One look at the image below, and you might think that the baby kicked its feet right out of the mother’s uterus. In reality, it’s because of a tear in the woman’s uterus which caused part of the amniotic sac to pop out.
Image source: The New England Journal of Medicine ©2016
It’s one of only 26 reported cases
While the image might look alarming, the woman actually had no idea of what was happening inside her body. Only when she went in for a routine ultrasound was the problem identified.
According to Dr. Pierre-Emmanuel Bouet, an OB/GYN at the Angers University Hospital in France, the condition is “extremely rare”, and it’s one of only 26 reported cases worldwide.
Based on the report by Dr. Bouet’s team, it’s the woman’s 6th pregnancy, and her 5 children were all delivered through C-section prior. It could be possible that the C-sections have weakened the walls of her uterus. He added that while the C-section scars were strong, the area surrounding it was fragile, and the forces that were exerted during the woman’s pregnancy could have caused the tear.
The amniotic sac can also rupture
Image source: iStock
The woman’s doctors informed her and her husband about the risks, which include uterine tearing, preterm birth, and placenta accreta, or wherein the placenta fails to detach from the walls of the uterus after giving birth.
Bouet added that the amniotic sac can also rupture. In case this happens, doctors can perform an emergency C-section to try and save the baby. However, if it’s still too early in the pregnancy, the chances of survival can be very slim.
According to the report, the woman and her husband chose to go through with the pregnancy, whilst being closely being monitored by doctors.
By 30 weeks, the tear was so large that part of the baby’s abdomen also went outside of the uterus. Thankfully, the baby had successfully been delivered through C-section, weighing 3 lbs at the time of delivery. The doctors checked in with the mother and her son after six months. And they have noted that both of them are doing well.
Sources: parents.com, livescience.com
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