SAO PAULO, Brazil — Video footage of a baby who remained inside the intact amniotic sac after being birthed via C-section has gone viral, stunning viewers with a glimpse of life inside the womb.
The footage reportedly comes from Sao Paulo and is considered a phenomenon as it occurs in approximately 1 out of 80,000 births.
According to Babies Online, the amniotic sac serves a number of purposes. It provides cushion to the baby to protect him or her from harm, and helps maintain an even temperature in the womb so that the child does not become too hot or cold.
“Amniotic fluid also helps your baby develop his lungs,” the site outlines. “While in the womb your baby practices breathing by breathing in and out the water in the amniotic sac. The baby swallows and inhales the amniotic fluid and replaces the volume in the amniotic sac by urinating and exhaling the liquid.”
The sac normally breaks during birth or is cut open during a C-section.
In the online footage of the birth, the child can be seen partially emerged from his mother’s belly, still in the sac. Doctors and nurses play with the baby by poking his feet.
The video then cuts to footage of the child placed on a table with the sac still completely intact. The baby can be seen moving inside, the umbilical cord wrapped around his face.
Nurse Giselle Correa told the outlet Diario de Regiao that doctors were fascinated that the amniotic sac hadn’t ruptured, and asked if it would be okay to record the occasion.
“When I saw that scene, I asked the doctor if I could take a picture and then to shoot,” she said. “I could see the child moving. I am a prepared professional and helped in other births, but for me, that moment was unique.”
Correa advised that the child was a twin and that both he and his brother are fine.
“For me, the image shows the power of God,” the mother, who has not been identified, told reporters after viewing the footage. “I feel very blessed to have my children, who were born perfect.”
Correa posted the video online, which quickly went viral. The YouTube video alone has over 200,00 views as of press time. Correa believes that millions have viewed the footage as it is posted in various outlets.
“[I]t was an honor to have been able to take these pictures,” she wrote in the description.