{"id":245246,"date":"2021-05-17T13:36:28","date_gmt":"2021-05-17T18:36:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.liveaction.org\/news\/?p=245246"},"modified":"2021-05-16T20:13:43","modified_gmt":"2021-05-17T01:13:43","slug":"mom-in-utero-surgery-spina-bifida","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/mom-in-utero-surgery-spina-bifida\/","title":{"rendered":"Mom undergoes in-utero surgery for son with spina bifida to give him ‘the best life’"},"content":{"rendered":"
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In-utero surgery for spina bifida, a condition in which the spinal cord is exposed to amniotic fluid through an opening in the baby’s back, is proving to be more beneficial for people with the condition than post-birth surgery. Baby Max<\/a> is one of the latest preborn babies to undergo the surgery, and the first at Lurie Children’s Hospital in Wisconsin.<\/p>\n

The surgery is typically done around 25 weeks in pregnancy and carries risks including premature birth, but Max’s parents Mallorie and Chris knew it was the best chance they had at helping their son, their second child.<\/p>\n

“We found out at our 20-week ultrasound that he was diagnosed with spina bifida,” Mallorie told WGN9<\/a>. “I had heard of it, but I didn’t really know what it was so at that point it was really scary.”<\/p>\n

The couple was referred to Dr. Robin Bowman, a fetal neurosurgeon, who told them about the surgery. It was once considered invasive, but now, it can be done with smaller incisions.<\/p>\n

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