Doctors saved a baby born with her organs outside of her body by using a surprisingly simple trick and no surgery.
Sadie Montgomery, 21, from Wilshire, United Kingdom, went in for her 12-week scan and discovered that her preborn daughter, Dorothy, had an extreme form of gastroschisis.
Dorothy had a hole in her belly button that allowed her intestines to extend outside of her body. The CDC says, “The hole can be small or large and sometimes other organs, such as the stomach and liver, can be found outside of the baby’s body as well.”
Dorothy’s case was particularly severe. Not only did her intestines protrude outside her body, but also her fallopian tubes, kidneys, stomach, liver, and ovaries.
“It was right at the last bit, the nurse noticed a ‘mass’ on the umbilical cord, or where it should’ve been,” Sadie told South West News Service. “I was only 21, and I asked her what the hell she meant by that. She gently told me that sometimes babies’ tummies don’t form properly. I just burst into tears.”
“All I remember hearing was the consultant telling me Dorothy’s ‘guts’ were out of her body.”
When Dorothy was born on February 12, the reality was even more staggering than expected. Sadie described, “It wasn’t just her bowel, or her umbilical cord, like I was expecting. It was everything. All her kidneys, stomach, liver, fallopian tubes, intestines, and ovaries were out.”
Despite the daunting prognosis, treating the newborn required no surgery, just a common household item.
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Doctors wrapped Dorothy in cling film to keep her insides moist.
Sadie recalled, “I was really lucky because they put her in a towel, and I got to see her for a little while.”
The newborn was then transferred to Southampton Hospital, where doctors gently compressed Dorothy’s organs back into her body using a silicone bag and Steri Strips, the kind of adhesive wound closures you would find at a drugstore.
Dorothy was cured in two weeks!
Reflecting on the ordeal, Montgomery expresses her disbelief, “It was absolutely crazy, her tummy literally just closed.”
Today, Dorothy is thriving, a testament to her resilience and the efficacy of the treatment. Montgomery marvels at her daughter’s progress, stating, “She’s doing really well… Which is crazy given how far she’s come.”
Dorothy’s story offers hope and inspiration to parents everywhere facing difficult prenatal diagnoses.
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