In a groundbreaking and extremely rare medical case, a baby named Lynlee Boemer from Texas was effectively born twice—first, during a life-saving surgery while still in the womb, and again at full term.
At 16 weeks of pregnancy, doctors discovered that Lynlee had a sacrococcygeal teratoma, a fast-growing tumor located at the base of the spine.
This type of tumor can divert blood away from the fetus and overwhelm the heart, leading to heart failure or even death if left untreated.
By 23 weeks, the tumor had grown so large that it was threatening her life. A specialized surgical team at Texas Children’s Hospital decided to perform open fetal surgery, a rare and risky procedure that involved temporarily removing the fetus from the uterus.
During the operation:
The mother underwent a deep incision to partially deliver the fetus.
Lynlee’s lower body was pulled out of the womb while her upper body remained inside, keeping her connected to the placenta.
The surgeons successfully removed 90% of the tumor in a surgery that lasted over five hours.
After the tumor was removed, the fetus was placed back into the womb and the uterus was carefully closed.
Remarkably, Lynlee continued to grow normally for the remainder of the pregnancy. Then, at 36 weeks, she was delivered via C-section, making her "born again"—this time in the traditional sense.
After birth, she underwent a second surgery to remove the remaining tumor tissue and has since recovered fully, growing into a healthy child.
In a groundbreaking and extremely rare medical case, a baby named Lynlee Boemer from Texas was effectively born twice—first, during a life-saving surgery while still in the womb, and again at full term.
At 16 weeks of pregnancy, doctors discovered that Lynlee had a sacrococcygeal teratoma, a fast-growing tumor located at the base of the spine.
This type of tumor can divert blood away from the fetus and overwhelm the heart, leading to heart failure or even death if left untreated.
By 23 weeks, the tumor had grown so large that it was threatening her life. A specialized surgical team at Texas Children’s Hospital decided to perform open fetal surgery, a rare and risky procedure that involved temporarily removing the fetus from the uterus.
During the operation:
The mother underwent a deep incision to partially deliver the fetus.
Lynlee’s lower body was pulled out of the womb while her upper body remained inside, keeping her connected to the placenta.
The surgeons successfully removed 90% of the tumor in a surgery that lasted over five hours.
After the tumor was removed, the fetus was placed back into the womb and the uterus was carefully closed.
Remarkably, Lynlee continued to grow normally for the remainder of the pregnancy. Then, at 36 weeks, she was delivered via C-section, making her "born again"—this time in the traditional sense.
After birth, she underwent a second surgery to remove the remaining tumor tissue and has since recovered fully, growing into a healthy child.
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