After leaving her TikTok viewers stunned, this Mum shared the details of the condition that led to her daughter having no belly button.
Talissa Kean, 18, explained how her daughter has been left with no belly button after being born suffering with Gastroschisis.
Gastroschisis is a birth defect that causes the abdominal wall not to develop properly during pregnancy, meaning her organs all spill out on birth.
With 1 in 3000 babies being born with it the defect each year, the incidence is quite low but it is becoming more common, particularly with young mothers under age 20.
Newborn Bailey was born with her organs on the outside of her body, and after multiple surgeries to fix it, she was left with nothing but a scar where her belly button should be.
Talissa said: “I was absolutely terrified. I was only 18 and I had another toddler at home, and I didn’t know how I was going to manage. They said that the NICU stay could range from weeks to almost a year.”
Talissa, from Fort Payne, Alabama, USA, told how she found out her daughter was struggling with Gastroschisis whilst she was pregnant and feared for the worst.
Talissa said: “I found out about her condition due to genetic testing during pregnancy as well as getting seen at a specialty clinic that does ultrasounds. That is when they saw the defect and confirmed for me that this was my reality.
“Throughout my pregnancy, I didn’t know what to expect. There were many complications and there was a high chance of stillbirth. I tried to push through, but it was very hard.”
Bailey was born at 35 weeks, not breathing and with no pulse, as Talissa explained she was absolutely petrified.
The newborn was finally resuscitated and rushed away for surgery to place her organs back within her body, but unfortunately the first surgery was unsuccessful.
After many more blood transfusions and surgeries, they were finally able to place her organs back into her abdominal cavity, and she was even given a makeshift belly button.
But after complications following a bowel obstruction, another surgery was needed which ended with Bailey saying goodbye to her belly button.
Bailey spent four long months battling through operations and countless complications before finally being able to come home, albeit with no belly button.
The little girl now has a permanent scar across her stomach as well as a feeding tube to help her eat, as she still struggles to eat orally.
Talissa explains: “It was the scariest time of my life. I didn’t get to hold her. I didn’t get to kiss her. I didn’t even get to see what she looked like when she was first born. Probably one of the scariest times of my life.
“There were many highs and lows, and we didn’t know what to expect. We never knew when she was going to come home.
“She no longer had a belly button, but just a horizontal scar across her entire abdomen.
“Four long months in the hospital, and we have finally come home. But she has no belly button, and she never will.
“Even though she doesn’t have a belly button, she is very special, and there are so many amazing things about her.
“She does have a feeding tube, so we call her a little button, a belly button!”
Dr. Hana Patel, NHS GP and GP Medico-Legal Expert Witness said: “Gastroschisis is a condition where your baby develops a defect (hole) in the abdominal wall during development, while still inside your womb. There is an increased chance that your baby will be born premature and low in weight.
“Returning the bowel back into the abdomen and repairing the defect. This is either by a primary or staged procedure.
“Establishing your baby onto milk feeds. This can often take a long time (several weeks to months) as the bowel which was outside the abdomen may not work properly. By a drip your baby will be given nutrition.
“This is called TPN (total parentral nutrition), it contains all the nutrients your baby needs to grow. It is given through a special intravenous feeding line called a long line. Prolonged TPN can have its own problems such as infection, blockage of lines and liver failure.
“The long-term outlook for these children is very good. Of the infants diagnosed before birth, approximately 95% of them are expected to survive and have a normal life expectancy.”