En caul birth: Incredible video shows baby being ‘unwrapped’ from amniotic sac

 

We’ve all watched One Born Every Minute and seen the miracle of birth play out before our very eyes, from a totally different angle! But how often do we get to watch an en caul birth in action? Well, given that it occurs for every one in 80,000 births, the answer is not that often!

 

This is why we – along with thousands of people all over the world – are in awe of the latest video shared by the team behind the Female Wellness Instagram account.

 

The video shows a baby being ‘unwrapped’ after being born en caul – or with its amniotic sac still fully intact.

 

The black-and-white footage shows the baby, still inside his sac, being held in the doctor’s hands. He waits a moment before opening the sac, to the show the newborn tot’s little hands moving around inside.

 

 

Unwrapping a baby What a way to welcome this little miracle into the world! This is what we call an ‘En Caul’ birth. An En Caul Birth (ECB) is one in which the baby is born entirely inside the fluid-filled amniotic sac (seen in only about 1/80000 births). Most ECB's births are premature, & some doctors have observed that this type of birth can protect a newborn from the mechanical pressure of overly strong uterine contractions. It has been suggested that En Caul C-section deliveries might be advisable for extremely fragile premature babies. This little guy is seen still breathing through the mother's placenta! There have been cases where infants born in a complete caul have survived up to 25 minutes of extra uterine life inside this intact sac! Apart from the presence of the unbroken amniotic sac, En caul C-section deliveries also differ from conventional C-sections in that the incision in the mother’s abdomen is made in a different place. This method, in addition to reducing the incidence of pressure-related injuries to premature newborns, also may reduce the incidence of asphyxiation in premature infants. Seeing moments like this captured can really put the blessing of life into perspective for all of us!

A post shared by Mona V. Elsness (@femalewellness) on May 18, 2017 at 6:53am PDT

 

“This little guy is seen still breathing through the mother’s placenta!” the caption reads.

 

Then, the hands carefully pierce the thin mebrane of the amniotic sac, unwrapping it to give the baby his first breath of air from the outside world. It is just mesmerising to watch.

 

If you ever wanted to know the ins-and-outs of an en caul birth, then you will find the video’s caption really interesting. The Female Wellness team explains what happens during an en caul birth and why they occur.

 

“It has been suggested that en caul C-section deliveries might be advisable for extremely fragile premature babies,” they write, explaining that there have been cases where tots born en caul have survived up to 25 minutes of ‘extra uterine life’ inside the intact sac. Wow.

 

“Seeing moments like this captured can really put the blessing of life into perspective for all of us!” they added. We couldn’t agree more.

 

 

This is just one of a number of amazing videos of en caul births doing the rounds online.

 

Last year, we were all-amazement as a woman named Jasmine Perez shared an incredible piece of footage on Facebook. In it, the baby emerges into the world fully en caul, and can be seen moving its limbs around before the doctor pierces the sac with a scalpel.

 

The video has clocked up over 26 MILLION views – and we can completely see why. It’s not often that we get to witness such a rare and beautiful phenomenon.

 

Be sure to share this video with a fellow mum or mum-to-be, to remind her of the amazing miracle of birth and life.