Claudine and Dave Fitzgibbon had already terminated two previous pregnancies when, for the third time, their unborn child was diagnosed with spina bifida.
Devastated by their earlier experiences, the couple sought a solution and found hope in a team of surgeons at Brisbane's Mater Hospital.
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Claudine and Dave Fitzgibbon found hope in a team of surgeons at Brisbane's Mater Hospital to help treat their son's spina bifida. Vision courtesy: ABC
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Couple finds hope in groundbreaking surgery
Claudine and Dave Fitzgibbon found hope in a team of surgeons at Brisbane's Mater Hospital to help treat their son's spina bifida. Vision courtesy: ABC
There they met surgeon Dr Glenn Gardener who had been practising prenatal surgery for several years and had, earlier in 2016, completed Australia's first prenatal surgery to treat a fetus with spina bifida.
Dr Gardener told the Fitzgibbons the surgery was not a cure for spina bifida, a congenital spinal defect, but rather a chance to improve their child's quality of life.
"They had been relatively traumatised by their previous experiences, they knew a lot about spina bifida," Dr Gardener said.
"They had been told by their specialists that children with spina bifida would have bladder and bowel incontinence, inability to walk, fluid on the brain requiring surgery down the track.
"They were scared for the future of their child and they wanted to hear something different."
Spina bifida is often not diagnosed until the 20-week scan, which had left the Fitzgibbons, who are featured on ABC's Australian Story on Monday night, with little time to decide what to do in their two previous pregnancies.
Traumatised by their decision to terminate, they decided to give the prenatal surgery a chance.
After a number of tests and meetings with specialists, Ms Fitzgibbon was given the all-clear and in August 2016 underwent the risky surgery.
During the surgery, Dr Gardener opened up Ms Fitzgibbon's abdomen and womb and exposed the unborn child while a neurologist and plastic surgeon closed the defect and brought new skin over the child's spine to protect any progressive injury during the remaining term of the pregnancy.
While there are risks associated with performing prenatal surgery of this kind, including the likelihood of an early delivery and the risk for future pregnancy, Dr Gardener said the procedure helped reduce further injury, as opposed to waiting to operate on the child once it was born.
They were scared for the future of their child and they wanted to hear something different
"Because the spine is exposed and nerves are exposed, they get progressively injured because they are exposed to embryonic fluid and are constantly rubbing against the uterine wall," he said.
"If you can cover those nerves with skin you can prevent further injury and so these children are more likely to walk unassisted and are less likely to have fluid build-up on the brain after birth."
Ms Fitzgibbon's surgery went well and on October 31, four weeks earlier than the expected, Harvey Fitzgibbon was born.
"Little Harvey has done very well, he has great leg movement, hasn't got any fluid build-up on the brain that requires surgery," Dr Gardener said.
"But we still have to watch him grow up. This is not a cure for spina bifida but the aim is to improve the outcome for these children so they have a better life and their families as well."
While the Fitzgibbons won't know how severely the congenital defect will impact their son for several years, they are over the moon that his early signs are looking good.
Claudine and Dave's journey will feature on ABC's Australian Story on Monday night at 8pm.