Eight-week-old born with bowel outside his body celebrates coronation

Despite parents Karl Howard and Sophie Appleton from Sutton Heath, knowing that their baby would be born with the condition gastroschisis – which was highlighted in routine baby scans – they got the "shock of their lives" when their baby was born.

Gran Kathleen said: “We were told all the way through that the baby was a girl, her name was to be Harper and we had a pink baby shower and loads of pink things lined up for her.

“They knew the baby has gastroschisis but when they told them it was a boy, they got the shock of their lives.”

The baby, Carter-Jay Daniel Howard was born on March 4 weighing 3lb and 12oz.

Gastroschisis is a type of abdominal wall defect. It occurs when a child’s abdomen does not develop fully while in the womb.

Early in all pregnancies, the intestine develops inside the umbilical cord and then usually moves inside the abdomen a few weeks later.

In gastroschisis, the abdominal wall does not form completely so the intestines develop outside and are open to the air when the child is born.

He was sent to Alder Hey Children’s Hospital where he underwent surgery to put his bowels inside of his body, something he will need monitoring and further surgery in the future, but for now he’s home and happy.

The 44-year-old, added: “He’s such a quiet baby and already been through so much in his short life, we thought it would be great to take a picture of him celebrating the coronation, as he can’t yet be in big crowds due to risks of infection, so we dressed him up in an outfit and decorated the house especially.”

The family dressed Carter-Jay up in a beautiful outfit with Beefeaters on it and intend to put the pictures in his memory box to look back on when he’s older.