Edinburgh mum-to-be says in-the-womb op to help her unborn son 'went well'

An Edinburgh mum-to-be who went to Belgium for in-the-womb surgery on her unborn baby has posted to say the operation went well.

Ami Milligan says the operation went well

Ami Milligan, 23, and partner Ross MacDonald, 24, from the city's Clermiston district, discovered that their unborn son had issues with his spine during a routine 20-week scan to check for any abnormalities or problems.

Doctors diagnosed Spina Bifida and said the baby suffering from a hole in the spine as well as the back that could severely impact his future quality of life.

The couple found Great Ormond Street children’s hospital in London was the only hospital in the UK which performed a new surgery to treat the condition.

They had to undergo careful assessments there and then got a date for an operation at the Leuven Hospital in Belgium, which has teamed up with Great Ormond Street.

They travelled to Belgium last week to have the operation carried out by the most experienced in-the-womb surgeon team in Europe.

And now NHS worker Ami has posted an update on Facebook: “Surgery went well on Friday for both me and baby! Now just a long road of recovery ahead.

“I want to say thank you to everyone who has messaged us (sorry I’ve not replied to everyone). I also want to say a massive thank you to everyone who has shared and donated to our story we appreciate it a lot!”

The couple have set up a JustGiving page to raise money for Great Ormond Street and are also raising money for the hospital on Facebook.

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