An English mother was shocked when she found out her daughter would be born with her bowels and numerous internal organs outside of her stomach.
“All her kidneys, stomach, liver, fallopian tubes, intestines and ovaries were out,” the mother revealed to South West News Service. “[Her partner] Drew, 23, offered to take a picture [with the baby], but I just refused. I didn’t want to see it.”
One-month-old Dorothy Montgomery was diagnosed with an extreme form of gastroschisis. The condition is a birth defect where a hole in the abdominal wall beside the belly button allows some of a baby’s organs to extend outside of its body, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The infant’s intestines were on top of her stomach when she was delivered.
“I just burst into tears,” the mother admitted.
Dorothy’s mom, Sadie, 21, initially found out about the condition during a 12-week scan in October 2023 but she wasn’t prepared to witness the defect.
“All I remember hearing was the consultant telling me Dorothy’s ‘guts’ were out of her body,” she said. “I kept thinking, ‘What do you mean, guts?'”
Doctors explained that the little girl could be suffering from gastroschisis or exomphalos, a “herniation of abdominal organs through a central abdominal wall defect,” according to Safer Care Victoria.
They suggested different options to confirm Dorothy’s condition, such as undergoing amniocentesis, a procedure to remove amniotic fluid and cells from the uterus for testing or treatment, as detailed by the Mayo Clinic. Pregnant women are advised of the risks of the operation, which include miscarriage.
“I needed to look at my options,” Sadie said. “I had to really think about whether to carry on with the pregnancy.
She decided to opt out of the invasive procedure and conducted a blood test, which confirmed her daughter had gastroschisis.
Sadie tried to research what life would look like for a child with the condition but had trouble finding related information.
“I couldn’t find any other moms going through the same thing as me,” she sighed.
During her 32-week scan, midwives discovered Dorothy’s heart rate was very high, which caused major concern.
Sadie underwent an emergency C-section and delivered the bundle of joy on Feb. 12, 2024, weighing in at 4 pounds.
The doctors wrapped the youngin’ in clingfilm to keep her insides moist and transferred her to Southampton Hospital to treat her condition.
“I just couldn’t face seeing it,” the new mother revealed. “It was hard enough visiting her at Southampton and seeing all the tubes she was attached to.”
Meanwhile, medical professionals were able to compress Dorthoy’s organs back into her stomach by using a silicone bag, or “silo bag.” They covered her umbilical cord with dressing and sterile strips.
“She’s so lucky; she never needed to be put out or operated on, I hear lots of babies with the same condition do,” Sadie added. “It was absolutely crazy — her tummy literally just closed.
The hairdresser, from Amesbury, Wiltshire, admitted that the little one’s visits to the doctor’s office have become less frequent since being discharged.
“She’s doing really well — which is crazy given how far she’s come,” Sadie gushed.
