This is one of the rare births captured on a video. If you have never seen a baby delivered inside its amniotic sac, then this video totally makes up for it.
The video was posted by Assessoria Mamãe – Instituto which shows a baby delivered in an amniotic sac. You can clearly see the baby moving and breathing. It seems like that baby is in no danger in the tiny enclosed space as he is still getting sufficient oxygen in there. Plus, the baby is all cozy in the cushiony effect it has inside the amniotic fluid.
If you are watching this video, you are just one of the lucky people to witness the incredibly beautiful moment. And this video has been watched on Facebook more than five million times since it was shared in August.
As the Institute posted on the Facebook page, it reads, “Closing the night with a delivery inside the amniotic sac.”
Yes, but as you closed, you left us this beautiful video to watch. It is truly fascinating how through that transparent sack, you can actually see the baby breathing and moving, with the blue umbilical cord intact.
Birth in amniotic sac is a rare phenomenon. It occurs in less than one in 80,000 births. These births are called en caul birth wherein the baby is born with the amniotic sac intact. The amniotic sac balloons out with the amniotic fluid still inside the membrane that might be partially broken or still intact.
On the other hand, there is also ‘caul’ birth which must not be confused with an ‘en caul’ birth. A caul birth involves an infant born with the head and the face covered with a membrane. The membrane can be removed off by the nurse or a midwife and it is totally harmless to the baby. The en caul births are more frequent than caul births. Most en caul births also occur prematurely.
There are two types of cauls. One that is the most common is where the membrane is adhered to the face and the head while looped around the ears of the baby. The membrane is a thin translucent lining that is derived from the inner amnion as it ruptures away and adheres tight against the head during delivery. The other kind of caul is where it drapes over the head and a little under the torso. In this type, the membrane could be very thick resembling a cocoon and removing the membrane could be more complex. This kind of caul would be called a Galea or ‘helmet’ for boys. In Poland, it could be called a Czepek or ‘bonnet’ for both boys and girls. In Italy it could be called a Vitta or ‘fillet’, otherwise also called a Camisia or ‘shirt’ for girls. As such a caul in Latin is called Caput galeatum which literally means ‘head helmet’.
The removal of the caul if performed correctly will involve a small incision in the membrane across the nostrils first to allow the child to breathe. Later the loops are removed from behind the ears. The remainder of the caul can then be peeled back from the skin very carefully or can be gently rubbed off with a sheet of paper. Care must be taken not to remove too quickly as it could leave wounds in the flesh of the baby, often turning out to be permanent scars.
What do they do with the caul? Well, if you can recall the classic David Copperfield by Charles Dickens, the caul in which David was born was apparently put up for a raffle. Not that your doctor will do that. The medical practitioners either hand it over to the parents, or the parents may not be told that their child is born with a caul depending on the hospital’s policy.
In popular belief, babies born with a caul are known to possess the gift of clairvoyance or have supernatural abilities. These babies are usually referred to as ‘caul bearers’. Others associate the caul as a sign of good luck. Napoleon, Sigmund Freud, and Lord Byron are few famous names that were born with a caul.
