What Is an En Caul or Mermaid Birth? Here’s What to Know About These Spectacular Deliveries

All births are magical in their own way, of course, but en caul births are particularly enchanting—and said to be a sign of good luck, too. They are also highly unusual. But what are they, exactly? We spoke with Dr. Banafsheh Kashani, MD, FACOG, OB/GYN to find out what these spectacular births are really all about.

Simply put, an en caul birth is when a baby is born still fully enclosed within the unruptured amniotic sac (caul). Also known as “mermaid birth” or “veiled birth,” this is a highly unusual occurrence (especially in vaginal births, due to the amount of pressure involved in squeezing a baby out of the birth canal). In fact, this phenomenon occurs in less than 1 in 80,000 births. As such, when an en caul birth does go down, it’s a pretty magical thing to behold—a rare glimpse into a baby’s sheltered world within the womb.

Babies born en caul emerge in the very same gelatinous sac that protected and nourished them throughout their time in utero. Aside from the fact that this event is just objectively fascinating, an en caul birth is all the more intriguing because so few people ever witness one. In fact, most labor and delivery nurses and doctors never see a single one throughout their careers. But according to Dr. Kashani, when a baby is born with the amniotic sac completely intact, it looks like “a clear film or balloon that surrounds the baby and is filled with amniotic fluid.” Pretty cool, right?

Per Dr. Kashani, an en caul birth can occur whenever there has not been a rupture of membranes during labor. OK, got it...but how? In vaginal deliveries, en caul births are most likely to occur in preterm or premature births, since the baby is smaller and labor is, well, less laborious (relatively speaking, that is). But these rare births tend to happen more often during cesarean sections—namely because there are instances when the scalpel doesn’t rupture the amniotic sac during surgery. It’s also important to note that vaginal deliveries in which labor is induced preclude the possibility of an en caul birth, as this procedure involves the physical rupturing of the membrane and the administration of pitocin, a synthetic hormone that kicks labor into a high enough gear that an en caul delivery is all but impossible.

Can you request an en caul birth?

Maybe...but you probably shouldn’t. We hate to burst your bubble (sorry) but if you have a planned cesarean delivery, your medical team probably won’t take the request too seriously since there’s no evidence that there’s any benefit to having an en caul birth (aside from the obvious cool factor). Of course, you are more than welcome to ask your practitioner.