Uploaded June 2025 | Updated September 2026, 3 hours ago
During their 20-week ultrasound, Paige and Cody found out their baby, Wesley, would be born with spina bifida, specifically mylelomeningocele, a condition that occurs when the fetus’ spinal cord doesn’t develop properly, leaving a portion of the cord and nerves protruding from an opening in the baby’s back. Babies with MMC can have severe disabilities, including altered brain development, hydrocephalus, decreased ability to move lower extremities, difficulty walking, and changes with urination.
Paige and Cody's doctor in Kansas City referred them to St. Louis where they could receive the expert care of The Fetal Care Center (barnesjewish.org/Medical-Services/Women-Infants/High-Risk-Pregnancy/Fetal-Care) at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and St. Louis Children’s Hospital. Here, a multidisciplinary team, led by WashU Medicine specialists, performed an in utero surgery called a fetoscopic repair of spina bifida to reduce the complications of spina bifida. Today, Wesley is thriving thanks to this innovative fetal surgery offered on the Washington University Medical Campus in St. Louis, Missouri.
To learn more about how our Fetal Care Center diagnoses and treats babies with myelomeningocele, visit: barnesjewish.org/Medical-Services/Women-Infants/High-Risk-Pregnancy/Fetal-Care/Fetal-Conditions/Spina-Bifida
During their 20-week ultrasound, Paige and Cody found out their baby, Wesley, would be born with spina bifida, specifically mylelomeningocele, a condition that occurs when the fetus’ spinal cord doesn’t develop properly, leaving a portion of the cord and nerves protruding from an opening in the baby’s back. Babies with MMC can have severe disabilities, including altered brain development, hydrocephalus, decreased ability to move lower extremities, difficulty walking, and changes with urination.
Paige and Cody's doctor in Kansas City referred them to St. Louis where they could receive the expert care of The Fetal Care Center (barnesjewish.org/Medical-Services/Women-Infants/High-Risk-Pregnancy/Fetal-Care) at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and St. Louis Children’s Hospital. Here, a multidisciplinary team, led by WashU Medicine specialists, performed an in utero surgery called a fetoscopic repair of spina bifida to reduce the complications of spina bifida. Today, Wesley is thriving thanks to this innovative fetal surgery offered on the Washington University Medical Campus in St. Louis, Missouri.
To learn more about how our Fetal Care Center diagnoses and treats babies with myelomeningocele, visit: barnesjewish.org/Medical-Services/Women-Infants/High-Risk-Pregnancy/Fetal-Care/Fetal-Conditions/Spina-Bifida
