‘I already gave birth to my son – but will birth him again in 11 weeks’

A US mum who gave birth to her son last week will give birth to him a second time in July as part of an elaborate plan to save the baby’s life.

After giving birth to her son Levi James last Wednesday, Jaiden Ashlea is due to give birth to him a second time in July as part of an elaborate plan to save the baby’s life.

As reported by the New York Post, when the 23-year-old mum-to-be had a prenatal anatomy scan at 18 weeks of pregnancy in March, it showed that her son had spina bifida, a congenital defect that adversely affects a foetus’ spinal cord during gestation and can lead to learning and developmental disabilities and paralysis.

Each year, roughly 1427 babies are born with the condition in the US, according to the CDC.

“I was in shock. I couldn’t even speak when the doctor was telling us this,” recalled Ashlea, who works in digital content creation and real estate.

Initially, doctors in her hometown of Jacksonville, Florida, told her and fiance Noah Detrick, 23, that their first child would be born “brain dead” and would have no chance at leading a quality life.

“I remember saying to myself, ‘This isn’t real, this isn’t happening’,” Ashlea said, adding that the doctors encouraged her to terminate the pregnancy. “It was a nightmare.”

@jaiden.ashlea Reply to @alexxhailey open fetal surgery explained ♥️ sorry i look so rough I’m still on the hospital! #openfetalsurgery#spinabifida#fetalsurgery#LENOVOJUSTBEYOU♬ original sound - Jaiden Ashlea

But after getting second and third opinions from specialists in Orlando, which is just over two hours away from her home, Ashlea learned that there was hope for her son. She could potentially undergo a cutting-edge surgery to repair his spine while he was still gestating.

She underwent a barrage of medical tests — only a few hundred expecting mothers and their babies are deemed well enough to withstand the invasive treatment each year — before being approved for surgery at Orlando’s Winnie Palmer Hospital.

Ashlea was the 31st mother ever to have the surgery at the hospital, one of just 12 medical facilities in the country that perform foetal surgeries. Such procedures typically cost upwards of $US25,000, and Ashlea’s was covered by insurance.

Roughly six weeks after the troubling diagnosis, Ashlea went under the knife.

Ashlea’s unborn baby was diagnosed with spina bifida at 18 weeks. Picture: TikTok

Doctors made a caesarean incision along her stomach, broke her water and successfully repaired the sizeable lesion, or abnormality, plaguing the L2 vertebrae in the baby’s lower back.

Then, they repositioned the baby inside Ashlea’s tummy, sewed her up and put her on strict bed rest until the baby will be developed enough for an actual C-section delivery at 37 weeks.

The procedure involved full anaesthesia and took roughly six hours. Ashlea is now about 27 weeks along and has noticed her baby’s health has improved.

“Since the surgery, [doctors have] seen so much more movement and signs of any malformation in his brain are reversing,” she said, adding that doctors now expect her son to have almost no issues walking.

He will, however, likely need to undergo physical therapy from birth until he’s at least 18 years old. But his post-op progress is promising nonetheless.

“He’s kicking his legs, and twisting his ankles in there,” the mum-to-be gushed. “I can feel him moving.”

After doctors warned her that her child would be born with severe health issues. Picture: Instagram

Since the surgery, Ashlea has been placed on strict bed rest. Picture: Instagram

Ashlea originally shared her story in a viral TikTok video captioned: “Birthing my baby for him to be put back in and 11 weeks later be born again.”

The post, which is set to the trending “Oh my God, she’s insane” audio clip from Taylor Swift’s hit I Bet You Think About Me, has garnered over 2.2 million views.

She’s scheduled to be discharged from the hospital early next week, and will continue her recovery at a Ronald McDonald House in Orlando, part of a nationwide non-profit haven that provides health care for families and children in need. Then, she’ll return to Jacksonville for the duration of her gestation.

She looks forward to one day telling Levi James about his live-saving journey.

“I’m excited for him to realise how many people were rooting for him, and how loved and special he is,” said Ashlea.

“Not everyone gets the chance to have this surgery. And I want him to know that God was on his side.”

This article originally appeared on NY Post and was reproduced with permission