Little Tyler Dexter is not even a week old and has already become famous. A photo of the newborn holding an IUD or intrauterine device has gone viral on social media. However, questions are being raised on the veracity of the image.
Lucy Hellein, Tyler's mom clarified that the photo she shared on her Facebook profile, which showed her baby boy holding the IUD was genuine. However, Tyler was not born holding the IUD. Over a telephonic interview, she told First Coast News that the IUD was found behind her placenta during the C-section delivery.
Hellein's friend took the photo as an ironical take on conceiving a baby, despite having an IUD inserted.
Protection Fails To Prevent Pregnancy
Tyler was born on April 27, one week earlier than the scheduled delivery date of May 4. At the time of birth, he weighed around 9 pounds. His mother admits that it was her third Mirena — the IUD — which she used and the first that failed to do its job of preventing a pregnancy.
The Alabama woman revealed that her first two IUDs worked the way they were supposed to and she inserted her third on August 2016. Later in December, she discovered that she was pregnant with Tyler.
"I found out I was pregnant in December and I'll admit I was scared because of the Mirena," Hellein told Metro.co.uk during an interview.
When she discovered she had conceived, Hellein assumed that her pregnancy was only a few weeks old. However, the ultrasound confirmed that she was 18 weeks pregnant. During the ultrasound the Mirena could not be detected inside her womb, which lead her obstetrician to believe that it may have fallen out. However, Hellein was not convinced of the same.
Tyler was born healthy and the delivery was without any complications. At the time of writing, the image Hellein uploaded on Facebook was shared just over 70,000 times. Given that Tyler's delivery was scheduled on Stars Wars Day i.e. May 4, doctors joked that "'the force is strong with this one."
Hellein said that though Tyler was unplanned the whole family was very happy with his inclusion.
IUD: Its Function And Effectiveness
An IUD is a small T-shaped device that is inserted inside the uterus of a woman to prevent unplanned pregnancy. Although Hellein's IUD failed to do the job it was supposed to carry out, doctors claim that it is one of the most effective birth control methods one can use.
An IUD is a long-term contraceptive method and is also reversible. Planned Parenthood states on its website that it is over 99 percent effective in preventing pregnancies.
"This woman is very lucky that when the placenta grew over the IUD it did not disrupt the blood flow to the placenta," Laura Ghasseminia, a nurse with Planned Parenthood stated, referring to the unplanned pregnancy.
