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When Olivia was born to her parents in the United Kingdom six months ago, doctors were shocked at how white she was. It was quickly revealed that she was so anemic that she was classified to have been born without blood.
The Telegraph reports that Olivia's hemoglobin count was so low at birth it couldn't really be classified as blood. She received an emergency transplant to up her red blood cell count but doctors still only gave her two hours to live. The child is now 6 months old. Her "ghost white" condition is so rare that she is being documented in medical text books.
The Telegraph has more from Olivia's mother Louise Bearman:
Olivia was my first baby, so I didn't really know what to expect -- but I certainly didn't think she'd be that colour.
"I'll never forget what the doctors notes said -- "white and floppy".
[...]
"It was such a relief when the doctors explained what was happening, and it was quite amazing when they put the blood in her and she slowly turned this amazing pink color."
Neonatal nurse Sharon Pilgrim is reported as saying she had never seen hemoglobin levels as low as Olivia's in her 20 years as a nurse:
She said: "It was a miracle she survived. She was incredibly pale when born and had difficulties breathing."There was no sign of blood loss prior to the caesarean or during the operation.
"It was only when we carried out further tests on Louise that we discovered the baby had lost blood directly into her mum's blood circulation."
The Mirror reports Bearman as advising mothers to monitor the movement of the child inside of them, and if they sense something to be wrong, to go to the hospital.
According to the Huffington Post, there is a similar condition called vasa previa. This condition is described as a situation where the blood vessels in the placenta or umbilical cord are "trapped between the fetus and the birth canal." This condition can be detected before birth, which is advantageous for a healthier outcome, with a special ultrasound.
Bearman said Olivia's health has since become normal for growing baby.
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