Kourtney Kardashian Barker has been open about experiencing a “terrifying” health scare during her pregnancy last summer, which required fetal surgery and sent husband Travis Barker flying back from tour to be with her. Now, the mom of three is revealing what exactly led to the urgent surgery — and we can understand why she was so scared.
On a new episode of The Kardashians this week, Kardashian Barker looked back on the “terrifying scare where I had to have emergency fetal surgery,” as she says in a confessional, per People. As she recovers on-screen from the fetal surgery, Kardashian Barker explains, “Baby Rocky had to have fetal surgery for fluid in his lung.”
When a fetus has fluid in their lungs, it’s called fetal hydrothorax (or fetal pleural effusion), per Johns Hopkins Medicine. It’s a serious complication, as this fluid “can compress the lungs and even displace the heart,” interfering with the fetus’s development and potentially leading to issues like heart failure or additional fluid accumulation.
Kardashian Barker describes the condition as “super rare” and said she felt “lucky” to have caught it. She continues, “I’m honestly just so grateful, I have no words.”
Fetal hydrothorax is treated via surgery, which involves draining the fluid either out of the fetus’s body altogether or by inserting a small tube into the fetus’s chest, allowing the fluid to continuously drain into the amniotic cavity in the uterus. While it’s not clear which procedure Kardashian Barker underwent, she did note that the fluid “start[ed] coming back” after the surgery.
“I was definitely filled with fear after the surgery and the fluid in his lungs,” she explained in the episode. When she realized the problem was coming back, Kardashian Barker said she took a different approach.
“I watched this documentary called Heal that was all about the power of positive thinking and how our thinking can really affect our health,” she explained. She said she began praying and talking to baby Rocky every day. After that “mindset shift,” she continued, “the fluid was completely gone and we had not one single problem after.”
It’s an attitude that makes sense for Kardashian Barker, who recently attributed her ability to get pregnant in her mid-40s to her faith and to letting go of pressure.
“I stopped [IVF] after a year of trying (five failed IVF cycles, three retrievals),” she told fans in an Instagram Q&A, per BBC. “My body relaxed, and I believed in God’s plan for my life. Lots of prayers for whatever was meant to be for us.” Kardashian Barker said she also “optimiz[ed] my health,” and acknowledged that it’s “hard to feel like you’re not trying, but believing in God’s plan and saying your prayers is so powerful.” Kardashian Barker got pregnant “naturally” (without IVF) in February 2023 and gave birth to Rocky, her first child with Barker, in December.
It’s clear Kardashian Barker is a believer in the power of attitude and mindset when it comes to health. While that might feel a little dubious to some — and you should always consult medical professionals when it comes to your health, fertility-related or otherwise — it’s also true that your mental health has a direct effect on your physical health. That’s especially true when it comes to stress, which may contribute to inflammation in your circulatory system (which can lead to issues like heart attacks), per the American Psychological Association, as well as sleep issues, muscle tension or pain, or even getting sick more often, according to Mayo Clinic.
Stress experienced by pregnant people can even affect their fetus. High levels of stress can lead to high blood pressure, which increases the risk of preterm labor or a low-birth-weight infant, according to the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. Being able to relax and relieve stress, then can theoretically lead to more positive health outcomes all around.
While it may not be a completely “mind over matter” situation, it’s clear that mind does affect matter, at least to some degree. In other words, Kardashian Barker’s approach of taking care of her mental and physical health — both in getting pregnant and in monitoring Rocky’s prenatal health — isn’t a bad one, especially as she was in frequent communication with her care team.
Exhibit A: Kardashian Barker ending a photoshoot early under doctors’ advice and her own instinct. “My doctors gave me very specific strict orders on how to do this shoot,” she explained in a previous episode of The Kardashians, per People, with those “orders” including a two-hour time limit and staying within 10 minutes of home. Kardashian Barker ended the shoot after an hour and a half, though, when she sat down and felt some discomfort.
“I’m gonna listen to my body,” she reflected on the moment. “There’s no reason to push this. Obviously, my health and the baby’s health come first.”
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