GIVING BIRTH is traumatic enough as it is, so imagine having to do it twice for one baby.
Well, that’s exactly what Jacqueline Schumer has to go through in the space of 14 weeks.
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The first-time mum, from the US, revealed in a TikTok video her daughter’s condition.
In a clip that has racked up over two million views, Jacqueline wrote that her child had Spina Bifida.
She added: “When you find out that you have to give birth at 23 weeks GA baby so she can get spinal surgery.
The mum added that her daughter would then be put back in her body to grow her for another 14 weeks until she’s born again.
One viewer asked the mum: “What do they do with the amniotic sac and fluid afterwards??? Curious.”
Jacqueline responded, saying she had fetal surgery at 23 weeks and is now 30 weeks pregnant on bed rest.
She revealed a lot of the fluid spilled out and was replaced with a type of IV fluid until her baby began to make its own fluid again.
They then close the sac and Jacqueline goes to the doctor weekly to check the fluid levels until she has her c-section.
“It’s absolutely incredible what they can do,” she added.
In the caption, Jacqueline revealed that her daughter was doing great and that the fluid levels were normal.
Viewers were stunned by the fact Jacqueline would technically be given birth to her daughter twice.
One wrote: “Omg this is a thing!????”
Another commented: “My brain cannot fathom that this is possible.”
A third penned: “I didn’t know this was possible.”
Meanwhile, a fourth added: “Wait what?! That is a thing? You can put them back in?”
Spina bifida explained
THERE are several kinds of spina bifida, some severe, others less so. In all, the neural tube that runs from brain down the length of the spine doesn’t form properly when the baby develops in the womb.
In the most severe types there is damage to the nervous system, leading to symptoms that can include paralysis, incontinence, and loss of sensation.
Now pioneering treatment can prevent that, by operating on the baby while still in the womb to patch the defect in the spine and protect the nerves. This gives the nervous system a far better chance, though it’s not a guarantee all will be normal.
When surgeons first did this op in the UK, they used a conventional incision through the mother’s abdomen, much like a caesarean. But soon they switched to a keyhole procedure.
Nobody knows what causes most cases of spina bifida, but the condition can usually be spotted at the 20-week scan
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