Months after little Rodrigo was born without a face and part of his brain to a couple assured all ante-natal scans were perfect, the baby is eating rice and fruit purées and has started to smile at his parents.
Given only hours to live following his birth at a Setúbal hospital last October, Rodrigo now weighs 4.7 kilos and “is doing really well”, says his mother Marlene.
Despite having no nose or eyes, he has apparently learnt to distinguish people, and “laughs”.
“He’s a baby like every other baby”, his mother tells reporters as the doctor who failed to detect Rodrigo’s serious anomalies in the womb continues ‘suspended’, with a decision on his future unforthcoming.
Since Rodrigo’s birth, a number of complaints about the doctor who monitored his ante-natal development have come to light (click here), as have other cases of children born with lifelong limitations following all the necessary ultrasound scans.
But according to reports today, six of those complaints have now been archived, in favor of Dr Artur Carvalho, with only four left to go.
Meantime, Rodrigo faces an uncertain future. His head is particularly vulnerable, says Correio da Manhã, and cannot even support the pressure of a hat.
