New Delhi: A mother posted a heart-breaking photograph of her daughter on Facebook minutes after she was born, to raise awareness about Gastroschisis – a birth defect of the abdominal wall.


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Chloe Walters gave birth to Ava-Rose Nightingale, who was born with her intestines spilling out of her little body.


The child was wrapped in cling film in order to protect her from infections and keep her warm.


As Chloe explained in her Facebook post, at her 16 week private scan she was told that her baby had gastroschisis. After regular appointments and check ups, she was told there was a chance of her going into labour anytime from 32 weeks as this was common with babies with this defect. Also, the chances of delivering a stillborn became higher at 39 weeks 4 days.
Ava-Rose went through a life-saving, three-hour-long surgical procedure an hour after she was born.


She was given oxygen and her hair was shaved so that she could be fed intravenously through the head.


She came home after spending 7 weeks in the hospital.



Gastroschisis occurs when an opening forms in the baby’s abdominal wall. The baby’s bowel pushes through this hole. The bowel then develops outside of the baby’s body in the amniotic fluid.


The opening is most often on the right side of the baby’s belly button. It can be large or small, but is typically 1 to 2 inches in size. In more severe cases, the stomach and/or liver can sometimes make their way through the opening as well.


Because the bowel is outside of the baby’s body, it is unprotected. That means there is a chance it can become irritated, swollen and damaged.


This condition is relatively rare, but has seen an increase in recent years.


While the exact cause of this condition is unknown, it does not appear to be inherited.


Furthermore, having one baby with gastroschisis does not make it more likely that you would have another baby with the condition.