A baby born with a head as large as a melon is defying expectations, after his parents ignored the doctors who advised them to have an abortion.
At 20 weeks, Lorenzo Pontone was diagnosed with hydrocephalus, a condition which causes fluid to build up in the skull, making the brain swell.
But despite doctors warning that he would be unlikely to survive birth, Mum Nikky and Dad Fernando chose to continue the pregnancy.
Proud
Nikky said: “As the pregnancy went on, the doctors told us he was at high risk of being stillborn or not surviving after birth – they said he would be blind, won’t walk, will be deaf and have seizures.”
But after being delivered by caesarean at 36 weeks, he is now able to close his eyes and breathe on his own.
Doctors have inserted a tube to reduce the excess fluid on his brain, meaning the swelling will gradually reduce.
Fernando said: “We’re so proud of him. Everything doctors said he wouldn’t be able to do, he’s done.”
Not justified
Hydrocephalus affects about one in 1,000 children, making it as common as Down’s syndrome.
The law in Great Britain permits abortion after 24 weeks if there is believed to be a ‘serious foetal handicap’.
But this is often used to justify abortions for conditions such as Down’s syndrome and even sometimes for cleft palate.