby's position. Had the problem been diagnosed earlier the baby would probably have been terminated due to the extreme health risks of ectopic pregnancies, which affects one in 10,000 births.

The mother lost four pints of blood during surgery after the delivery. A surgeon has to be called in to separate the afterbirth from the bowel. She was said to be recovering last night. Her daughter is said to be doing well.

After the surprise pregnancy the mother was given frequent scans because of her age. However, doctors diagnosed the shape of her empty womb as a benign tumour and thought the area that the baby was developing in was the womb.

The birth was an "extremely rare event", said Lawrence Mascarenhas, a consultant obstetrician, who performed the Caesarian.

His medical team were astounded by the baby's survival, which he placed at odds of one-and-a-half million to one.

"When we started the Caesarean and discovered the abnormality I nearly fell through the floor," he said . "I gave the baby just a 5 per cent chance of surviving, and there was a one-in-ten chance the mother wouldn't come through the ordeal. I have never seen this before and the chances are I never will again."

He added: "Instead of working its way through the uterus, the embryo worked its way through a damaged tube into the abdomen.

"The baby developed in an apron of fat, called the omentum, around the bowel, using it for its blood supply through an umbilical chord.

"However, outside of the protective enclosure of the womb, the baby is constantly at risk of rupturing the woman's internal organs.

"It is very rare and very dangerous. If we had discovered it in the early stages we would have terminated the pregnancy because of the risk to the mother.

"It is very rare for a baby of an ectopic pregnancy to survive, but for a baby to be carried full term is a real miracle. She is absolutely perfect.

"We managed to deliver the baby but then faced a battle to save the mother. We had to call in a consultant surgeon to separate the afterbirth from the bowel," he said.

"She lost a lot of blood and so is very weak today, but she is recovering well."

"The baby was absolutely fine from the moment of birth, and has not required intensive care. We are all delighted."

The mother, who has not been named, hopes to recover sufficiently to talk about her experience today.
 
 

www.womenshealth.org/a/ectopic_pregnancy.htm Information on ectopic pregnancy

www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk/conditions/ NHS Direct support groups on ectopic pregnancy