By ,
Published January 13, 2015
At almost 9-weeks old, Bella Mia Craig of Lockport, Ill. has already overcome odds that some will never face over the course of a lifetime, it is reported by the Chicago Tribune.
The little girl was born Feb. 20 at Edward Hospital in Naperville, Ill. with a condition called omphalocele, meaning her abdominal organs, including her intestines, stomach, spleen and liver were on the outside of her body, the report said.
Bella's condition was discovered while she was still in the womb, at just 20 weeks gestation. Although an amniocentesis showed that Bella had no chromosomal damage, cardiac anomalies or other genetic syndromes, the Craigs were told both they and their daughter would face a long road.
The mortality rate for babies born with omphalocele is 70 to 80 percent, according to Dr. Donald Liu, Bella's pediatric surgeon and the chief of pediatric surgery at the University of Chicago, the Tribune reported.
So far, however, the little girl is recovering well. She came off oxygen quickly, ate well and gained weight. After nearly eight weeks in the hospital, she was sent home, it is reported.
The organs are still on the outside of her body and have been "painted" with silvadine, an antibiotic cream, which will allow the shell around the organs to harden. At six to eight months, doctors plan to operate.
Click here to comment on this story.
Click here to read more on this report from the Chicago Tribune.
https://www.foxnews.com/story/baby-born-with-organs-outside-body-faces-long-recovery