At her 20 pregnancy scan Queensland mum-of-five Carla Sikes was told her baby boy had spina bifida, which mean his spinal cord wasn’t developing properly in utero.

Just four weeks later doctors performed an incredible, ‘miracle’ surgery on her baby boy Ethan, while he was still in the womb. It sounds like something out of science fiction movie – doctors made incisions through Carla’s abdomen and uterus to reach Ethan’s lower back to repair the abnormality.

Carla and her partner Mick made a vow to fight for their baby boy, even though the unique surgery was just the start of little Ethan’s journey.

The couple has shared their story so that other parents who receive a spina bifida diagnosis know there’s hope.

“For a period there it was touch and go for Ethan, but he’s showed us how strong he is,” Carla said.

The little fighter was born on June 22, 2022, only three weeks after his surgery, weighing just 1.29kg.

Ethan’s surgery was performed by Mater Mothers’ Maternal Fetal Medicine specialist team and led by Director of Maternal
Fetal Medicine Dr Glenn Gardener. The aim was to improve Ethan’s mobility and give him the best possible chance to walk independently.

And while it’s still too early to give Ethan the all-clear, he’s already showed signs of improvement. He also suffered from hydrocephalus, which is a build-up of fluid in and around his brain, often associated with spina bifida. He’s an operation to drain the fluid from around his brain, and into the area between his scalp and bone of his skull. It’s resulted in him having bumps over his head.

“The swelling can be quite confronting to look at and it feels like jelly to touch,” Carla said. “The way he looks doesn’t bother me, it’s about how the world will view him.”

Carla says her own scar is a constant reminder of her son’s courage.

Little Ethan is now home in Yeppoon, after 11 weeks of constant care at Mater Mothers’ Hospital. Carla says their story is one of hope and a bright future.

“No one at Mater told me to terminate. Dr Gardener made everything so much better, calmed me down
and spent hours answering my questions,” the mum-of-six said.

Director of Maternal Fetal Medicine Dr Glenn Gardener said while Ethan’s prognoses isn’t yet known, the signs are promising.

“His leg movement is excellent and he does appear to have good continence,” Dr Birch said. “Ethan was born extremely premature and is at risk of the complications of prematurity, including disability in movement, thinking, communication and behaviour – but despite his somewhat rocky course, he has done remarkably well, and I remain optimistic.”

One in 2000 pregnancies in Australia are affected by spina bifida, with symptoms including leg weakness, incontinence and learning difficulties.