Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
My unborn baby had a spinal op in the womb
Docs in groundbreaking surgery for spina bifida
A PREGNANT woman has spoken movingly of her decision to have pioneering surgery on her baby’s spine – while it was inside the womb.
Bethan Simpson was distraught when she discovered her unborn daughter had spina bifida, a condition in which the spinal cord does not fully develop.
But rather than take the first solution she and husband Kieron were offered – to terminate the pregnancy – she opted instead to become the fourth woman in Britain to have this particular surgery.
And the 26-yearold has now urged other mothers whose babies are diagnosed not to give up on them.
Bethan, a nurse, said: “Sadly, 80% of babies in England are terminated when their parents get told their baby has this condition. It’s not a death sentence.
“She has the same potential as every one of us.
“Yes, there are risks of things going wrong but please think more about spina bifida, it’s not what it used to be.
“I feel our baby kick me, day in and day out, that’s never changed.”
Spina bifida can affect a child’s ability to walk, causing paralysis of the limbs, and their ability to go to the toilet normally. But by having the surgery while the baby is still developing, further damage to the spinal cord in the third trimester can be prevented.
Bethan and Kieron, from Burnham, Essex, were given the bombshell news at a routine 20-week scan.
They were then told about foetal spinal surgery, which only became available in the UK in October.
After a referral to the University College London Hospital, they decided to go ahead.
Bethan said: “We agreed to do it. We got approved and we planned for surgery. Our lives were such a roller coaster for the next few weeks.”
At 24 weeks, leading surgeons from Belgium and the UK performed the £9,000 procedure. They cut a small hole in the uterus wall to access the foetus inside the amniotic sac. Before then mums had to go to Belgium or have their babies operated on after the birth when the condition has already progressed.
Bethan, who is due in April, said: “She’s extra special, she’s part of history and our daughter has shown how much she deserves this life.”