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“I Already Gave Birth To My Son But Will Birth Him Again In Eleven Weeks”
A tale of never giving up.
Jaiden Ashlea is due to give birth for the SECOND TIME to her already born son Levi James in July. The 23-Year-Old has had to undergo a prenatal anatomy scan at 18 weeks of pregnancy in March, which then showed her son had Spina Bifida, a congenital defect that affects a fetus’ spinal cord amid gestation and can result in learning and developmental disabilities and paralysis.
Doctors in her hometown of Jacksonville, Fla, had told Jaiden and fiancé Noah Detrick, 23, their child would be born brain dead and would have no chance of good life.
They were encouraged to terminate the pregnancy, and Jaiden reportedly recalled telling herself: “This isn’t real, this isn’t happening. It was a nightmare.” But after getting opinions from specialists in Orlando [ two hours away from her home], Jaiden learned there was hope for her son, and she could potentially undergo a cutting-edge surgery to repair her spine while he was still gestating.
When initially told of her son’s condition, Jaiden – who works in digital content, said: “I was in shock. I couldn’t even speak when the doctors were telling us this.”
Thankfully, Jaiden was approved for surgery at Orlando’s Winnie Palmer Hospital, having undergone medical tests for six weeks. It’s alleged that only a few hundred expecting moms and their babies are deemed well enough to withstand the invasive treatment yearly, and so far, Jaiden is the 31st mom ever to undergo surgery at the hospital, one of just 12 medical facilities in the country that perform fetal surgeries.
Notably, such procedures usually cost upwards of $25,000, but Jaiden’s was covered by insurance.
Doctors did a cesarean incision around her stomach as she went under the knife, broke her water, and successfully repaired the sizable lesion, including the abnormality plaguing the L2 vertebrae in the baby’s lower back. They then repositioned the baby inside Jaiden’s tummy, sewed her up, and put her on strict bed rest until the baby is developed enough for a proper C-section delivery at 37 weeks.
The procedure entailed full anesthesia and took about six hours. Currently, Jaiden is about 27 weeks, and she has observed her baby’s health has significantly improved.
@jaiden.ashlea Reply to @alexxhailey open fetal surgery explained ♥️ sorry i look so rough I’m still on the hospital! #openfetalsurgery #spinabifida #fetalsurgery #LENOVOJUSTBEYOU ♬ original sound – Jaiden Ashlea
“Since the surgery, [doctors have] seen so much more movement and signs of any malformation in his brain are reversing. He’s kicking his legs and twisting his ankles in there. I can feel him moving,” Jaiden said, adding that physicians now expect her son to have almost no problems walking. It’s equally alleged he will likely need to undergo physical therapy from birth until he’s at least aged 18, but his post-op progress remains promising.
Jaiden originally shared the story on TikTok, set to the trending “Oh My God, She’s Insane” audio clip from Taylor Swift’s hit “I Bet You Think About Me.”
@jaiden.ashlea Fetal surgery was a success, this recovery is something else though 😭 #spinabifida #fetalsurgy #openfetalsurgery ♬ original sound – Lisass
It has since garnered nearly 3milllion views and is captioned: “Birthing my baby for him to put back in and 11 weeks later be born again.” Jaiden is now scheduled to be discharged from the hospital early next week and will continue her recovery at a Ronald McDonald House in Orlando, part of a nationwide nonprofit haven that provides health care for families and children in need. She will then return to Jacksonville for her gestation.
However, the expecting mum looks forward to telling Levi James about his life-saving journey one day.
