Doctor Delivers Baby ‘En Caul,’ Newborn Remains ‘In the Womb’ Post-Birth

The birth of a child is a miraculous thing, but it’s also pretty fucking weird ⏤ a potent cocktail of unimaginable pain, gross fluids, and an alien emerging from a human uterus. This video of a rare birth highlights exactly how miraculous and bizarre the entire event can be. In it, a baby is born ‘en caul,’ or still inside the amniotic sac ⏤ the fluid-filled bag that holds and protects a fetus while they are in the womb. For nearly seven minutes, the baby essentially rests comfortably inside the womb ⏤ but outside their mom’s body. It’s wild.

The child was delivered by Dr. Rodrigo da Rosa Filho and was one of three triplets, two of which were born en caul. Dr. Rosa Filho decided to temporarily keep the child in the amniotic sac and a video shows him and others observing and admiring the newborn as she wiggles around, unaware that she has already been born.

Dr. Rosa Filho posted the video on his Instagram with a caption that translates to: “Yesterday we birthed the triplets! And Joaquim was born veiled (when the waters/sac does not break). We were delighted. But then came Adeline . . . she was also born en caul, and left us all admiring her as she slept soundly. We stayed (that way) for seven minutes observing her behavior as if it were still inside her belly. It’s the magic of life.”

En caul births are extremely rare, occurring in only one out of every 80,000 births. The caul is completely harmless for children and can easily be removed by a doctor or nurse.