An image of a foetus inside the amniotic sac has been doing the rounds of social for quite sometime now. Shared by Amanda Lynn Gomez, the post has already got close to 160,000 comments and has been shared over 21,000 times.
But that’s not the surprising part. The fact that many mothers shared a similar experience—to what is a rare phenomenon—is what’s making news among netizens.
“It’s a newborn, still in the sac. It’s was an amazing opportunity to see something so rare. Like a glimpse of what it’s like “on the inside”. Hope you all appreciate it as much a s I do. I can’t believe how squished up they are, inside of it! Amazing!
Giving birth with the amniotic sac intact is called a “veiled birth.” It is very rare but it is possible. It is less painful because the water cushions the baby’s head, meaning less bruising for both of you. Don’t worry about the baby drowning, he or she will not take a first breath until he/she hits the air for the first time, and the placenta will continue to provide oxygen until that happens,” wrote Gomez.
This picture is a rare sight of what is commonly called a ‘caul’ or a ‘veiled birth.’ According to Callbearers.org, only one in 80,000 babies are born through a caul birth. Last year, baby Silas Johnson, who was born wrapped in his amniotic sac, made the biggest splash in en caul births. He was delivered at 26-weeks via an emergency cesarean section in Cedars- Sinai (hospital), California, in February.
Johnson is the latest edition to a very small list of ‘caulbearers.’
What is a caulbearer?
A ‘caul’ is a thin membrane that covers the face and head of a newborn baby. This type of birth is extremely rare is also sometimes called a ‘veiled birth,’ since the child is born with a ‘veil’ or a ‘shirt.’
theIndusparent.com spoke to Dr M. J Jassawalla, medical director, Wadia Hospital, Mumbai, to further understand the process. “It is the remnant of the amniotic membrane. In extremely rare cases, the caul can enclose the newborn entirely in what is known as a veiled birth. In such cases the amniotic sac is never broken and the amniotic fluid is not released until the baby is outside the womb,” they said.
While the appearance of a caul maybe frightening to a new mother, the gyneacologist or a midwife can actually remove it easily. In fact, it causes much less bruising to the mother and the baby. Dr M. J Jassawalla suggests that it is easier to conduct a veiled birth during caesarean section than normal vaginal delivery, although veiled delivery is per say difficult to conduct.
However, it should be noted that experts suggest that most en-caul births are premature.
Continue reading to know more about the different types of veiled births.
Different types of veiled births
Such births are divided on the basis of the coverage of the baby in the amniotic sac; and there are two distinct types:
- Caul births: In a caul birth, the face and the head of the baby is covered by a caul. This is formed because the amniotic sac breaks during labour and gets attached to the face and head. This can merely be pulled from the face and is sometimes even given to the mother for keepsake. Sometimes the sac may also cover the baby’s ear, making the procedure a bit difficult. Its removal requires an incision around the baby’s nostrils to ease breathing and careful removal of the membrane.
- En caul births: In en caul births, the baby is born entirely packed inside the fluid-filled amniotic sac. Most of these en caul births are premature and some doctors observe that this type of birth can protect the baby from strong uterine contractions. It may also reduce asphyxiation in premature babies. Many doctors also advise an en caul cesarean section for such babies.
Removal of caul
While the amniotic sac is an opaque bubble like membrane that cushions the baby inside the womb, once outside the body, it is extremely soft and can easily be cut or removed from around the baby. However, sometimes the baby is born with a thick membrane and that makes the process difficult.
A think membrane around the foetus can sometimes make it difficult to be removed
This is how it works in with different kinds of membranes:
- If the caul is made up of amniotic tissue (soft and thin), it can be removed by slipping it away from the baby’s skin.
- If the membrane, however, is thick, a small incision is made around the nose of the baby in order to supply air for him to breathe. It is then carefully un-looped from behind its ears and the remainder is carefully peeled from the rest of the body. If removed too quickly, it can permanently scar the baby.
Complications of veiled birth
As far as the opinion of our clinicians are concerned. It is not a preferable mode of delivery. “If membranes are not ruptured either spontaneously or artificially before delivery, we will not know if baby has passed meconium (in uterine cavity) during labour. Meconium is a definite sign of fetal distress; which if not detected in time can lead to fresh still birth or Asphyxia Neonatorum which can lead to many complications in the neonates,” say Dr M. J Jassawalla from Wadia Hospital, Mumbai.
Famous people who had caul births
Interestingly, caul births are often associated with mystical stories of the birth of a ‘special child.’ Some of the common famous examples include Lord Byron, Napolean, Sigmund Freud and most recently Hollywood actor Jessica Alba’s baby girl Haven Garner.
While a child born from caul birth is no different from a regular child, experts believe that such children have unusual depth of perception. Therefore, there is greater need to raise them sensitively and with deeper understanding.
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