Baby born inside amniotic sac astounds doctors

Californian baby was delivered by C-Section almost 12 weeks ago

(Cedars-Sinai Hospital, via Dr Wiliam Binder)

An extremely premature US baby has been delivered while still inside its amniotic sac, in a rare medical moment.

Doctors at California’s Cedars-Sinai Hospital delivered premature baby boy Silas, still inside the fluid bag, 12 weeks ago by Caesarean section.

Cedars-Sinai neonatologist William Binder said: “It was a moment that really did, even though it’s a cliché: we caught our breath.

The amniotic sac is a bag of clear liquid, in which the unborn child develops until their brith. The sac usually breaks at the beginning of child-birth, and is referred to as the mother's water breaking.

In the photograph, Silas's hand can be seen pressed against the sac with the rest of his body just visible through the delicate membrane still surrounding him.

Ms Phillips was unaware her baby had caused an upset in the delivery room until hours afterwards when he mother showed her a photograph taken by one of the doctors present.

The new mother described her son, who is now home and reportedly doing well, as “a little fighter”.