A doctor has recorded the moment he delivered a baby inside an intact amniotic sac.

Obstetrician Dr Aris Tsigris published the photo of the newborn on his Facebook page after delivering the baby via caesarean section in Amarousion, north of Athens.

Because the sac had not been punctured, Dr Tsigris said the baby did not even realise it had been born and behaved as if it was still inside the mother’s womb.

A glimpse into the womb: This astonishing photograph, taken by obstetrician Dr Aris Tsigris, shows the baby who was delivered inside an intact amniotic sac. Until the sac is punctured the baby will behave as if it is still inside its mother

The amniotic sac is a bag of fluid inside the womb where the unborn baby develops and grows. It is also referred to as the ‘membranes’, because the sac is made of two membranes called the amnion and the chorion.

The sac is filled with clear, pale fluid, in which the unborn baby floats and moves.

The fluid helps to cushion the baby from bumps and injury, as well as providing them with fluids that they can breathe and swallow. The fluid also maintains a constant temperature for the baby.

The amniotic sac starts to form and fill with fluid within days of a woman conceiving.

Amniotic fluid is mainly water but from about week 10 onwards, the baby passes small amounts of urine into the fluid.

An amniotic sac develops just days after a woman conceives (pictured 40 days into pregnancy). It is filled with fluid which cushions the baby from bumps and nourishes it

The amount of amniotic fluid increases gradually during pregnancy until about week 38, when it reduces slightly until the baby is born.

Typically the amniotic sac breaks on its own during birth, which is commonly referred to as a mother’s ‘water breaking’.

Dr Tsigris that the chance of the amniotic sac remaining completely intact after birth was ‘ultra rare’ and he was left ‘breathless’ by the sight of the newborn born on March 12, according to a report by Nine News.

The doctor said there was no risk to the baby as it was still feeding off the placenta and would begin to breathe as soon as the sac was broken.

The photo has since been shared more than 8000 times.

Read more: Daily Mail