Texas baby thriving after spina bifida surgery in utero

A little girl in Texas born with spina bifida is thriving, thanks to surgery performed while she was still in her mother's womb.

Key Takeaways:

• Kaylee and Andres Rivas discovered during a routine ultrasound that their preborn baby, Josie, had spina bifida.

• They were able to get treatment at Texas Children's Hospital Austin, where doctors performed a specialized maternal-fetal surgery to repair Josie's spine.

• After 109 days in the NICU, Josie went home with her family and is doing well.

• Despite medical advancements, many parents are still encouraged to abort their children after a spina bifida diagnosis.

The Details:

Kaylee Rivas and her husband, Andres, discovered during a routine ultrasound that their preborn baby had spina bifida.

“They couldn’t quite get a good measurement on her head,” Kaylee Rivas told WFAA. “They were concerned that Spina Bifida could cause it, and another test confirmed it.”

The couple was able to find help for their daughter, Josie, at Texas Children's Hospital Austin. Specialists at the hospital's Spina Bifida Program were able to offer Kaylee and Josie highly specialized maternal-fetal surgery — working to repair Josie's spina bifida while still in her mother's womb.

“This procedure is definitely maternal-fetal surgery,” Dr. Cara Buskmiller told the news outlet. “It’s surgery on both patients. The mom undergoes significant surgery to allow her uterus to be ready for us to put some port sites in it.”

The surgery was successful, and after 109 days in the NICU, Josie is now home with her parents. She is said to be doing well, and can move her legs — a milestone doctors say is a positive sign.

“There have obviously been so many bad moments along the way and some really hard moments,” said Andres Rivas. “But just like everything in life, it passes and the good times are finally here.”

Zoom In:

The Mayo Clinic describes spina bifida as "a condition that occurs when the spine and spinal cord don't form properly. It's a type of neural tube defect." The surgery performed on Josie was likely fetoscopic fetal surgery, in which the surgical team accesses the mother's uterus and, guided by ultrasound, closes the spinal defect on her preborn baby.

Texas Children's Hospital reports that as of November 2025, it has performed more than 220 fetoscopic repairs for spina bifida — more than any other hospital in the country.

The Bottom Line:

Despite the remarkable ability for doctors to perform surgery while the baby is still in the womb, many parents who receive a prenatal diagnosis of spina bifida are still encouraged to abort. And even if surgery is not possible for a child, there is never a reason to end that child's life through abortion.

As stories like this one show, every child deserves a chance at receiving the best possible treatment and care.