are intestines formed outside the abdomen?
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.