The procedure was carried out after the infant was detected with spina bifida.
Published: Thu 14 Feb 2019, 10:43 AM
A mum-to-be underwent a groundbreaking surgery where her unborn baby was removed from her womb for medical intervention and then transferred back in.
The procedure was carried out after the infant was detected with spina bifida, a birth defect where there is an incomplete closing of the backbone and membranes around the spinal cord. Spina bifida can affect the child's ability to walk and other functions.
The couple, 26-year-old, Bethan and her husband Kieron, were given the option to terminate the pregnancy after a routine 20-week scan revealed the baby wasn't of the right measurement, Mirror reported.
But they opted to go for the medical procedure that is carried out only in Belgium by a team of Belgian and UK surgeons in London.
The mother and baby went through amniotic fluid tests, MRIs and other scans to prepare for the surgery.
At around 24 weeks, the surgeons removed the baby from the womb and repaired its spinal cord. After the procedure, the baby was transferred back into the womb.
The baby is due for delivery in April this year.
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