( CNN ) We all know that every baby is special , but Silas Philips pulled off a rare feat right out of the womb . Days before he 's scheduled to leave the hospital , he 's already gone viral on social media because he was born 'en caul . ' Silas was completely encased in his amniotic sac , said Los Angeles ' Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in a Facebook post . That 's so rare , that even doctors delivering babies hardly see it . So Silas ' doctor snapped a photo with his cell phone . It looked like the baby was trapped in a big water bubble . `` Even though it 's a cliche -- we caught our breath , '' neonatologist William Binder told CNN affiliate KCAL . `` It really felt like a moment of awe . '' Then Binder got to work helping Silas to breathe - and giving him special care , because Silas was born three months before his due date via Caesarean section . Later , Silas ' grandmother showed the cell phone photo to his mother , Chelsea Philips . `` It was definitely like a clear film , where you could definitely make out his head and his hair , '' Philips told the affiliate . Silas was curled up in fetal position inside . The amniotic sac is an opaque bubble that covers all babies in the womb from right after conception . As the baby grows , it fills with fluid , including the baby 's urine . The sac cushions the baby from bumps and jostles during mom 's daily ups and downs . Normally , during a birth , it breaks , and the fluid rushes out , which is where the term 'breaking water ' comes from . But sometimes , the sac can get stuck around part of the baby , according to Dr. Amos Grunebaum , an obstetrician and gynecologist , who publishes a website on birth and baby care . It can , for example , get stuck on the baby 's head , which makes it look like its wearing a glass space helmet . That 's also where the term caul comes from -- it derives from Latin words that refer to a helmet . After IVF shock , mom gives birth to two sets of identical twins . Such amniotic sac helmet births are rare enough , but to have the entire baby inside the sac , or 'en caul , ' occurs in less than one in 80,000 births , Cedars-Sinai said . When Philips heard how rare her Baby 's birth was , she was flabbergasted . `` I was like , oh my gosh , Silas , you 're a little special baby , '' she told KCAL . It 's particularly surprising in a C-section , because the scalpel usually pierces the amniotic sac . The doctors must have missed Silas 's . Florida woman gives birth to 14.1-pound baby boy .
" He was born ' en caul , ' with completely surrounded by his amniotic sac . That 's very rare -- it occurs in fewer than 1 in 80,000 births .