Kourtney Kardashian’s journey to having a baby with her husband, Travis Barker was not easy. The Kardashiansstar detailed her experience with fertility issues on her show, including undergoing multiple rounds of IVF.
Fans celebrated when Kourtney shared last summer that she and Travis were pregnant, but things took a scary turn in September, and Kourtney later revealed on Instagram that she had to have “urgent fetal surgery” that ended up “saving” their baby’s life. The couple’s son, Rocky, was born in November.
“As someone who has had three really easy pregnancies in the past, I wasn’t prepared for the fear of rushing into urgent fetal surgery,” she went on. “I have a whole new understanding and respect for the mamas who have had to fight for their babies while pregnant.”
Kourtney hasn’t shared many details publicly about what happened—until now. A new trailer for the upcoming fifth season of The Kardashians shows just how scary this experience was for Kourtney and her family. The trailer also showed her sister, Khloe Kardashian, saying that “someone has to be here” with Kourtney when her family left on a trip.
All of this may have you asking a lot of questions about what, exactly, fetal surgery is, and why a baby might have need to have a procedure before it is born.
Ahead, learn all about fetal surgery, how common it is, and how it works.
What is fetal surgery?
Fetal surgery is “a procedure performed on an unborn baby (fetus) in the uterus (in utero) to help improve the long-term outcome of children with specific birth defects,” per the Mayo Clinic. It’s also sometimes called in-utero or prenatal surgery, according to Cleveland Clinic.
If a pregnant person’s healthcare team thinks a fetus won’t make it to delivery or live long after birth, they may suggest this as an option. Fetal surgery can be performed as early as 16 weeks, but the most ideal time for surgery is between 22 and 26 weeks, per Cleveland Clinic.
Some birth defects can get worse as a fetus grows, so it’s important to have a surgery to address the issue before birth, the Mayo Clinic explains. It can help some children go through life significantly less disabled than if they were to have surgery after birth. This is especially true if the surgery is for conditions like spina bifida, which is when the neutral tube doesn’t close all the way, according to the CDC.
Why did Kourtney Kardashian have urgent fetal surgery?
Kourtney shared more details about her surgery in a new trailer for The Kardashians season five.
“I had to go in for fetal surgery, which was terrifying,” she says in the trailer, alongside footage of her looking tearful in what appears to be a hospital bed as someone rubs her hand.
But while Kourtney and Travis haven’t revealed why Kourt had to undergo urgent fetal surgery, baby Rocky seems to be OK. It’s very likely season five will dive more into this.
Kourtney told Vogue in October that an ultrasound helped to save her baby’s life. “I learned that insurance typically only covers two ultrasounds when you’re pregnant, I had no idea,” she said. “I’ve always been lucky enough to do more than what insurance covers, and it’s one of those ultrasounds that saved my baby’s life.”
Kourtney also told Vanity Fair Italia that she learned to have a positive mindset after her surgery. “Right after the surgery, I reached the point where I let myself go and I stopped worrying,” she said. “Now I talk to the baby every day, have a positive mindset, keep my head straight, and say a lot of prayers. It took me a while to let go of the fear.”