Imagine being told your unborn child has a condition that could leave him paralyzed for life. Then, imagine doctors offering a radical solution: removing your womb to operate on your baby—while he’s still inside you—before putting everything back. Sounds like something out of a sci-fi movie, right? But for one British mom, this was reality. Serena Nye was just 24 when she got the shocking news at her 20-week scan: her baby had spina bifida, a severe spinal defect that could leave him wheelchair-bound. Most parents in this situation face an impossible choice—terminate the pregnancy or prepare for a lifetime of disabilities. But Serena was offered a third option.
1. The Shocking Diagnosis: “Your Baby May Never Walk”
Every expecting parent dreads bad news at their 20-week scan. For Serena Nye and her partner Chris Bown, that fear became reality when doctors spotted something wrong. Their baby had myelomeningocele, the most severe form of spina bifida, where the spinal cord doesn’t close properly. A cyst was growing at the base of the baby’s spine, leaking spinal fluid and putting him at high risk for paralysis, brain damage, and lifelong disabilities. “We were devastated,” Serena told reporters.
“They told us he might never walk, might need a shunt in his brain, might struggle to eat on his own.” The couple was given three options: Continue the pregnancy and prepare for a disabled child, Terminate the pregnancy, try an experimental fetal surgery to repair the spine before birth, Most parents never get that third choice. But Serena’s medical team believed they could operate—if they took an unprecedented approach.
2. The Radical Surgery: Removing The Womb To Save The Baby
Fetal surgery for spina bifida isn’t new—but this method was unlike anything ever tried. Normally, surgeons operate through the mother’s abdomen, leaving the womb inside. But Tommy’s case was so complex that doctors needed direct access to his tiny spine. At 26 weeks pregnant, Serena was put under general anesthesia. Surgeons made a small incision and carefully lifted her uterus out of her body.
Using tiny cameras and micro-tools, they repaired Tommy’s spine while he was still attached to the placenta. After three hours, they placed the womb back inside Serena and stitched her up. The biggest risk? Premature labor. Any major disturbance to the womb can trigger contractions, and babies born before 28 weeks face serious complications. But miraculously, Serena’s pregnancy continued normally.
3. A Happy Ending: Tommy’s First Kicks
After the surgery, every little movement Tommy made was a victory. At 31 weeks, Serena went into labor, and Tommy was born via C-section. He weighed just 3.5 pounds but shocked everyone by wiggling his legs and crying strongly—signs his spinal nerves were working! He spent four weeks in the NICU but didn’t need a single brain shunt or feeding tube. “When I saw him kicking in the incubator, I burst into tears,” Serena said.
“After everything, he was moving—something we were told might never happen.” Today, three-month-old Tommy is hitting all his milestones. He has a small scar on his back, but no signs of paralysis. “Nobody can believe how well he’s doing,” Serena says. “He’s our little fighter.”