My baby had life-changing spinal surgery in utero. I didn't hesitate and would make the same choice again.
Courtesy of Tianna Borst
- Tianna Borst, 27, found out after a routine ultrasound that her baby had spina bifida.
- At 26 weeks pregnant, Borst underwent surgery to repair the spine of her unborn daughter, Savera.
- This is Tianna's story, as told to Kelly Burch.
When I walked into my 20-week ultrasound, there was one question on my mind: boy or girl? But as I lay on the table, I noticed that the ultrasound tech looked uneasy. I didn't have the courage to ask if anything was wrong.
The next day I got a call from my doctor. She told me, "I believe your baby has spina bifida."
Spina bifida is a neural-tube defect in which the spinal tube doesn't close entirely. Through further testing, I learned that my baby — who I would soon find out was a girl — had myelomeningocele, the most common and severe form of spina bifida.
At that moment I thought I was going to lose my baby. With the help of my mom, we found a team of doctors ready to perform an in-utero surgery that made walking possible for my now-toddler daughter.
Grandma came to the rescue
As soon as we received a definitive diagnosis, my mom flew from her home in Connecticut to Michigan, where I live. She's not a medical researcher, but you wouldn't know that from watching her in those days.
My mom discovered that some fetuses with myelomeningocele can have surgery to repair their spine before they're even born. She reached out to the Yale New Haven Children's Hospital Fetal Care Center. Unbeknownst to us, a team at the hospital had been training to do exactly this surgery for two years. They were looking for the right candidate, and there I was.
Soon I was on the phone with Dr. Mert Ozan Bahtiyar, director of the center. He was honest with me, talking about the good and bad that could happen with surgery.
He told me I had to act quickly. The surgery needed to be done before 26 weeks, and I was already more than 24 weeks along.
I didn't hesitate. I knew from the moment I heard about this surgery that it was something I needed to do for my child. I pictured my daughter and the beautiful life I wanted for her. Within a week, I was in Connecticut.
The spina bifida surgery was a first-time success
That was in March of 2020, when COVID shut down all nonessential surgeries. Bahtiyar went to bat for me, arguing before the hospital board that this was an essential surgery. Because of him, we were able to move ahead.
I don't remember much from the actual surgery, other than "Eye of the Tiger" playing as the medical staff administered my anesthesia. For the next few hours, my daughter and I were in the operating room with 22 other people — all there to help this baby have the life she deserved.
When I woke up, Bahtiyar had good news. "Everything was a success," he told me. For the first time in Connecticut, a fetal spina-bifida repair had been completed.
My daughter was born via C-section
For the next 10 weeks, I stayed in Connecticut living in a hotel near the hospital. I had weekly ultrasounds, which was a small silver lining. Not many people get to see their child grow week by week.
At 36 weeks, my daughter, Savera, was born by scheduled C-section. She was immediately taken to the neonatal intensive care unit. I didn't get to hold or touch her for the first 24 hours, but I knew she was in good hands.
Today, Savera is a happy and healthy toddler. She still lives with spina bifida. She can't feel below her knees, and she wears braces when she walks.
I'll never know what Savera's life would have been like without the surgery. What I do know is that I would make this decision again and again for her.
She's a beautiful, determined little girl. She's been strong since day one, and I've never been prouder.