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A couple in their late 30s, in a rare case, are parents to healthy two-month-old baby after six miscarriages and medical terminations over the last five years, primarily due to neural tube defects (a kind of birth defect in the brain or the spinal cord) in the foetus.

The delivery, which took place in May at a hospital in Chandigarh, has provided a ray of hope to women who have a history of neural tube defects in previous pregnancies. Medical experts say the case proves that not all babies with birth defects should be terminated and with expert guidance some pregnancies can have healthy and happy outcomes.

“The woman, while undergoing treatment in Srinagar, had three miscarriages and three medical termination of pregnancy due to neural-tube defects in the form of dilated ventricles (fluid filled swollen cavities in brain) in foetuses. Twins were lost in one pregnancy,” said Dr Seema Sharma, associate director, department of gynaecology and obstetrics at a private group of hospitals in Chandigarh.

Neural tube defects are extreme congenital problems, which develop in the womb of the mother in early months and when born, in extreme cases, may have fluid-filled sac like bulges in spine or brain, may have portions of their brain or skull missing or even an opening in their skulls. The exact causes are mostly unknown but may be a combination of genetic, nutritional or environmental.

The mother of the child, a teacher in a prominent private school in Srinagar, said that the birth of her child on May 8 at a private hospital in Chandigarh was “totally miraculous”.

“In Kashmir, we had been advised to terminate the pregnancy by multiple doctors including foetal experts. Everyone was saying that we should not go ahead with this pregnancy. However, we wanted to go ahead with this pregnancy,” she said, adding that she had been disheartened after the loss of six babies following her marriage to a senior multinational corporation executive in 2016.

“The society we live in, a woman has to face everything. Though my husband and in-laws were supportive, but in joint families and weddings, the question of children comes up often,” she said.

Dr Seema Sharma said the couple came to them in 2021 for a second opinion after they were advised termination in Srinagar.

“The baby had a structural defect in the brain. There was a dilated ventricle meaning a little swelling in the brain. I cannot comment on her previous pregnancies in Srinagar but when she came to us for a second opinion we found that the defect in her baby was not that major,” she said, adding that the mother was also adamant about going ahead with the pregnancy.

The doctor said that the newborn was the same as any other baby. Dr Sharma said that congenital anomalies are the major causes of long term disabilities or deaths in newborn babies. However she advised parents as well as doctors that whenever there is a doubt of any abnormality in the brain one should not straight away terminate those pregnancies, but should always go for a second expert opinion.

“A minor defect in the brain does not mean that the baby will always be abnormal. There are few structural defects, which may just be normal variants, which means five of 10 babies can have this sort of structure,” she said.

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