Doctors in the United Kingdom performed surgery on an unborn baby, before successfully returning the child, Elouise, to her mother’s womb.

The mother, 26-year-old Bethan Simpson, learned during a routine 20-week scan late last year that Elouise had spina bifida, a condition that affects the spinal cord and backbone and can lead to many complications, including an inability to walk.

Her doctors spoke with her about her options; abortion was one of them.

“I physically couldn’t bring myself to consider termination,” Simpson told The Washington Post. “I feel her kick, kick, kick, and everything else was perfectly normal.”