Baby Gabriel's Biological Parents Authorize Heart Surgery After Initially Wanting Abortion
Baby Gabriel's Biological Parents Authorize Heart Surgery to Save Him
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The biological parents who wanted their surrogate to terminate the pregnancy are now taking steps to keep their newborn alive ... telling a judge they've decided their son will undergo major heart surgery.
According to a court filing, obtained by TMZ, Nausheen Gilkar and Omar Ahmed have elected to have the baby undergo the Norwood procedure after consulting with doctors at Children's Health.
The Norwood procedure is a complex open-heart surgery performed on newborns with hypoplastic left heart syndrome -- the condition doctors discovered during the pregnancy. It helps the side of the heart that works pump blood through the body.
The parents call their son Rumi in the filing. Surrogate McKenna West referred to him as Gabriel ... though Nausheen and Omar say that is not his name.
The filing does not reveal when the operation will take place, but the parents say they will provide the date privately if the court requests it.
As we reported ... after doctors discovered the heart defect at the 20-week scan, Nausheen and Omar invoked a clause in the surrogacy agreement requiring West to terminate the pregnancy.
West initially scheduled the procedure ... then changed her mind and traveled from Alaska, where she lives, to Texas, where she gave birth early last week.
The biological parents have since obtained a restraining order, giving them medical decision-making authority. The order also bars West from making medical decisions or interfering with their access to the baby.
