Mum of baby girl born with her intestines outside her tummy claims her ‘PINEAPPLE craving is to blame’
BORN with her intestines outside of her tummy, tiny Sofia Cass faced a bitter fight to survive.
The newborn's insides had to be wrapped in cling film and kept in a plastic bag to keep her alive long enough for a life-saving op.
The now 2-month-old was diagnosed with gastroschisis - a rare birth defect that causes the digestive organs to stick out of the stomach while in the womb.
Born to mum Suzanne Burt, 37, on October 4 at Simpson Royal Infirmary, Edinburgh, she was eight weeks premature and just 4lbs when she appeared with her large intestine, small intestine and stomach exposed.
The newborn was wrapped in cling film to keep her organs warm before being whisked away for emergency surgery.
But not all of her organs could be implanted immediately, so they were placed in a silo bag for two days while they gradually returned to her body through gravity.
A difficult experience for all involved, Suzanne said the hardest thing was not being able to hold her baby until she'd finished her full closure surgery, two days after she was born.
"When I gave birth to my eldest, Jack, 14, things were completely different and I got that skin-to-skin contact right away. To not have that was really distressing," she said.
"I could hear Sofia crying as she was taken away for surgery but I couldn't move to be with her. It was soul-destroying. As a new mum all you want is to hold your baby.
"When she came out of her closure surgery, being able to hold her was absolutely amazing. I will never forget that day."
Sofia had to stay in hospital for another five weeks while her feeds were increased from 1ml of milk every hour to 42ml of milk every three or four hours.
And she appeared to be making good process until, last month, when her face swelled and it was revealed she had caught deadly blood infection sepsis.
But the 'warrior princess' managed to battle the infection and was finally able to come home for good, earlier this month.
The exact cause of gastroschisis is unknown but it is common in young mums who drink, smoke, take drugs or have a bad diet – while Suzanne is a size six vegetarian and health fanatic.
The professional dog walker was determined to find a cause for Sofia's defect and now claims the pesticide atrazine – which is used to grow the pineapple she craved during her pregnancy – could be to blame.
When I found out she had gastroschisis at a 12 week scan, I was completely overwhelmed. I had never even heard of it before
While atrazine was withdrawn from use in the UK in 2007, a 2010 US study found women in areas with higher levels of the chemical were more likely to have a gastroschisis baby.
And, while the defect is still rare, various medical institutions including London's Great Ormond Street Hospital suggest gastroschisis is on the rise.
"When I found out she had gastroschisis at a 12 week scan, I was completely overwhelmed. I had never even heard of it before," Suzanne said.
"They explained to me that it was a birth defect that is becoming more common in young mums who smoke or drink or take drugs but I don't meet any of those criteria.
"My body is very healthy and I just couldn't understand how it could happen to me. But instead of panic and worry, I decided to research, research, research.
"The more I looked, the more this possible link to the pesticide atrazine kept coming up."
FACT BOX: WHAT IS GASTROSCHISIS?
According to Graet Ormond Street Hospital, Gastroschisis is:
• A type of abdominal wall defect. It occurs when a child's abdomen does not develop fully while in the womb.
• In gastroschisis, the abdominal wall does not form completely so the intestines develop outside and are open to the air when the child is born.
• Some areas of the intestines may look darker as they have been in contact with the amniotic fluid inside the womb, which can damage them.
• It is not known exactly what causes gastroschisis although it is becoming more common, particularly in younger mothers under the age of 20 years.
• Overall the incidence is quite low with 1 in 3000 babies being born with gastroschisis each year.
"I spend a lot of time out in fields and farmland because of my job and I'd also had a major craving for pineapple during my pregnancy – and pineapples need large amounts of pesticides.
"I take a lot of care to look after my body and be healthy and while I don't eat meat, I've never been into eating organic but now I really wish I had."
But while there is a long road ahead for Sofia, who still only weight 5.15lbs, Suzanne is confident her 'incredibly strong' daughter will make it through.
Suzanne added: "It's crazy to think just a few weeks ago she was fighting for her life. Her face was so swollen, she looked like she'd been through a boxing match.
She is not completely out of the woods yet, but she is incredibly strong and resilient.
"It was really touch and go for 24 hours, it was heartbreaking. I'd managed to stay strong but that day I had a complete breakdown.
"But she is my little princess warrior and she fought back and after that the progress seemed so fast until she came home.
"She is not completely out of the woods yet and she is still really tiny. She's like a little doll but she is incredibly strong and resilient. I'm so proud."
A spokesman for DEFRA said: "Atrazine was considered as part of an EU-wide review of active substances used in pesticides.
"The review found no evidence to link this pesticide with birth defects."
WHAT IS SEPSIS?
Known by its colloquial name "blood poisoning", sepsis is also often referred to as a "flesh-eating disease".
- The condition is always triggered by an infection. Most often the culprit is an infection we all recognise - pneumonia, urinary infections (UTIs), skin infections including cellulitis and infections in the stomach, appendicitis for example.
- Typically, when a person suffers a minor cut, the area surround the wound will become red, swollen and warm to touch.
- This is evidence the body's immune system has kicked into action, releasing white blood cells to the site of the injury to kill off the bacteria causing the infection. The white blood cells and platelets form blood clots in the tissues around the cut.
- Blood vessels swell to allow more blood to flow, and they become leaky, allowing infection-fighting cells to get out of the blood and into the tissues where they are needed. This causes inflammation, which appears to us as the red, warm swelling.
When sepsis happens, this system goes into overdrive.
If you, a loved one, or in the case of medical professionals their patient, feels "severely sick", doesn't appear to be themselves and shows any of the following symptoms, sepsis should be suspected:
- weakness
- loss of appetite
- fever and chills
- thirst
- difficult or rapid breathing
- rapid heart rate
- low blood pressure
- low urine output
If a person is suffering these symptoms and they are thought to have suffered an infection - pneumonia, abdominal infection, urinary infection, or a wound - sepsis is a likely cause.
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at [email protected] or call 0207 782 4368