January 31st is Omphalocele Awareness Day!
An omphalocele is an abdominal wall defect which occurs in approximately 1 in 5,000 births. This defect occurs early in a pregnancy, when the abdominal wall fails to close correctly around the organs. The organs are instead enclosed in the umbilical cord and covered by a thin membrane. Omphaloceles vary greatly in size and severity. Omphaloceles are also associated with other birth defects and chromosomal abnormalities. Despite this, an omphalocele is still a highly treatable condition!
We knew something was abnormal with the abdomen at my 12 week ultrasound. However, even after monthly scans, an amnio, and every blood test imaginable the doctors were unable to diagnose Annalie's omphalocele until birth. It just didn't present typically on the ultrasound.
We were so lucky that hers ended up being pretty tiny (for an omphalocele--it was about the size of an orange). She also didn't have any associated heart or breathing problems. Annalie was fully repaired at 3 days old, and was sent home after a brief 11 day NICU stay. And since then, she's done nothing but thrive!
