The miracle of life - have your tissues handy ...

I just received this email - granted it may be one of those urban myth stories with an enhanced photo but I don't think so. I have been present at many, many c-sections and know how active babies are when still in the uterus. Anyway, take it with a pinch of salt or not, the message is still awesome!

"This is picture of a 21-week-old unborn baby named Samuel Alexander Armas, who is being operated on by surgeon named Joseph Bruner. The baby was diagnosed with spina bifida and would not have survived if removed from his mother's womb. Little Samuel's mother, Julie Armas, is an obstetrics nurse in Atlanta. She knew of Dr. Bruner's remarkable surgical procedure. Practicing at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, he performs these special operations while the baby is still in the womb.

During the procedure, the doctor removes the uterus via C-section and makes a small incision to operate on the baby.

As Dr.Bruner completed the surgery on Samuel, the little guy reached his tiny, but fully developed hand through the incision and firmly grasped the surgeon's finger. Dr.Bruner was reported as saying that when his finger was grasped, it was the most emotional moment of his life, and that for an instant during the procedure he was just frozen, totally immobile.

The photograph captures this amazing event with perfect clarity. The editors titled the picture, 'Hand of Hope.' The text explaining the picture begins, 'The tiny hand of 21-week- old fetus Samuel Alexander Armas emerges from the mother's uterus to grasp the finger of Dr. Joseph Bruner as if thanking the doctor for the gift of life.'

Little Samuel's mother said they 'wept for days' when they saw the picture. She said, 'The photo reminds us pregnancy isn't about disability or an illness, it's about a little person.' Samuel was born in perfect health, the operation 100 percent successful."


[align=center] [/align]

You may now reach for the tissues!!

 

Lovely story, makes you really consider the abortions that are routinely performed at this stage-AND beyond.

 

Lovely story Daisees. When was it? Did I miss the date? Just wondering how recent it was. Amazing.

Lollipop, I'm sure the same thought entered all our heads. Don't know what to say.

cheers

 

I got the email yesterday but I've no idea the date of the story. One o'them round robin thingies.

And though I don't really want to get into a pro/anti abortion debate, I thought this way back when all my staff were able to opt out of helping with terminations but not me as I was the theatre manager. I hated it as I always thought 'poor little scrap - how could they do this to you'.

 

Daisees and Borrowers.The date was December 2nd 1999 when he was born so is eight this year.The procedure was carried out on August 19th 1999.

When he was four he was walking with leg braces and hadn't needed any more operations like many children do with Spina Bifida.

It has been stated that because the mother was under anesthatized along with it's mother then it wouldn't have been aware of what was going on,but to me the photo says it all:thumb:

 

Like Kandyfloss I did a bit of googling and came up with this
version of the photograph. Whatever the slight difference in the story
it is a wonderful photograph....


http://www.snopes.com/photos/medical/thehand.asp


.

 

Snopes is very reliable, I look up most of the stuff I get in my mail there and most of it is just urban legend. For anyone who didn't click the link the photo is real but the desscription is false; according to the doctor, the hand fell out and he was lifting it to put it back in.

However, even though the story is made up it's still nice

 

I've been the 'scrub nurse' for hundreds of c-sections, many of which were performed under general anaesthetic especially in the old days. Yet the babies invariably emerged from the uterus squerming and crying and not infrequently, as I tried to suction out their little mouths, they would suck on my finger.

A general anaesthetic on mum does NOT anaesthetise baby. That's total rubbish.

 

Hi Daisees,

I thought that some did-ie I didnt take pethidine during my three natural and painful labours because the midwife said it had an effect.

Now if you are telling me I went through Dantes Inferno and back for nowt.................

 

Ah no - that's different. Narcotics depress the respiratory system of both mother and infant.

 

Well out of the surgeons own mouth it does say 'The baby was anesthetized'

 

Ahem!

And I say - don't believe everything you read in the papers (or on the web). The rest of the story was shown to be fabricated - so was that bit!