Docs take out unborn baby from womb for surgery, puts it back after procedure

London, Feb 13: Instances like these are not often seen in the medical domain but when they happen, they indeed leave the world stunned.

According to a report in UK-based LadBible, a pregnant woman's unborn child had to undergo an emergency procedure and for that, the doctors removed it for the surgery and then put it back into her womb after the procedure got over.

Bethan Simpson, 26, was over 20 weeks-pregnant in early December 2018 when her baby was diagnosed with spina bifid, a form of birth defect.

The doctors then gave Bethan to choose from three options: continue with her pregnancy, terminate it or undergo the unique procedure.

Bethan went for the third option taking her future child's health into consideration even though it was unique and the procedure turned out to be successful at the end.

The would-be-mother also shared the instance on Facebook along with several pictures and it went viral on social media.

The fetal surgery was conducted at the University College London Hospital (UCLH) last month and Bethan's case was only the fourth in the UK.

Reports said the surgery was carried out to repair the unborn baby's spine and it has now improved its capacity to walk after birth.

Medical experts say that babies born with spina bifida often lack the capacity to walk and require multiple operations as adults to overcome the challenge.

Bethan's consent to the option of having a surgery on her unborn baby was always fraught with risk but she yet went ahead to see it healthy.

"We were a success. Her lesion was small, and she smashed surgery like you wouldn't believe. I'm fragile and sore but as long as she is doing fine, that's all we care about," Bethan wrote in her Facebook post.

She also thanked the doctors and her family for the courage and cooperation.