Stillbirth baby with conjoined heads shocks Berbice doctors

The case of a stillbirth baby with conjoined heads, delivered to a Berbice teenager Saturday, December 16, 2017, has shocked medical personnel.

The 18-year-old, who has not been identified by doctors, was admitted for normal delivery on Saturday last at the New Amsterdam Public Hospital. The expectant mother was not aware of any complications until shortly before she was due to deliver.

Dr Kester Persaud, a senior obstetrician/ gynaecologist at the hospital, said the patient was being monitored in the labour room when he received a call from nurses that something was not right with the unborn child.

Upon investigating, he realised that the teen was not carrying a regular baby and arrangements were made for a C-section.

“The child born was with two faces, almost two heads; also from the back of the head to the spine was opened and was not formed properly,” Dr Persaud stated.

Medical professionals at the hospital said the baby’s condition could have been detected through an ultrasound but none was done although the expectant mother made several visits to her clinic.

Dr Persaud related that in cases like these it is up to the parents of the unborn child to decide whether they want to keep the pregnancy or terminate it at an earlier stage.

He added: “We give them the option to terminate the pregnancy, but it is up to the mother to make the final decision if she wants to carry the pregnancy straight through.

“So, we just would tell her what is going on and what the chances are and possibilities for the baby’s survival; but at the end of the day she makes the decision.”

Berbice health authorities are advising all mothers to join clinics in their respective areas early to monitor their pregnancy.