A mother whose son was born with his organs outside his body has slammed the doctor who told her to abort her baby after finding out about the birth defect.
Kidspot reported that Holly Hodgson, from Brisbane, discovered that her son, Teddy, had the birth defect, gastroschisis, when a radiologist performing her 12-week ultrasound saw the loops of his intestines poking through a hole in his abdomen.
“The radiologist said it would be fine but then when I went to see my doctor he told me that I should terminate because he had only seen three other cases who all terminated,” Holly tells Kidspot.
However, Ms Hodgson and her husband Stephen refused to accept the doctor’s advice and were surprised to find, through some research onlline that up to 95 per cent of babies diagnosed with the condition survive the pregnancy.
“It makes me sick and angry when I look back on what he said,” Ms Hodgson said.
Ms Hodgson said that she and her husband sought a second opinion and was elated when their son Teddy, now seven months, was delivered.
Teddy was born premature, weighing only 1.9kg on December 14 last year, and his small and large intestine had protruded from his stomach. Thankfully, doctors immediately did everything to save him. He was placed cling wrap, then in a silo bag for 13 days to give his stomach time to grow and his organs could be put back inside.
“It was almost scary because he was still so little it was like holding a little doll,” she said.
Ms Hodgson and Teddy was able to come home eight weeks later.
Ms Hodgson said she contacted the doctor who told her to abort Teddy several months ago but he did not apologise and simply congratulated her on the new addition to her family.
Sources: Dailymail.co.uk and Kidspot.com.au