Weird News: Los Angeles, California Baby Born Still Inside Fluid-Filled Bubble Known as Amniotic Sac
While every baby's birth is a miracle in itself, California doctors were stunned when Silas Philips was born fully encased in his amniotic sac, offering a unique glimpse of life inside the womb.
According to CNN, the miraculous delivery occurred in December when the baby boy was born three months premature by C-section at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. Upon his arrival, doctors discovered that the newborn was still enclosed in the amniotic sac and getting oxygen through the placenta.
A doctor immediately snapped photos of the medical rarity, and the story was later shared on the hospital's Facebook page.
"A baby born in our Maxine Dunitz Children's Health Center was born fully enclosed in the amniotic sac - a term called an 'en caul' birth. The rarity only happens one in every 80,000 births!" reads the Facebook post.
The amniotic sac is an opaque bubble that covers all babies in the womb starting from conception. As the baby grows, it fills with fluid, including the baby's urine, and works as a protective cushion. Normally, it breaks before a woman goes into labor and fluid rushes out, hence the phrase "my water broke."
In this case, the scalpel oddly did not pierce the amniotic sac during the C-section. As a result, the sac was still intact and Silas could be seen in a fetal position inside of the sac, which resembles an opaque bubble of water.
Neonatologist Dr. William Binder told CNN affiliate KCAL that the sight of Silas in the amniotic sac felt surreal.
"Even though it's a cliche -- we caught our breath. It really felt like a moment of awe."
After taking pics of Silas in the sac, Binder worked to release him and help him breathe on his own.
Later, Silas' mother, Chelsea Philips, was shown the cell phone photo of her son.
"I was like, oh my gosh, Silas, you're a little special baby," she told KCAL. "It was definitely like a clear film, where you could definitely make out his head and his hair."
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