Politics
Tuesday June 10, 2008
Medical Miracle Sees Unborn Baby "Born" Twice
Mother took risks to save life of baby and add fifth child to home
TODAY'S HEADLINES
E-MAIL
PRINT
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
Back to TopLatest Headlines
- US Congress Passes Health Care Reform Bill 220 - 215
- Stupak Amendment to Health Care Bill Passes 240 - 194 Saturday Evening
- NY Times: Dems Banking on Later Squeezing Pro-Life Language Out of Bill in Committee
- USCCB Spokesman: "Definitely Not True" that Bishops Support Bill As it Stands
- TIME Got it Wrong - Prof. George Opposed Grandiose Kennedy Funeral
- Major Health Care Development - Pro-Life Stupak Amendment Vote OK'd for Saturday
- USCCB Condemnation Tears Facade off "Phony" Abortion Compromise for Health Bill
- Health Care Bill Includes Monthly Abortion Premium: House Minority Leader Boehner
- TIME Article Setting Burke Against O'Malley Called "Tactical strike" on Behalf of Catholic Left
- Dirty Fighting on Abortion Funding: Word-Games and Health-Care Theatrics Boggle the Mind
- Commentary on November 6 News
- Note to LifeSiteNews Subscribers with Rogers email addresses
- New York Gov. Declares Nov. 10 Extraordinary Legislative Session for Same-Sex "Marriage"
- Washington's Pro-Family Amendment Effort Defeated - R-71 Almost Certain to Pass
- Vote Pushed Back on Canadian Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide Bill to Dec. 2
- Elderly U.K. Couple in Good Health Commit Suicide, Complain of Assisted Suicide Law
- Texas Late-Term Abortionist and Baptist Minister Admits: "Am I killing? Yes, I am"
- New Evidence Contradicts CCHD's Findings on Accused Pro-Abortion Partner
- Quebec Priest Denies Possibility of Sexual Reorientation Therapy on TV
- New Hampshire Same-Sex "Marriage" Law in Crosshairs after Maine's Law Crumbles
- Brooklyn Bishop Criticized for Recorded Message Praising Pro-Abortion Politician
- First Group of "Traditionalist" Anglicans in Britain Votes to Enter Catholic Church
Most Read this Week
- Planned Parenthood Director Resigns after Watching Ultrasound of Abortion Procedure
- Nun Defiant Following Rebuke, but Stops Abortion Escorting
- Breaking: Dominican Community Apologizes for Nun Caught Acting as Abortion Escort
- TIME Article Setting Burke Against O'Malley Called "Tactical strike" on Behalf of Catholics Left
- Over 200 Christendom College Students Protest Abortion at Planned Parenthood Clinic
- US Congress Passes Health Care Reform Bill 218 to 215
- Newly Identified Corporate Supporters of Planned Parenthood Named
- Scottish Gay Rights Activists Found Guilty of Pedophilia Sentenced to Life Imprisonment
- Major Health Care Bill Development - Stupak Hyde Amendment Vote OK'd
- Health Care Bill Includes Monthly Abortion Premium: House Minority Leader Boehner
MORE NEWS: 
LifeSiteNews.com Home Page Last 10 Days Archives Special Reports
Copyright © LifeSiteNews.com. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivatives License. You may republish this article or portions of it without request provided the content is not altered and it is clearly attributed to "LifeSiteNews.com". Any website publishing of complete or large portions of original LifeSiteNews articles MUST additionally include a live link to www.LifeSiteNews.com. The link is not required for excerpts. Republishing of articles on LifeSiteNews.com from other sources as noted is subject to the conditions of those sources.