Wiltshire mother's ordeal after baby was born 'inside out'

One-month-old Dorothy Montgomery was diagnosed with an extreme form of gastroschisis - a birth defect where a hole in the abdominal wall allows organs to poke out. 

Her mum, Sadie, 21, burst into tears when a midwife discovered it during her 12-week scan in October 2023. 

Luckily, the defect was solved simply by using compression strips to push Dorothy’s vital organs back into her body and the tot didn't need any further treatment. 

Sadie, a hairdresser, from Wiltshire, said: "All I remember hearing was the consultant telling me Dorothy’s 'guts' were out of her body.

"I couldn’t believe it was happening. I kept thinking 'what do you mean - guts?'.

“Doctors had to wrap her up in clingfilm to keep her insides moist - I just couldn't face seeing it."

Sadie discovered she was seven weeks pregnant on August 18, 2023, and her first scan was fine.

But at 12 weeks a nurse noticed a 'mass' on the umbilical cord, or where it should've been. 

"I was only 21, and I asked her what the hell she meant by that," Sadie said. 

"She gently told me that sometimes babies' tummies don’t form properly."

She was told it could be one of two conditions

The first option was gastroschisis - which meant Dorothy would need her organs compressed, but she'd likely go on to live a normal life afterwards. 

But the second condition, exomphalos, can be a lifelong birth defect in which the abdominal wall doesn’t form properly - resulting in hernias and further operations as children get older. 

Sadie was told she may need an amniocentesis - an invasive procedure which involves a needle taking samples of fluid from the womb - to find out what was wrong with Dorothy. 

It carries a slight risk of miscarriage for pregnant women who choose to have it. 

"I needed to look at my options," Sadie said. "I had to really think about whether to carry on with the pregnancy. 

Sadie and baby Dorothy (Image: SWNS)

"They said I could have a blood test - which I accepted, and at 16 weeks, they confirmed that, luckily, it was gastroschisis."

Sadie didn’t need to take extra precautions during her pregnancy - except a scan every two weeks until birth. 

At 32 weeks, she was sent for an emergency c-section after doctors noticed the baby's heart rate was high and on February 12, Dorothy was born at weighing exactly 4lbs. 

“They wrapped her all up in clingfilm,” Sadie said. 

"And I was really lucky because they put her in a towel, and I got to see her for a little while. 

“But they transferred her to Southampton Hospital straight afterwards, to get her condition treated.”

Dorothy was accompanied by Sadie’s mum, Kelly, 44, and Dorothy's dad, partner, Drew, 23  - who described to her how bad the condition looked. 

“It was everything. All her kidneys, stomach, liver, fallopian tubes, intestines and ovaries were out. 

Doctors said they wanted to try compressing her organs back into her stomach - before exploring the option of surgery. 

They used a silicone bag, or “silo bag”, to push them in and covered her umbilical cord with dressing and steri strips.

Within two weeks, Sadie was “shocked” to discover it had worked - and her stomach was completely clear. 

She said: “It was absolutely crazy, her tummy literally just closed. 

Six weeks on, Dorothy is now able to feed like a normal baby - having only been allowed to ingest 1ml of milk in her first two weeks. 

Sadie says she’s now “thriving” - and is expected to go on to lead a perfectly normal life.