Texas baby 'born twice' in rare surgery

A baby was bornfor the second time at a Texas hospital on Friday, 12weeks after having surgery to remove a tumour.

What started as a routine ultrasoundbecame complicatedwhen expectantmother Margaret Boemer, of Plano, Texas, was told her unborn child had a rare condition and needed surgery to survive.

"[At]16weeks being pregnant I found out that our baby had a sacrococcygeal teratoma," Boemer said.

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A sacrococcygeal teratoma is a tumour that develops before birth and grows from a baby's tailbone. It is the most common tumour found in babies, occurringin one of every 35,000 births.

While many doctors recommended terminating the pregnancy, Dr. Darrel Cass of the Texas Children's Hospital in Houston,explained there was a surgical option he had performed once, some seven years ago, local news reported.

By 23 weeks, the tumour had grown tonearly the size of her baby.

"If we didn't choose the option of surgery that night [we were told]that within a day or two she would pass," Boemer said.

Boemer opted for emergency surgery and her baby was surgically removed from her womb. Afterthe tumour was removed,the baby was returned to thewomb and Boemer remained in bed for 12 weeks, before delivering her baby via C-section just before week 36, a full term.

After she was born, LynLeewas deemed healthy, weighing 5.3 pounds(2.4 kilograms),and was placed in the nursery.

Seven days later shehad another minor operation to remove the bits of tumourleft over from her first surgery.

By Friday she was back with herparents.