Local Congresswoman’s ‘miracle baby’ turns eight weeks old
STANFORD, (Calif.) -- The daughter of U.S. Rep. Jaime Herrera-Beutler is eight weeks old today.
Doctors call Abigail Beutler the ‘miracle baby’ because she may be the first baby to ever survive Potter’s Syndrome. Potter’s Syndrome is a prenatal condition that leaves a baby without kidneys and prevents the lungs from developing properly. Babies with Potter’s Syndrome typically die before birth.
Doctors tried an experimental treatment, injecting Herrera-Beutler with a saline solution while she was pregnant to help Abigail’s lungs develop. So far, it’s worked.
Abigail is being treated at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital in Stanford, Calif. She will be on dialysis until she can receive a transplant in about a year or so.