When there’s a baby on the way, every parent wants to know that their incoming bundle of joy is healthy. While the baby grows, necessary precautions are taken to ensure the safety of the mother and baby by performing routine ultrasounds, tests, and samples to make sure everything is developmentally on track. If it’s not, then parents and doctors can know in advance and be prepared for whatever the next necessary course of action is.
However, nothing can really prepare you for when your baby has a life-threatening abnormality that could very much complicate their quality of life. Naomi Findlay and Dean Wilkins from Nottingham, England, were in for the shock with their first child when, during a routine scan, the couple learned that their baby was 1 in 100,000.
Naomi and Dean were told that their sweet unborn baby girl has a rare condition known as ectopia cordis where her heart and bowel are located and growing outside of her body. This is a very rare condition with very low odds of survival–a one in 10 chance–leading to many of these pregnancies becoming terminated.
As Naomi’s pregnancy developed, the health of the baby was starting to look more promising as her bowels were now safely inside with only her heart remaining outside. While this was good news all around, doctors still worried she could have a fatal chromosomal abnormality.
“I had prepared myself for the worst; that was my way of dealing with it,” says Naomi. “I genuinely didn’t think my baby would survive.” But with a dedicated team of over 50 medical professionals, Vanellope Hope Wilkins was born via a cesarean section, immediately undergoing surgery soon after to relocate her heart inside of her chest.
Naomi made it to 35 weeks before she had to undergo an emergency c-section where she and Dean were holding their breath for every second along the way. Vanellope came out with a scream which gave them the hope they needed. After the incredible team of professionals safely delivered the baby, Vanellope had to undergo three surgeries to add in a secure chest structure to protect her heart before she was able to go home to be there permanently. Dean says, “There is still a lot she has to undergo yet but she is home and that’s the first step.”
Click below to watch more about this incredible story: the content is a little sensitive.
