31 May 2023 , 09:28
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A pregnant mum whose baby was operated on in the womb in a medical marvel has spoken of her delight as she prepares to welcome her "little miracle".
Sarah Copeland's unborn daughter underwent incredibly rare surgery last month to correct a hole in the baby's spine.
The baby is Sarah and partner Christian Rayner's first after she suffered two miscarriages, but a 20-week san had revealed the little girl had spina bifida and would be paralysed from the waist down if doctors didn't act.
Spina bifida is a neural tube defect when a baby's spine and spinal cord do not develop properly in the womb, causing a gap in the spine.
Sarah and Christian were "delighted" when a post-op scan showed their baby wriggling about, meaning the surgery had been a success - with the couple now preparing to welcome their child on July 22.
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Sarah, pictured with 11-year-old daughter Mylee and partner Christian (Sarah Copeland / SWNS)
The couple learned of the spinal defect at a 20-week scan (Sarah Copeland / SWNS)"She's my little miracle, and I'm so relieved the op went well," said Sarah.
"We felt truly blessed to see her moving her legs. It was very overwhelming.
"They scanned her straight away and she’s dancing around happy as Larry.
"She's using them fully, and you can see the scar on her has healed already.
"It’s so lovely to be home and for my baby to be doing fine.
"I couldn’t fault the NHS and the hospital at all. The care and the cleanliness was outstanding.
"I’ve not known care like that before. They were so friendly and supportive which made it as pleasant as it could be."
Scans showed Sarah’s unborn baby wriggling her legs in the womb, suggesting the operation was a success (Sarah Copeland / SWNS)Sarah and Christian, a window installer, lost a pregnancy at 10 weeks last July.
Sarah, mum to daughter Mylee, 11, had two miscarriages before and found out she was pregnant in November.
After staff at Basildon Hospital noticed the problem during a scan, Sarah was referred to a specialist team at the hospital in Southend, and then King's College Hospital, London, for surgery on April 26.
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Nerves had come through a hole at the bottom of her baby's spine, and were being damaged by exposure to spinal fluid, Sarah said.
And if untreated, her baby would not be able to move from the waist down by the time she was born, she added.
There was also danger of damage to her baby's brain.
Sarah was 27 weeks pregnant at the time of the op, which gave her baby a 90% chance of gaining movement in her lower body, she said.
Doctors made a cut like a C-section, then used keyhole surgery to go into the protective amniotic sack.
They put the nerves back into the baby's spine and closed the hole with a skin patch.
Sarah’s scar after the operation on her unborn baby (Sarah Copeland / SWNS)Sadly scans showed damage to some nerves so her bladder and bowel might still be affected.
"I’m just so glad that she can move," Sarah said.
"There will be so much more she’ll be able to do now than if I hadn’t had the op.
"She's moving her legs fully, but we're not sure yet if she'll have the muscle tone to stand or walk, and if she does it will take her longer.
"We’re getting the garden flattened so we can get a hot tub and she can have private therapy there."
Foetal surgery is currently in its infant days and is being hailed a major game-changer for families, with a particular focus on babies with spina bifida.
Conditions operable while still in the womb are not limited to the spinal condition, however, with surgeons in India earlier this year successfully fixing a heart defect on an unborn baby.