Jacksonville family going to Philadelphia for unborn daughter’s spina bifida repair surgery
A pregnant Jacksonville woman and her unborn child are heading to Philidelphia next week to undergo fetal surgery after her daughter was diagnosed with spina bifida, a rare spinal condition that affects newborns.
Timothy Newman and his wife Christine Newman say that the discovery was shocking.
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“It was devasting,” said Timothy Newman.
The Newmans are traveling to Philadelphia next week to have fetal surgery performed on their unborn daughter after getting their diagnosis.
“We were at a routine 20-week appointment, and we got a very big shock the room went kind of quiet,” said Timothy Newman.
This diagnosis doctors told the couple if not treated properly, the baby could quickly develop long-lasting health issues.
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“Initially, they told us that she would not be able to walk, she might have cognitive issues like she won’t be able to talk,” said Christine Newman.
A couple of days after their diagnosis, the Newman family turned to Baylee Joseph, whose daughter had the same diagnosis before she was born and had fetal surgery, at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
Joseph’s charity Mason’s Voice was able to present a $12,000 check to the Newman family to help ease the financial burden associated with relocating to Philadelphia.
Joseph said her daughter is doing really well but still has daily complications. Now, the Newmans are hoping for an improved outcome for their child.
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“At the time, we moved there and had fetal surgery at 25 weeks gestation, and she was delivered at 37 weeks,” Joseph said.
We reached out to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia to see how this fetal surgery works.
Julie Moldenhauer, who is a medical director with the special delivery unit says they do this surgery on both the pregnant mother and the baby in the uterus.
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“We have to make sure both the mom and the baby are completely stable throughout the procedure,” said Moldenhauer.
After the surgery, Newman must stay in Philadelphia and can’t be any more than 20 minutes away from the hospital until she gives birth.
“Afterward, we worry about maternal recuperation and how she is doing afterward from a pain standpoint and healing standpoint.
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