Mother Gives Birth to Girl After Nine-Month Ectopic Pregnancy, No Abortion

Life News ^ | 6/2/08 | Steven Ertelt

[wagglebee]

Canberra, Australia (LifeNews.com) -- Ask most pro-life advocates whether abortion should be allowed in cases to protect the mother's life and they'll cite instances such as an ectopic pregnancy to justify their position. In an amazing development, one Australian mother delivered a healthy baby girl after going through a nine-month ectopic pregnancy.

An ectopic pregnancy involves situations where the developing unborn child implants into some other tissue other than the uterine wall, where a baby normally develops during pregnancy.

Most ectopic pregnancies occur in the Fallopian tube and are otherwise known as tubal pregnancies, but implantation can also occur in the cervix, ovaries, and abdomen.

When an ectopic pregnancy occurs, the developing baby can sometimes implant in an area that adversely affects a woman's blood vessels and causes bleeding that could become life-threatening.

An ectopic pregnancy that presents life and health issues may result in the need for surgical intervention such as a laparotomy. In other extremely rare cases, like that of Meera Thangarajah, that's not necessary.

For nine months, Thangarajah carried her baby Durga in her ovary instead of her uterus. Following a Caesarean birth, both mother and baby are fine.

Doctors are calling Durga a miracle baby and say the chances of both mother and baby surviving are a million to one.

"This form of pregnancy is rare enough, but to have it go full term is unheard of," obstetrician Andrew Miller told the London Daily Mail. "I have never come across it in any hospital. It truly is a miracle she got a living baby out of it - she's extraordinarily lucky."

He told the newspaper that Thangarajah is lucky the ovary did not stretch and break and result in fatal internal bleeding.

Professor James Walker, spokesman for the British Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, told the Daily Mail that both are "very lucky."

"Not a lot of them will get to term - no more than one in a million and maybe even less than that," he said.

Neither doctors nor the couple expected anything other than a normal pregnancy and it wasn't until the planned Caesarian began that they discovered something amiss.

[wagglebee]

Amazing!

[wagglebee]

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[Sherman Logan]

Good for them!

That such miracles can occur does not change the fact that in ectopic pregnancies early induced abortion should be the logical and ethical rule.

It is better for a baby to die than for a mother AND baby to die. This is, by definition, a pro-life position.

[CarrotAndStick]

Baby Durga stuns medical experts

Tara Ravens

May 31, 2008 12:00am

Little goddess: Meera Thangarajah and her daughter, Durga, who survived an ovarian pregnancy. Picture: AAP

 

THE proud father of a miracle baby born in Darwin has described his wife's pregnancy as a time bomb.

Durga Thangarajah is the only child in Australia -- and possibly the world -- to survive a full-term ovarian pregnancy.

But the healthy 2.8kg bundle was yesterday oblivious to all the fuss caused by her remarkable entry into the world at 8.47am Thursday.

"This form of pregnancy is rare enough, but to have it full-term is unheard of," said obstetrician Andrew Miller, from Darwin Private Hospital.

"I have never come across it in any hospital . . .

"It truly is a miracle she got a living baby out of it."

Ovarian pregnancies are the rarest form of ectopic pregnancies and occur when the egg fails to travel down the fallopian tube and into the uterus.

Instead, the fetus fertilises inside the ovary itself.

Midwife Dee Keogh said the operating room was astonished when 34-year-old Meera Thangarajah was cut open to deliver her second child during a routine caesarean section at 38 weeks.

"We could see the baby straight away," she said.

"Normally the baby is inside the uterus (but) we could see the baby clearly, its hair, all its features. I think everybody just thought wow -- she is one lucky lady."

Ovarian pregnancies affect one in every 40,000 pregnancies and are a life-threatening complication. Such pregnancies are usually terminated before 10 weeks.

Ms Keogh said most expectant mothers suffering from the condition experienced pain or bleeding.

Ravi Thangarajah, 40, was all smiles as he spoke about his new daughter Durga, which means 'goddess' in Hindu.

"The doctor and the paediatrician came in and told me it was like a miracle baby -- you're one of the luckiest men in the world at the moment," he said.

"When you look at all the odds against us . . . I work for Sportingbet Australia and people reckon it's all about the odds. I tell you we beat all the odds!"

