are intestines formed outside the abdomen?
This condition occurs when an opening forms in the baby’s abdominal wall. The baby’s bowel pushes through this hole. It then develops outside of the baby’s body in the amniotic fluid. The opening is most often on the right side of the baby’s belly button. It can be large or small, but is typically 1-2 inches in size. If the gastroschisis is too large, a silo is placed. A silo is a covering placed over the abdominal organs on the outside of the baby. Gradually, the organs are squeezed by hand through the silo into the opening and returned to the body. This method can take up to a week. If the amount of bowel outside the abdomen is large or if the baby's condition is unstable, the surgery for the gastroschisis may need to be staged (done in several steps) over three to ten days. A Silastic (silicone plastic) pouch is first placed over the baby's exposed bowel and anchored to the surrounding muscle. Gastroschisis surgery will be done as soon as the infant's condition is stabilized, usually within 12 to 24 hours after delivery. When babies have only a small amount of intestine outside the abdominal wall, one operation can often correct the problem. About two-thirds of gastroschisis patients fall into this category. The surgeons simply return the intestine to the abdominal cavity and close the hole. Wide-eyed and smiling at her parents, Maisie Tobin looks like a happy four-month-old. Yet she is lucky to be alive, after a rare birth defect meant her abdomen failed to form properly and she was born with her intestines on the outside of her body. With simple gastroschisis , only the bowel makes its way out of the abdominal opening. With complicated gastroschisis , one or more of the following occurs: The bowel outside of the baby’s body is extremely damaged, e.g., a portion of the tissue has died (called necrosis), or the bowel has become twisted or tangled. Gastroschisis is an abdominal wall defect like omphalocele in which the anterior abdomen does not close properly allowing the intestines to protrude outside the fetus. The majority of fetuses with this problem are born to mothers in their late teens or early twenties. For some unknown reason, while the fetus is developing, the muscles of the abdominal wall do not form correctly. This allows some of the organs (stomach, intestine) to protrude outside the fetus's body. The organs outside of the fetus's body are floating in the amniotic fluid. A small opening in the abdominal wall allows the stomach and small and large intestines to stick out outside the body. Rather than following the normal course of development, the abdominal wall ruptures, usually on the right side of the umbilicus, or navel. The intestine then extends through the opening. In the early stages of pregnancy, the intestine develops within the umbilical cord. Weeks later it moves inside the foetus' abdomen. But where an unborn child has gastroschisis, the abdominal wall does not completely form. It results in the intestines growing outside the body. Around one in 3,000 babies are born with the condition in the UK, each year. As soon as the child is born the condition requires immediate treatment. Maisie Tobin was born with her intestines outside of her body due to a rare birth defect. Immediately after her birth, doctors saved her life by wrapping her in clingfilm to prevent infections. Chloe Tobin, 24, was told her baby had the birth defect gastroschisis at her 12-week scan.
No, but when an  unborn child has gastroschisis, the abdominal wall does not completely form. It results in the intestines growing outside the body.