Meet six-week-old Hope, the miracle baby born with no blood
February 5, 2014, 2:58 pm Yahoo!
'Miracle' baby Hope has been described as the "ghost white baby" after suffering more than 80 per cent blood loss at birth.
Hope Juarez suffered more than 80 per cent blood loss at birth. Photo: ABC 13
Jennifer Juarez, a 27-year-old mum-to-be from California, was three weeks short of her due date when she sensed something was very wrong.
Until that time, Mrs Juarez had experienced a normal, healthy pregnancy. She could feel her baby's kicks becoming stronger - sometimes up to ten kicks within half an hour - a good sign that things were progressing well.
As ABC 13 reports, when Mrs Juarez noticed the kicking had stopped, she had a strong gut feeling and immediately went to see her midwife, telling her, "I don't know. I just feel like something's off. Something's not right".
Doctors agreed and performed an emergency caesarean to deliver baby Hope, and it was clear straight away that Mrs Juarez's instincts were spot on. Hope was extremely pale - doctors described her as "ghostly white" in colour.
Josh Juarez, the baby's father, told ABC 13, "I knew that something was really wrong when they started pricking at her feet trying to get blood to come out and there was no blood coming out."
Baby Hope had suffered a foetal-maternal haemorrhage, causing her blood to drain out of her body.
Dr Marielle Nguyen, a neonatalist from Irvine, California, said it was a miracle the baby survived after experiencing blood loss to such an extent. Only one other case like Hope's has ever been reported. In 2012, Olivia Norton was also hailed a "miracle baby" when she was born with no blood and given just two hours to live. At the time of the report, Olivia was a healthy six-month-old.
Professor Michael Permezel, President of The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RANZCOG), told Practical Parenting, "Foetal-maternal haemorrhage is actually very common, it occurs in almost every pregnancy and is simply a breakdown of the barrier between the mother's circulation and the baby's circulation." However, Prof. Permezel added that average blood loss in the majority of cases is only a few millilitres, making baby Hope's condition extremely rare.
At the time of her birth, Hope had lost more than 80 per cent of her blood. Her haemoglobin level was just 3 - drastically lower than what is considered the normal level of 18, meaning the plasma that was left in her circulatory system could not be classified as proper blood. Like Olivia Norton, Hope's life was saved by emergency blood transfusions immediately following her birth.
Dr Nguyen told ABC 13, "Sometimes the cause could be a motor vehicle accident, trauma, or where we have placental rupture, where the placenta suddenly just comes off the uterine wall." However, none of these things had happened to Mrs Juarez during her pregnancy, making the case all the more baffling.
Doctors have praised the 27-year-old mum for helping to save Hope's life by getting medical attention as soon as she noticed the kicking had stopped. Mrs Juarez had this message for all mums: "Go into the doctor. Get checked. Your baby's life may depend on it", she told ABC 13. Hope is now a healthy, happy six-week-old baby.
Prof. Permezel agrees, "This case is a reminder that no pregnancy is without risk." He said, "The message for expectant mums is to be very aware of your baby's movements and keep tabs on them."
He recommends pregnant women stick to a routine whereby they check for movement several times throughout the day and have a strategy to make baby move if necessary. Prof. Permezel said, "If the baby hasn't moved for a while, particularly after meal times when they are active, having a cold drink or eating something sweet usually helps to get them going".
If the lack of movement is ongoing and consistent Prof. Permezel says women should then seek advice from their doctor.
