About 1 in 3,000 babies are born with gastroschisis every year.
Elliotte Sargent was born in September 2016 and is one of those babies. While in the womb, she was diagnosed with a very rare condition called gastroschisis. Its cause is currently unknown. Those who have suffered from this are born with body parts bulging outside of the abdomen. This is because the organs did not form as they normally do in the womb.
For Elliotte, her bowels, stomach, ovaries, and fallopian tubes were outside her body when she was born. Doctors used a plastic bag to cover her organs right before she received life-saving surgery minutes after she was born. They did this so her organs would not become infected. After a two-hour surgery, surgeons were able to put some of Elliotte’s organs back into her body. Some parts would not fit during the surgery so they used a plastic bag to cover them until they naturally fall back into her stomach. After receiving surgery on the 8th day, Elliotte’s parent’s Mary and William were finally able to hold her first the first time.
After a two-hour surgery, surgeons were able to put some of Elliotte’s organs back into her body. Some parts would not fit during the surgery so they used a plastic bag to cover them until they naturally fell back into her stomach. After receiving another surgery on the 8th day after her birth, Elliotte’s parents, Mary and William, were finally able to hold her for the first time.
Elliotte was able to go home from the hospital after 63 days. She has recovered but still has check-ups. It is not likely that she will need any more surgeries related to the condition.
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