Mr Thangarajah said he had to "go to Google" to find out about the condition.

"It's slowly sinking in for me what happened. They keep telling me how risky it was for the mother. We didn't know it was this time bomb," he said. "It could have been a disaster." AAP

Read More...

 

[Das Outsider]

Doctors are calling Durga a miracle baby and say the chances of both mother and baby surviving are a million to one.

A nine-month ectopic pregnancy that results in a live birth, with both the mother and child in good health? Astounding. There are so many things that could have gone wrong from first to third trimester.

Thanks for such a good posting, Wag.

[AngieGal]

The difference must have been because the baby was in her ovary, not her fallopian tube.

I have had an ectopic pregnancy. It was incredibly painful (more so than all three of my other labors - one natural). My tube almost ruptured. I could have died that day. If not for the emergency laparoscopy, I would have. I was only about 7-8 weeks pregnant.

In the case of a true tubal pregnancy, laparoscopic surgery is the only option. People can’t let a pregnancy like that go on it’s own. It’s very dangerous.

I’m as prolife as can be. Through our years of infertility, I was sickened each time I heard of any type of child cruelty of abortion. But, this really was a one in a million. I’m happy for the woman and her baby. I’ve never heard of a baby forming in the ovary before.

[Das Outsider]

The difference must have been because the baby was in her ovary, not her fallopian tube.

A rarity in and of itself. In only half of a percent of ectopic pregnancies does the baby grow in the ovary.

[wagglebee]

Nobody is suggesting that anybody be denied surgery that is absolutely necessary to save their lives.

[Righter-than-Rush]

Ask THIS pro-lifer and I will answer “no exceptions.” Thanks for asking.

[fetal heart beats by 21st day]

It is more than amazing, is it not?

[fetal heart beats by 21st day]

It is more than amazing, is it not?

[Dianna]

The difference must have been because the baby was in her ovary, not her fallopian tube.

I have to believe that the baby was growing, not IN the ovary, but ON it. Inside an ovary (not sure how it would get fertilized), a rupture would surely be as life-threatening as a tubal rupture.

God bless them both! A miracle for sure.

[Dianna]

Ask THIS pro-lifer and I will answer “no exceptions.” Thanks for asking.

So women should continue with ectopic pregnancies so that both mother and baby die?

That isn't pro-life. It's forcing every pregnant woman into a suicide pact with her baby.

[Flying Circus]

This is an exceptional case as it presented no extraordinary stress to the mother for the length of the pregnancy. If it had, action would have been taken to protect the mother.

From a Christian perspective, in cases like ectopic pregnancies the principal of Double Effect comes into play. If the primary purpose of an action is to kill a child then it is immoral, but if the only action available to save the life of the mother has the secondary and unavoidable consequence of killing the child, it is morally acceptable.

From Orthodox Jewish sources, I’ve heard the argument framed in self defense terms- that a woman is required to end the pregnancy if it is a threat to her life.

Muzzies might demand the life of the mother as their fatalistic theology says all is for the will of Allah. Anyway, women are evil, disposable and shame the family honor.

Hindu would probably be most applicable based on the name and look of the mother, and I would expect as many contradictory answers as gods in their pantheon but ultimately allow termination.

[Sherman Logan]

Yup. Losing one life is better than losing two. That seems so common sense that it shouldn’t really require a philosopher or theologian.

[MountainFlower]

I am truly confused! Adoring God for the miracles, yet confused. With ultrasounds they would have known that baby was not in the uterus. Psssst! It WASN’T luck. It was GOD.

[MountainFlower]

It is better for a baby to die than for a mother AND baby to die. This is, by definition, a pro-life position.

Definition of some prolifers, but by no means definition that all approve of.

[Sherman Logan]

Prolifers who disagree are in my opinion not really prolife.

I’m speaking of open and shut cases of severe life risk, such as ectopic pregnancy, of course. Not of the dreaded risk to “life or health” that includes the psychological damage of losing your figure temporarily.

I do greatly honor those women who have chosen to risk their lives to protect the health of their unborn childen. I just don’t think anybody else should push such a decision on them.

[Sherman Logan]

If it had, action would have been taken to protect the mother.

Apparently not. It seems the doctors had no clue the baby wasn't in the uterus till they started the operation. That seems odd to me.