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Medical Miracle Sees Unborn Baby "Born" Twice

Mother took risks to save life of baby and add fifth child to home

By Peter J. Smith

LAREDO, Texas, June 10, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Medical pre-natal miracles continue to abound as technology develops, but the latest miracle has the particular distinction of actually having been "born" twice and has the very special name of "Hope."

Macie Hope McCartney returned home on Saturday at the age of four weeks after doctors delivered her a second time from her mother's womb and entrusted her to her father and mother, Chad and Keri McCartney. However, the little girl would not be alive were it not for a daring pre-natal surgery that required doctors to partially deliver her in order to remove what would have been a fatal tumor.

Just four months into Keri McCartney's pregnancy, an ultrasound revealed a tumor growing on the baby's tailbone the size of a grapefruit - nearly as large as the baby herself - that was stealing the baby's blood and weakening her heart.

Armed with the hope of just a 10% chance at survival, but facing the certain death of their child if nothing was done, the McCartneys' entrusted their unborn daughter's fate to the skillful surgeons at Texas Children's Hospital in Houston.

Dr. Darrell Cass, the fetal surgeon who led the team that saved Macie Hope's life, described the procedure - a four hour long operation that carried great risks both to the life of Macie Hope and her mother - in an exclusive interview with the TODAY Show .

Surgeons anesthetized Keri McCartney into a deep sleep in order to make sure the womb did not think the pregnancy was over during the procedure. After finding the right place that would not disturb the placenta, surgeons opened the womb and extracted about 80 percent of Macie Hope's body, leaving only her head and upper body inside.
 
Cass's team worked fast since exposure to air carried the risk the baby - no heavier than 4 ounces - would go into cardiac arrest. After 20 minutes of operating, surgeons removed the tumor, replaced Macie in the safe environment of the womb, and then carefully resealed the uterus to make sure that amniotic fluid did not leak out. Fortunately there were no other complications. The baby grew for another 10 weeks inside her mother and was born healthy on May 3.

"The pregnancy lasted another 10 weeks, which allowed Macie to recover from this tumor that had been killing her," Cass told TODAY.

The parents have stated that they are overjoyed at being able to finally go home, and bring the latest addition to their family to her four anxious siblings.

See the exclusive story on Macie Hope McCartney with TODAY:
http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/24999650/

See related coverage by LifeSiteNews.com:

Unborn Baby Undergoes Successful Surgery at 22 Weeks Gestation
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/jun/08060901.html

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