. Boy is given man-made intestine after rare complication stops it growing inside the womb

. George Dibbs was born with an entire part of his digestive tract missing

. Condition occurs when there is a build up of amniotic fluid 

. Eight litres were drained from mum Emma's womb before George was born

. Doctors at Northern Sheffield Hospital then installed a replica duodenum

. Surgery was successful and he is now a happy, healthy 16-month-old boy

 

A toddler had to have part of his body built from scratch when he was born, due to a rare condition. George Dibb, now 16-months-old, had an entire part of his digestive system missing so just hours into his life he underwent major surgery, which saw doctors build him a replica duodenum.

 

The condition, which affects 1 in 50,000 births, occurs when there is a build up of amniotic fluid in the womb, causing an absence of the vital organ and a ‘double-bubble’ becomes visible on diagnostic x-rays of the abdomen.

 

His mother Emma Grainger had to have eight litres of fluid drained from her baby bump before she could give birth to him - enough to fill four large coca-cola bottles. Emma, 27, said: 'I first knew there was something wrong because of the size of my bump, which appeared really quickly.

 

'George was my first baby but I’d seen other pregnant women, including my sister, and I was much bigger. 'I am naturally tall and skinny, but it looked like I had a basketball shoved up my top.'

 

While doctors were not initially concerned, they soon became bothered 32-weeks into Emma’s pregnancy, when they noticed she had an excessive amount of amniotic fluid in her womb. An ultrasound confirmed that her baby had ‘double bubble’ which occurred as George’s stomach was not attached to his bowel. The increase in fluid meant he could not swallow all of the fluid while in the womb and absorbed it into his digestive tract.

 

Doctors whisked baby George into life-saving surgery hours after birth. New mum Emma didn't get to see her son for days while he recovered. Eight litres was siphoned from Emma¿s stomach before medics confirmed it was safe for George to be born at 38 weeks - just a fortnight before his due date. Doctors whisked baby George into life-saving surgery hours after birth. Without the operation, he would have slowly starved to death

 

When Emma and her fiance David, from Doncaster, South Yorks, were told of their unborn baby’s condition, they were given the option, almost seven months into the pregnancy, to abort it.

 

Emma said: 'I was speechless and in complete shock. Until now, everything had seemed completely normal. 'But there was no way we were going to get rid of him. We were so excited to meet him and we wouldn’t have given him up for anything.'

 

The only way doctors could allow George to be born was to drain the excess fluid from her stomach, using a huge needle, which was inserted into her stomach.

Eight litres was siphoned from Emma’s stomach before medics confirmed it was safe for George to be born at 38 weeks - just a fortnight before his due date.

After a caesarean section at Northern General Hospital, Sheffield, George was born last April, and immediately whisked away to the nearby Children’s Hospital for constructive surgery on his abdomen.

 

He required a duodenum, the first section of the small intestine, which is crucial for digestion. Without the operation, he would have been unable to digest any food and if the condition had not been discovered, he would have slowly starved to death. David, 27, a buyer for a pharmaceutical company, said: 'They basically open him up and start plumbing. 'They built a pipe and fed it into his digestive system to sit between his small intestine and his bowel.

 

For new-mum Emma, she didn’t see her son for days, and was simply given a number of photos and a breast pump while George underwent life-saving surgery.'

'It was devastating not being able to see him,' she said. 'I’d undergone surgery myself having a caesarean so I couldn’t get out of bed and go and see him.'

'When I did see him, he had all these tubes coming out of him. As a first-time mum, it was very scary. I was devastated.'

 

After a fortnight, Emma and David were able to bring George home for the first time and the youngster is now a happy and healthy little boy. Emma added: 'We were at the hospital everyday with him for two weeks. To see each tube come out and notice a bit more development was amazing.

 

'The doctors were impressed that I still wanted to breast feed. I watched the milk go through his tubes and I think it helped him to get better. 'He’s our happy, smiling, bouncing baby boy now, and we’re so proud of everything he’s been through in his short life.'

 

By EMMA ROBERTSON

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