Miracle Baby: Little Girl Born Without Blood
From the archive. This post was first published on the original Green Eggs and Moms blog and is kept here as it was.
We know what you’re thinking: How is that even possible?
Last September 10, 2011, a little girl called Olivia Norton was born in the UK without blood says Independent.ie.
When she came into the world, she was “ghost white” and had a weak pulse. Doctors said she only had 2 hours to live.
Fortunately, the baby born with this rare condition is now a happy and healthy 6-month old.
How was she born without blood?
Olivia came into the world with a hemoglobin level of 3. The normal level is 18, making her’s extremely low. So low, in fact, that the plasma in her blood couldn’t be classified as blood.
Here’s a quick refresher: Hemoglobin is responsible for carrying oxygen in the red blood cells, and is what gives blood its red color.
Despite her condition, doctors were able turn her ghost white color into a healthy pink shade. How?
After her birth, she was rushed to the special care baby unit of Broomfield Hospital, Chelmsford, UK where she was given 2 blood transfusions. She remained there for 2 weeks after which she recovered.
Further tests on Olivia’s mom revealed that as a fetus, Olivia lost blood after it made its way to her mother’s bloodstream. The doctors are unsure of why this occurred.
Olivia pre-birth
When Olivia’s parents didn’t feel her kicking for 3 days, they rushed to the hospital. While there, the doctor ordered an emergency c-section after a 15-minute scan failed to detect any movement from the baby.
Had her parents stayed home instead of heading to the hospital, you wouldn’t be reading about this amazing story.
We hope it reminds all of you that miracles still do happen.