General News
2 May, 2025
Mother surprised by rare birth phenomenon
WHEN Camperdown’s Charmaine Delgado Jimenez gave birth to her son Harvey Spencer Delgado Jimenez last month, she did not expect to experience a rare birth event.
Mrs Delgado Jimenez gave birth to Harvey while he was still within the amniotic sac, which is known as an en caul or veiled birth and only occurs in one in 80,000 births.
Typically, the amniotic sac – a bag of fluid in the womb where the baby develops during pregnancy – will rupture during labour.
In an en caul birth, the amniotic sac remains intact during labour and the baby is delivered within the sac.
Camperdown Hospital midwife Kirsty Mitchell said en caul births are the same as regular births and are generally safe.
“Once the baby is born, usually the doctor or the midwife will break the waters and allow the fluid to come out,” she said.
“Once the fluid is away from the baby, they will begin to breathe on their own.
“They’re quite rare, especially in hospital with the higher rates of intervention seen in Australia – it’s more seen in home births.
“The baby is considered lucky when they’re born that way, but that’s just an old wives’ tale.
“We don’t usually see them in hospital – with the high rates of intervention, a woman’s waters are often broken artificially. Midwives do love it when they see that.”
Mrs Delgado Jimenez said she was surprised by the rare way Harvey – now one month old – came into the world.
“I went to Warrnambool Base Hospital at 40 weeks, for a check-up,” she said.
“They told me I was 4cm dilated, and to monitor everything.
“We went to the shops in town, and then I started getting some pains in my stomach.
“I said to my husband we should go back because it didn’t feel right.
“They did another check, and it turned out I was in labour and ready to push, but my waters didn’t break.”
Harvey was born two hours after the check, with the nurses surprised at the rare phenomenon.
Mrs Delgado Jimenez said she thought the en caul birth was “pretty cool and special”.
“I was shocked – I couldn’t believe it, but I was more happy he was happy, healthy and a good size,” she said.
“He’s doing really well.
“All the nurses were happy because they hadn’t had that happen.”
Read More: Camperdown