Suzanne Burt ate pineapple constantly as a result of pregnancy cravings, she now feels that contributed to her baby’s health issues.
A mum has blamed her pregnancy addiction to PINEAPPLE as the reason why her daughter was born with her intestines outside her stomach.
Suzanne Burt found out she was expecting a baby on April Fool’s Day this year after being told she would never conceive again following the birth of her son Jack Lindsay, who is now 14.
But the 37-year-old’s miracle baby Sofia Cass was diagnosed with gastroschisis – a rare birth defect that causes the digestive organs to stick out of the stomach – while in the womb.
The exact cause of gastroschisis is unknown but it is common in young mums who drink, smoke, take drugs or have a bad diet.
Mum-of-two Suzanne, however, is a size six vegetarian and health fanatic. Professional dog
walker Suzanne, from Scottish capital Edinburgh, was determined to find a cause for Sofia’s defect and now claims the pesticide atrazine – which is used to grow the pineapple she craved during her pregnancy – could be to blame.
While atrazine was withdrawn from use in the UK in 2007 but a 2010 US study found women in areas with higher levels of the chemical were more likely to have a gastroschisis baby.
Suzanne, who remains close friends with Sofia’s dad Steven Cass, said: “After Jack I was told I wouldn’t have another baby because my fallopian tubes were swollen, so I’d given up.
“Then shortly after Steven and I broke up, I realised my period was late.
“I didn’t even think what day it was when I took the test, but when I texted my friend that I was pregnant she asked if it was an April Fool’s Day joke.
“Sofia was a surprise, but she was a happy surprise. When I found out she had gastroschisis at a 12 week scan, I was completely overwhelmed. I had never even heard of it before.
“They explained to me that it was a birth defect that is becoming more common in young mums who smoke or drink or take drugs but I don’t meet any of those criteria.
“My body is very healthy and I just couldn’t understand how it could happen to me. But instead of panic and worry, I decided to research, research, research.
“The more I looked, the more this possible link to the pesticide atrazine kept coming up. “I spend a lot of time out in fields and farmland because of my job and I’d also had a major craving for pineapple during my pregnancy – and pineapples need large amounts of pesticides.
“I take a lot of care to look after my body and be healthy and while I don’t eat meat, I’ve never been into eating organic but now I really wish I had.”
While the defect is still rare, various medical institutions including London’s Great Ormond Street Hospital suggest gastroschisis is on the rise in the UK.
Gastroschisis babies are often induced early and Suzanne was given a date of November 22 but was rushed in for an emergency caesarean six weeks early when Sofia’s heart rate dropped.
Sofia was born on October 4 at Simpson Royal Infirmary, Edinburgh, but was eight weeks premature weighing just 4lbs with her with her large intestine, small intestine and stomach outside her body.
The newborn was wrapped in cling film to keep her organs warm before being whisked away for emergency surgery.
But not all of Sofia’s organs could be put back inside her body so they were placed in a plastic silo bag for two days to protect them while they gradually returned to her body through gravity.
New mum Suzanne said the hardest thing was not being able to hold her baby until Sofia had her full closure surgery on October 6, two days after she was born.
Suzanne said: “When I gave birth to Jack, obviously things were completely different and I got that skin-to-skin contact right away. To not have that was really distressing. “I could hear Sofia crying as she was taken away for surgery but I couldn’t move to be with her. It was soul-destroying. As a new mum all you want is to hold your baby.
“But she had her surgery to have her guts put back in which went well – the hospital were amazing. And she came out with her silo bag to protect the rest until it went in and she could be stitched up.
“When she came out of her closure surgery, being able to hold her was absolutely amazing. I will never forget that day.”
Sofia had to stay in hospital for another five weeks while her feeds were increased from 1ml of milk every hour to 42ml of milk every three or four hours.
And she appeared to be making good process until last month when her face swelled and it was revealed she had caught deadly blood infection sepsis.
But the ‘warrior princess’ managed to battle the infection and was able to come home for good earlier this month.
And while there is a long road ahead for Sofia, who still only weight 5.15lbs, Suzanne is confident her ‘incredibly strong’ daughter will make it through.
Suzanne said: “It’s crazy to think just a few weeks ago she was fighting for her life. Her face was so swollen, she looked like she’d been through a boxing match.
“It was really touch and go for 24 hours, it was heartbreaking. I’d managed to stay strong but that day I had a complete breakdown.
“But she is my little princess warrior and she fought back and after that the progress seemed so fast until she came home.
“She is not completely out of the woods yet and she is still really tiny. She’s like a little doll but she is incredibly strong and resilient. I’m so proud.”
What is Gastroschisis?
Gastroschisis is a type of abdominal wall defect. It occurs when a child’s abdomen does not develop fully while in the womb.
In gastroschisis, the abdominal wall does not form completely so the intestines develop outside and are open to the air when the child is born.
Some areas of the intestines may look darker as they have been in contact with the amniotic fluid inside the womb, which can damage them.
It is not known exactly what causes gastroschisis although it is becoming more common, particularly in younger mothers under the age of 20 years. Overall the incidence is quite low with 1 in 3000 babies being born with gastroschisis each year.
MirrorUK.