For several seconds, the doctor simply stared, trying to understand what he was seeing. A nurse leaned closer and let out a sharp gasp, drawing the attention of everyone in the room.
The baby was gripping an intrauterine device — an IUD.
The room fell completely silent. Even the sound of the baby’s cry seemed to soften as the weight of the moment landed on everyone present.
Obstetrician Dr. Trần Việt Phương, who had delivered hundreds of babies across his career, later said that despite all his years of medical experience, he had never witnessed something so surreal and symbolic.
Dr. Phương gently pried the device from the baby’s hand, ensuring no discomfort or injury.
He later emphasized that photographing such moments helps hospitals understand rare cases and educate others, especially when devices fail in unexpected ways.
She had trusted the device to prevent another pregnancy. She never imagined that she would conceive again, let alone carry a healthy pregnancy to term with the device still present in her womb.
Yet here her son was — alive, strong, and symbolically holding the very object designed to prevent his existence.
In rare situations, the device can shift, become displaced, or fail to remain in the correct position.
Such cases are uncommon, but they do happen — and this newborn’s arrival was a striking example of nature overcoming medical probability.
Once the initial shock faded, the delivery room was filled with an almost reverent stillness. Nurses exchanged quiet glances.