First laparoscopic surgery to fix defect in the womb

LONDON, U.K. (WPVI) -- British doctors are reporting a medical first - the first keyhole surgery to repair a serious defect in the womb.

Jaxson Sharp is too young to know he's a medical pioneer.

During her pregnancy his mother learned that Jaxson had spina bifida, meaning his spinal cord wasn't covered.

Most hospitals open the womb to repair that, but Kings College Hospital in London did it laparoscopically through small incisions.

" We use three very small tubes, plastic tubes, that go into the uterus - we don't need to open the maternal abdomen. So we just make very small incisions, and we put the plastic tubes (inside), we put a camera inside and two instruments and we can operate, we can put the patch on top of the nerves, says Dr. Marta Santorum-Perez.

Jaxson's mother Sherrie Sharp adds, "I want to speak out about it and make sure that other mums know and other parents know there is a different way of actually having the surgery."

Without the surgery, Jaxson probably wouldn't be able to walk.

But now, he could have a near-normal walk.

By the way, Sherrie was at one time told she could never have children, so she really considers Jaxson her "miracle baby."