This Baby Born ‘En Caul’ Makes Adorable Faces from ‘Inside the Womb’
It's an incredibly rare occurrence.
Childbirth is a miracle in itself. But it’s even more extraordinary when a baby is born “en-caul,” meaning the amniotic sac remains unbroken during the birth which makes the infant appear to be inside a bubble.
The rare phenomenon (it only happens in about one out of 80,000 births) is exactly how Noah Valasco was brought into the world on January 28. At Praia da Costa Hospital in Brazil, mom Monyck Valasco gave birth to her son via C-section.
“An en-caul birth occurs when the baby is born without breaking the amniotic sac,” gynecologist Rafael Angelo Baggieri, who helped deliver Noah, explained to the Daily Mail. “In other words, within a little house which shelters it during gestation.” He added that it’s even more unusual during cesarean section since it requires the scalpel not to puncture the sac.
Brith photographer Janaina Oliveira captured it all in a series of photos that are now going viral on social media. “It was an incredible moment for the whole team,” Oliveira told CafeMom. “Even though we have seen [en-caul] deliveries, none was like Noah’s—he was making a face and pouting!”
And Valasco, 34, was equally in awe of the en-caul birth. According to CafeMom, the new mom, who wrote on Facebook that she had a very difficult pregnancy with Noah, told reporters, “I saw him being born. They lowered the screen so I could see. I cried a lot. It’s an emotion that has no size.”
Baby Noah was monitored in the hospital for five days due to a respiratory issue before heading home to join his new family on February 2.
