Newborn baby holds contraceptive coil that stopped mum from getting pregnant

An IUD (intrauterine device), also known as a copper coil, is 99% effective in preventing pregnancy, but one baby beat the odds and was pictured victoriously holding the tiny device shortly after being born

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A baby was sensationally pictured with a T-shaped contraceptive device, shortly after being born, that was expected to prevent their mum from getting pregnant.

The baby boy, Matheus Gabriel, arrived in the world with triumph, defeating the odds of the contraceptive device, known as the copper coil or IUD (intrauterine device), which is supposed to be 99% effective in preventing pregnancy.

His mum, Queidy Araujo de Oliveira, had been using the coil for about two years when she unexpectedly got pregnant.

An IUD is a type of contraceptive that involves a small T-shaped device inserted into the womb (uterus) and works immediately. It prevents pregnancy by "releasing copper into the womb", the NHS states, and typically lasts for five or 10 years.

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However, as the mum found out, contraception is not always effective, and she discovered she was pregnant during a routine check-up. As the IUD was still in the mother's womb, doctors said it would be too risky to remove it, so it remained there throughout the pregnancy.

During the pregnancy, Queidy suffered some complications, including bleeding and detachment. Thankfully, her baby boy was born healthy at the Hospital Sagrado Coracao de Jesus, in Neropolis, Brazil.

Just moments after seeing the world for the first time, Dr Natalia Rodrigues, who performed the delivery, couldn't resist taking a snap of the baby with the IUD in his tiny hands. In a victorious snap that was shared on social media earlier this month, baby Matheus can be seen clutching the contraceptive device in his tiny hands, having beaten the odds.

In the caption, it read: "Holding my victory trophy: the IUD that couldn't handle me!" While the baby's father, who had been waiting for a vasectomy, joked online that the "factory is now closed".

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This isn't the first time that a baby has been incredibly pictured with their mother's contraceptive device. A few years ago, another baby boy clasped his mother's IUD in his hand at Hai Phong International Hospital in the city of Hai Phong in northern Vietnam.

Obstetrician Tran Viet Phuong said the device had come out when the baby was born. Phuong told local media: "After delivery, I thought him holding the device was interesting, so I took a picture. I never thought it would receive so much attention."

The baby's 34-year-old mother had reportedly had the IUD inserted two years earlier, but later discovered she was pregnant. Phuong said the IUD may have been moved from its original position, becoming an ineffective form of contraception and allowing the mother to become pregnant.