Editing Caul (section)

{{Short description|Membrane covering the head and face of a newborn at birth}}
{{Other uses}}
{{use dmy dates|date=September 2024}}
{{rip|date=January 2023}}
A '''caul''' is a piece of [[biological membrane|membrane]] that can cover a [[newborn]]'s head and face.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thefreedictionary.com/caul |title=caul |work=Thefreedictionary.com |accessdate=2011-10-15 }}</ref> Birth with a caul is rare, occurring in less than 1 in 80,000 births.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Malik |first1=Rohail |last2=Sarfraz |first2=Adil |last3=Faroqui |first3=Raihan |last4=Onyebeke |first4=William |last5=Wanerman |first5=Jeffrey |date=2018-04-30 |title=Extremely Preterm (23 Weeks) Vaginal Cephalic Delivery En Caul and Subsequent Postpartum Intraventricular Hemorrhage and Respiratory Distress: A Teaching Case |journal=Case Reports in Obstetrics and Gynecology |language=en |volume=2018 |pages=e5690125 |doi=10.1155/2018/5690125 |issn=2090-6684 |pmc=5952438 |pmid=29854514 |doi-access=free }}</ref> The caul is harmless and is immediately removed by the attending parent, physician, or [[midwife]] upon birth of the child.{{citation needed|date=September 2022}}

An en-caul birth is different from a caul birth in that the infant is born inside the entire [[amniotic sac]] (instead of just a portion of it). The sac balloons out at birth, with the amniotic fluid and child remaining inside the unbroken or partially broken membrane.{{citation needed|date=September 2022}}