Cooper will light the hospital green to raise awareness for gastroschisis on Sunday, July 30, 2017, for National Gastrochisis Awareness Day. Gastroschisis is a birth defect that develops in a baby while a woman is pregnant. This condition occurs when an opening forms in the baby’s abdominal wall and the bowels are pushed through the hole and develop outside of the baby’s body in the amniotic fluid. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that about 1,871 babies are born each year in the United States with gastroschisis, but several studies show that recently this birth defect has become more common, particularly among younger mothers. At Cooper, the Pediatric Surgery team, led by Matthew Moront, MD, takes care of infants with this birth defect.
