It's hard for parents when doctors say that their baby will die shortly after birth. That was the case of a baby girl in Liverpool, England. The parents of Aniyah Todd were told that the baby won't live beyond her birth but the infant defied all medical odds and has recently turned four months old.
Aniyah is an identical twin who was born in July with her brain outside of her skull, a rare condition called encephalocele, Daily Mail reported. She only had 10 percent of her brain, with her condition first detected during the 13-week scan.
Charlotte Youds and Will Todd (both 20 years old) were told by specialists that their daughter Aniyah would barely function and likely die at birth because of the missing 90 percent of her brain. Doctors also warned the couple that Aniyah would need oxygen so she can breathe and be comfortable until she passes away.
Aniyah Todd, from Liverpool, was diagnosed with encephalocele - and her family were warned she would likely die.… https://t.co/atBo5R5vn3
— World Health News (@WorldHealthNews) November 11, 2016
Youds recalled that Aniyah "struggled to breathe" and "turned cold in our arms." They were prepared to accept the baby's fate and just let her go. It was a miracle, however, when Aniyah was still breathing after an hour. Even the doctors, who regularly checked on Aniyah at the time, were shocked that the child managed to survive that long.
A day later, Aniyah went into life-saving neurosurgery. After five days, the baby seemed to be doing well so doctors took her off the ventilator. Aniyah stopped breathing afterward so doctors hooked her up to the ventilator again.
Doctors once again advised Aniyah's parents to say goodbye to the baby. After going home the same day, Aniyah began breathing on her own and started drinking without a feeding tube. Aniyah's only medication right now is for her reflux and she still needs regular checkups with doctors.
Youds said that her baby "has done everything that doctors said she wouldn't so far." She shared that Aniyah "can lift her head up and look around" and smile or laugh. The child is also alert and does a "little dance" when she hears music, which she loves.
Encephalocele occurs when "the neural tube does not close completely during pregnancy," according to the U,S, Centers For Disease Control and Prevention. The neural tube is a narrow channel that "folds and closes during the third and fourth weeks of pregnancy to form the brain and spinal cord."
In the United States, one in 12,200 babies (or 340 infants annually) are born with encephalocele every year. Pregnant women who take 400 micrograms of folic acid each day before and during early pregnancy can lower their babies' encephalocele risk.
