Kourtney Kardashian Barker, a famous entrepreneur, TV reality personality, and recently opened up about her personal experience during her fourth pregnancy that happened. A few episodes ago on the series, \"The Kardashians,\" Kourtney Kardashian opened up to fans about the times she had to undergo fetal surgery with her first child with her husband, Travis Barker. She also shared pictures from a maternity photoshoot immediately following her fetal surgery. This exposes her internal strength and the complex medical procedures under fetal surgery.
Kourtney's Challenging Fourth Pregnancy
Kourtney Kardashian is famous for her lifestyle sense and reality existence. Therefore, she normally divulges much personal information. However, her fourth pregnancy was relatively unique and posed distinct challenges compared to her previous ones. On the 3rd of November, 2023, when she was 44 years old, Kourtney gave birth to a bouncing baby boy named Rocky Thirteen Barker. This pregnancy was so different from the others in that Kourtney gave birth through fetal surgery, which is a very intense operation and only happens in case of very serious complications or emergencies during pregnancy.
In the past episode of her series, Kourtney opened up regarding her first photoshoot post-surgery. Since it was quite a challenging pregnancy, she had no qualms about showing off her battle scars from the surgery while doing her best to look beautiful while showing off her baby bump. The photo shoot was limited to just two hours long, and Kourtney it was able to take place just ten minutes from her residence in a studio. Kourtney responsibly followed each and every guideline given to her by her doctor to maintain the health and safety of the baby growing within her.
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Getting a Glimpse of Kourtney's Strength
Kourtney's very open conversation about her challenging fourth pregnancy just shows how strong she is. She compared this experience with her previous pregnancies since her doctors were more cautious this time because of her age. "The last time I was pregnant was nine years ago, so I was 35. In this pregnancy, the doctors are more cautious, but I feel exactly the same. I'm an ageless wonder," she said.
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Throughout the episode, Kourtney explained that all her doctor's orders must be followed, even when it came to her movements and activities. Although she wasn't allowed to do certain movements, Kourtney felt very strong and powerful in her photoshoot. Meanwhile, her husband, Travis Barker, was on tour and consistently checked in on her and their unborn baby.
Understanding Fetal Surgery
Fetal surgery, which is also called in-utero or prenatal surgery, is a medical procedure carried out on the fetus while still in its mother's womb. This is usually done when a developing baby is suffering from an illness that might grow over time to become something that is life-risking or might eventually even lead to the infant's death. An early intervention such as fetal surgery increases the likelihood of a better, healthy outcome for the infant.
Reasons for Fetal Surgery
Fetal surgery is mainly done on babies who have congenital disabilities that would terribly affect a baby's life and growth pattern. Other disorders might not be life-threatening but will bring disabilities if not treated in time. This procedure is performed early to increase the chances for attaining a normal life stage and minimise complications later in life.
Common Types of Fetal Surgery
Several types of fetal surgeries depend on the particular disease. A few of the most common ones are:
- Twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome surgery: It's a problem caused when there's an imbalance in the blood flow between twins.
- Spina bifida repair: Spina bifida is a deficiency in the baby's spinal cord.
- Exit-to-delivery procedures: These are performed for very rare cases in which specific airway-affecting pathology is suspected in a baby.
Among others, these techniques include fetal-endoscopic tracheal plug-occlusion (FETO) for the treatment of severe CDH, shunt placement for obstructed bladders, and open fetal surgeries for tumours, or malformations of the lungs.
Risks of Fetal Surgery
Being an invasive and surgical technique, fetal surgery has its set of risks for the mother and the fetus. The common maternal risks include the need for the future performance of cesarean delivery, blood loss leading to transfusions, and complications from anaesthesia. Potential fetal risks include preterm delivery, placental abruption, and infections like chorioamnionitis.
Conclusion
KKTB's revealing admissions about her fetal surgery experience during the fourth pregnancy of her life, her openness not only lends her personal strength but also showcases the level of sophistication and advancement developed by surgical procedures and medicine. The incredible work done in fetal surgery is saving many lives and giving people reason to hope. As these medical studies and research continue to enhance the medical field, definitely, there will be an improvement in the outcomes of both the mother and her baby, leading to a brighter future for families around the globe.