In a rare incidence, a baby at LA Cedars-Sinai Medical Center was born still inside the amniotic sac, with the placenta and the amniotic fluid full intact. The doctor who delivered the baby by C-section said it is a "medical miracle."
The occurrence has been called a medical rarity; the baby was born at 26 weeks. Baby Silas, as he is named was inside the amniotic fluid bag when he was delivered two and a half months ago.
The baby was born at West Hollywood hospital's Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, a section of the Maxine Donitz Children's Health Center.
"This was really a moment that will stick in my memory for some time," said neonatologist William Binder, the doctor who delivered the infant.
"It was a moment that really did — even though it's a cliché — we caught our breath. It really felt like a moment of awe."
Reports said that the delivery staff waited about 10 seconds before cutting away at the amniotic sac. The fluid filled sac was removed in order to help the baby breathe on its own. Dr. Binder took a photo with his cell phone before working on the baby, born three months premature. The photo revealed the baby when he was just seconds old.
The baby's mother came to know about her baby, when she was shown photos on the doctor’s cell.
“It was definitely like a clear film where you could definitely make out his head and his hair. He was kind of in a fetal position and you could see like his arms and his legs curled up,” she said. “It was actually really cool to see.”
In 2013, U.S. News & World Report ranked Cedars-Sinai #13 out of hospitals across the United States and #3 in the western United States, behind only UCLA Medical Center and UCSF Medical Center.