You must have heard about a normal delivery many times. Have you heard about a baby which is born in the amniotic sac? Sounds strange, right? Women who give birth to the babies covered in the amniotic sac are known as en caul babies. Most of the time, mothers get scared when they first see their newborns wrapped in the amniotic fluid. Not everytime a baby’s whole baby will be encased in the amniotic sac; only the head will be coated with the amniotic fluid. Are you curious to know more about the en caul babies? Keep reading the next lines to know more about the babies who are born in the en caul process.
Short note on the en caul babies
When people talk about the en caul infants, the first image we have in our mind is that of a baby’s head and face are covered with a thin membrane after the delivery of a newborn. The caul birth is a rare case. Mothers of the caul babies usually get perturbed by the sight of the en caul babies which is quite natural. The good thing about a caul is that it does not pose a risk to a baby. The caul can be removed with ease by a healthcare practitioner or a midwife
Types of cauls
There are mainly two types of cauls. In the first type of caul, the face, head and along with ears of an infant are in the membrane. In the second type of caul, an infant’s head and a portion of torso are wrapped in the amniotic fluid. When an en caul infant is born, the membrane is peeled off carefully from the skin of an infant. A doctor takes every precautionary measure while removing the caul from an infant’s skin. If the caul is peeled in a rush, then the infant’s flesh will have wounds which may lead to lasting scars.
After taking off the caul, it is preserved in the hospital. In some cases, parents are not informed that their babies were delivered along with the caul. There are many superstitions associated with the babies born en caul.
Why does caul take place?
At the time of gestation, a piece of the amniotic sac breaks off and it gets affixed on the head of a baby by itself. It is a natural thing which happens once in a blue moon in pregnancy.
Do the newborns remain safe after en caul birth?
Report states that the women who have premature deliveries are most likely to give birth to en caul babies. Doctors suggest C-section process for babies who are born in the en caul method. Moreover, the en caul newborns are said to be safe from the excessive pressure of uterine contractions.
The delivery of en caul C-sections takes place in a different way than the conventional method of C-section delivery. No injuries happen to the en caul babies due to internal pressure at the time of delivery. The incident of asphyxiation tends to decrease with the en caul infants.
To get better insights on the en caul delivery, you can procure information from the medical experts of the leading healthcare provider.
