Doctor Delivers Rare Triplets, Falls Silent When the Third Baby Emerges Still in ‘Womb’

(Illustration - Shutterstock)

If you’ve ever wondered what a baby really looks like inside the womb, then look no further! A Brazilian mother and the medical team that helped deliver her triplets witnessed a rare and beautiful event; one baby’s birth was a little out of the ordinary. Extremely rare, in fact. Luckily for the rest of the world, the delivery was caught on camera.

The images are extraordinary, sweet, and very informative, but if you are sensitive to graphic content, then proceed with caution!

Triplets are rare to begin with, but what is even more amazing than triplets is an “en caul” birth. This delivery witnessed two of them. An en caul birth occurs when a baby is born still inside its amniotic sac, the bag of clear, pale fluid inside which the baby grows in the womb.

Usually, the sac breaks on its own during the mother’s labor (this is when the “water breaks”). In exceptionally rare cases, a baby is born with its sac still intact. According to Parents, it happens roughly once in 80,000 births, making it by definition rather miraculous.

Allegedly, en caul births for premature babies are a good thing; the amniotic sac can protect the more vulnerable premature baby against the fierce force of labor contractions.

During this particular delivery, Dr. Rodrigo da Rosa Filho of São Paulo, Brazil, oversaw the delivery of healthy triplets by cesarean section. But as babies two and three came out, the operating room fell silent and played host to shocked faces all round. It was a great day for the neonatal team; not one but two of the tiny babies were born en caul!

Baby number two was a boy named Joaquim. He was born inside his sac but was so ready to greet the world that he was quickly freed from his cocoon. Baby number three, however, melted hearts the world over as she emerged inside her sac immersed in a blissful slumber.

Baby Adeline was sleeping so peacefully that the medical team didn’t have the heart to wake her immediately. They waited an astonishing seven minutes while the newborn dreamed away, safe and comfy in her protective covering. Cameras rolled and photos were taken, making the most of the rare opportunity to see what fully developed babies really look like inside the womb.

Illustration - Pixabay | trestletech

Dr. Rodrigo couldn’t wait to share details of the beautiful and rare event on Instagram. “Yesterday we birthed the triplets!“ he wrote (translated from Portuguese), ”and Joaquim was born veiled (when the waters/sac does not break). We were delighted.“ He then broke the news that Adeline was also born ”veiled.”

“[She] left us all admiring her as she slept soundly,” he shared. “We stayed (that way) for seven minutes observing her behavior as if she were still inside her mother’s belly. It’s the magic of life.” After her long, uninterrupted slumber (besides an excited nurse gently tickling her feet), Adeline was finally ready to wake on her own and face the world.

The triplets’ birth and Adeline’s world-famous seven-minute slumber prove one thing once and for all: human life is pretty amazing.