Sunshine Coast baby Charlie Dunn born with his intestines outside of his body, 10 per cent of bowel

Their son’s birth ended this Queensland couple’s two-year fertility fight only to throw them into a new battle but if their “happy, brave” boy is up for it, so are they.

Kate Peters, Lewis and Charlie Dunn. Picture - contributed.

A Queensland mother has shared the grave fears she holds for her beautiful baby boy’s future after he was born prematurely with his intestines outside of his body and just 10 per cent of his bowel.

Sunshine Coast couple Kate Peters, 34, and Lewis Dunn, 35, fell pregnant last year and were engaged shortly after.

Ms Peters worked as a vet and Mr Dunn as an aircraft engineer at the Glass House Mountains.

At the 13-week mark doctors told the couple Charlie would be born with some degree of gastroschisis – a rare but treatable condition where there is a hole in the abdominal wall, and the intestines are found outside of the body.

At 33 weeks pregnant, Ms Peters was sent to the Mater Hospital with some haemorrhaging.

Medical staff tried to keep the baby in utero for as long as possible.

Charlie Dunn was born five weeks premature by emergency caesarean section on February 5.

When he came out his intestines were outside of his body and 90 per cent of his bowel was missing.

Sunshine Coast baby Charlie Dunn born with his intestines outside of his body. Picture – contributed.

“I’m a vet and I’ve only seen it one time before in a kitten. I’ve heard about it happening with cattle and horses and I know it features in a Grey’s Anatomy episode as well,” Ms Peters said.

“When forming in the body the intestines will come outside and twist. Then the abdominal wall forms around them.

“But in Charlie’s case the wall just didn’t close properly. We were told it would just be a surgery after birth to tuck it back in and deal with the swelling.”

Doctors reassured the desperate couple it was a “simple case” and they were looking at a 20 to 30 per cent bowel loss.

“All of his bowel was there originally but the blood supply was cut off so it vanished,” Ms Peters said.

His diagnosis is now a very rare and dreaded form of gastroschisis known as vanishing gastroschisis.

This has left him with ultra short-gut syndrome, 15cm of his small bowel and 18cm of colon. Healthy babies have a 200 to 250cm colon at birth.

Baby Charlie will need IV nutrition for his entire life.

His doting mother said getting to hold him on his second day, after the surgery to put his intestines back into his little body, was life changing.

Lewis and Charlie Dunn. Picture – contributed.

“Skin on skin with your newborn is amazing you just can’t describe it … mums try but you can’t it was magical,” Ms Peters said.

Baby Charlie is so far proving the doctors wrong and is already ahead of his development milestones.

“It will be lifelong though, there’s no changing that,” Ms Peters said.

“As of last week he’s gotten to have two hours a day off the IV which has been lovely. We’ve gotten to go spend some time outside together.

“By the time we leave hospital we’re hoping to have him off the IV for six hours a day.

“Hopefully by time he’s a toddler he will only need to be hooked up to the IV overnight but we really don’t know if that’s achievable.”

Serious side effects baby Charlie is susceptible to are IV line infections and his liver not tolerating the IV nutrition.

He is breast feeding and takes bottles currently, with doctors saying the more he can eat the better.

Kate Peters and Charlie Dunn. Picture – contributed.

“Eventually he’ll have to eat a strictly Keto type diet,” Ms Peters said.

Through it all Charlie has remained a smiley, happy baby.

“He’s just amazing with everything he goes through,” Ms Peters said.

“He’s been smiling heaps and his cheeky personality is coming through.

“He’s a very chill and happy baby. He’s kind of talks himself to sleep and is very affectionate.”

Because of his short bowel, Charlie also gets very hungry. Ms Peters said this would continue throughout his life.

Sunshine Coast baby Charlie Dunn born with his intestines outside of his body. Picture – contributed.

Through tears, Ms Peters opened up about how emotionally hard it's been for her and her finance.

“There’s a grief in losing the life you thought your baby would have … the normal life you wanted for them,” she said.

“Everything has been taken away for us. It was a two-year fertility journey and he was such a wanted baby. We worked so hard to have him and it’s just all gone wrong.

“We’re lucky to be surrounded by our support system and Lewis and I are the closest we’ve ever been. He’s a beautiful dad and nothing deters him.

“Honestly it humbles you. Every problem I’ve ever had seems so trivial now. It’s put life into perspective and made us slow down and really enjoy being together as a family.”

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