SSAINTILIP
SSAINTOIX
SSAINTUIS
SSAINTWIS
SSAINTILIP b@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2005-09-27 published
Miracle baby gives men pregnant pause
Infant who grew outside uterus boosts theory that males can give
birth
By Omar EL
AKKAD,
With reports from Elizabeth
SSAINTILIP and
Avis FAVARO of CTV News, Tuesday, September 27, 2005, Page A17
Until Lia THARBY finally gave birth, doctors did not know what
was going on inside her body. If they had, they would have advised
terminating her pregnancy.
But test after test failed to show that the fetus was growing
outside her uterus, a condition so rare only four similar births
have been documented worldwide. The situation is extremely risky,
endangering the lives of both mother and baby because of the
great potential for complications.
On April 30, Ms.
THARBY gave birth to her daughter, Emylea, at
33 weeks. It was only during the vertical caesarean section that
doctors discovered the umbilical cord was attached to the outside
of the uterus. Emylea had grown in her mother's abdominal cavity,
her skull flattened slightly from butting Ms.
THARBY's liver.
The baby's survival, while being described as miraculous, also
lends credibility to a theory almost universally relegated to
the realm of science fiction: that any human, woman or man, can
give birth.
Researchers theorize that a fetus can grow in the abdominal cavity
if the placenta manages to latch on to an organ capable of sustaining
it. The risk of failure is great, but the process is possible.
"This is nature's experimentation," said Victor
HAN, chair of
the division of neonatal-perinatal medicine at St. Joseph's Health
Care in London, Ontario, where Ms.
THARBY, 28, gave birth.
If the appropriate conditions are created and the right hormones
produced, any person can conceive, he said. But, he added, if
the placenta latched on to an organ such as the liver, the organ
could malfunction or a major hemorrhage could occur. The uterus
is a far better candidate because its purpose is reproduction,
he said.
Emylea has a dislocated hip and two club feet, but bears no other
signs of her unconventional route from conception to birth. The
outcome has stunned and delighted not just her parents, Ms.
THARBY
and Todd MILLER, but also doctors at St. Joseph's.
"You can say that Emylea eluded physicians from being diagnosed
properly as being outside the uterus," Dr.
HAN said. "If the
diagnosis had happened early on, Emylea would not have made it
through," he added, noting the pregnancy likely would have been
terminated because of the risk to the mother.
He hailed the event as important for researchers because of the
light it could shed on this rare type of pregnancy, known as
extrauterine.
It was not a physically pleasant experience for Ms.
THARBY, who
had been warned her first pregnancy could be uncomfortable but
had no idea what was in store.
"It felt like razors cutting me up from inside every time she
moved," she said of the severe abdominal pain she suffered. The
pain got worse as Emylea grew. It was only after Ms.
THARBY gave
birth that doctors realized the baby had been slowly putting
more pressure on her mother's liver.
Three ultrasounds had shown no sign of the extrauterine pregnancy.
Unlike most ectopic, or "out of place," pregnancies, in which
a fertilized egg becomes implanted outside the uterus in a Fallopian
tube, an extrauterine pregnancy can develop without the fetus
bursting the organ that contains it. However, the condition is
so rare that doctors did not consider the possibility Ms.
THARBY
had it.
In hindsight, she is thrilled the problem was not discovered,
which likely would have meant ending the pregnancy.
"I felt extremely lucky that they didn't know what was wrong."
Emylea, who arrived weighing four pounds, 13 ounces, dislocated
both hips at birth. One hip popped back into place, but she will
need surgery to repair the other. Her parents are also massaging
her feet daily to try to align her heels. Ms.
THARBY said Emylea
does not appear to feel pain from her physical problems, and
she is confident the baby will be completely normal.
Ms. THARBY, however, can no longer bear children because doctors
had to remove some of her reproductive organs.
The story of Emylea, she said, has overwhelmed her at times.
"I find that I believe in miracles a lot more now than I did
before. I remember I was praying to God every night, because
I was scared I was going to lose her. But he answered my prayers,
because she's here with me today."
S... Names SS... Names Welcome Home
SSAINTILIP - All Categories in OGSPI
SSAINTOIX b@ca.on.middlesex_county.london.london_free_press 2006-02-09 published
ZANDRI /
VAN
DEN
BRINK /
SSAINTOIX
We got a 2nd Super Bowl Ring this week in the way of our beautiful
grand_son, he came to us like a 90 yard touch down with seconds
left, Ayden Riley, 9 lbs, 6 ozs and 21" long, was born 5: 49 p.m.
on February 7th. Proud parents are Tonia and Neil.
S... Names SS... Names Welcome Home
SSAINTOIX - All Categories in OGSPI
SSAINTUIS b@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2006-03-03 published
MacDONALD,
India
Rose
Sinclair
Georgina (née
GRAY/GREY) and Andy celebrate with boundless joy the
birth of India Rose Sinclair
MacDONALD.
Rosie arrived Wednesday,
January 11, 2006, borne on the wings of angels. She joins a large,
loving family thrilled by the news of her birth. Rosie is welcomed
by her brother, David, enthusiastic sister, Schuyler, grandparents
Robin GRAY/GREY,
Archie
SSAINTUIS, Gwynneth and Keith
MacDONALD, and
her many aunts, uncles and cousins.
S... Names SS... Names Welcome Home
SSAINTUIS - All Categories in OGSPI
SSAINTWIS b@ca.on.middlesex_county.london.london_free_press 2006-11-04 published
IRVINE,
Riley
Michelle
Big sisters Abagail and Gwendalyn are thrilled to announce the
birth of their baby brother Riley Michelle
IRVINE on Thursday
November 2nd, 2006 at 7: 11 p.m., weighing 6 lbs, 13 ozs, 19"
tall. Proud parents are Sean and Stephanie
IRVINE of London.
Proud grandparents are John and Yvonne
IRVINE of London and Ewan
and Suzanne
SSAINTWIS of Long Sault Ontario. Special thanks to
Dr. Rachel and Nurse Judy and all the Staff at Saint_Joseph's Health
Care Centre.
S... Names SS... Names Welcome Home
SSAINTWIS - All Categories in OGSPI