Miracle Baby Born After Rarest Pregnancy Outside Womb
In what doctors are calling an extraordinary medical miracle, a Filipino-American nurse from California has given birth to a healthy baby boy who developed entirely outside her womb, hidden by a massive ovarian cyst.
Suze Lopez, 41, from Bakersfield, California, delivered baby Ryu at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles after experiencing what medical experts describe as a one-in-a-million abdominal pregnancy.
"This is really insane," said Dr. John Ozimek, medical director of labor and delivery at Cedars-Sinai. "Just 1 in 30,000 pregnancies occur in the abdomen instead of the uterus, and those that make it to full term are essentially unheard of, far, far less than 1 in a million."
A Hidden Blessing
Lopez, a seasoned nurse, had no idea she was carrying her second child until just days before delivery. What she thought was her existing ovarian cyst growing larger was actually her baby developing in the small space near her liver.
The mother experienced none of the typical pregnancy symptoms. No morning sickness, no baby kicks, and with her irregular menstrual cycle, missing periods raised no alarm. For months, she and her husband Andrew continued their normal lives, even traveling abroad.
The discovery came when Lopez needed a CT scan to remove what she believed was a 22-pound cyst. The mandatory pregnancy test before radiation exposure revealed the shocking truth.
"I just saw her face," Andrew Lopez recalled about the moment his wife shared the news at a Dodgers baseball game in August. "She just looked like she wanted to weep and smile and cry at the same time."
Against All Odds
Medical scans revealed the nearly full-term fetus in an amniotic sac tucked away in Lopez's abdomen. While dangerous, doctors determined the baby was not directly invading any organs, making the situation manageable despite the extreme risks.
Dr. Cara Heuser, a maternal-fetal specialist in Utah not involved with the case, explained that almost all ectopic pregnancies typically rupture and hemorrhage if not removed. In abdominal pregnancies, fetal mortality can reach 90 percent, with birth defects occurring in about 20 percent of surviving babies.
On August 18, a specialized medical team successfully delivered the healthy 3.6-kilogram baby boy while Lopez was under full anesthesia. The same surgery removed the massive cyst. Though Lopez lost nearly all her blood during the procedure, doctors controlled the bleeding and administered life-saving transfusions.
A Medical Marvel
The case is so extraordinary that the medical team plans to document it in a medical journal. For Lopez, holding her miracle baby represents something far more precious than medical history.
This remarkable story serves as a testament to both medical advancement and divine providence, reminding us that miracles can happen even in the most impossible circumstances. Baby Ryu's arrival truly embodies the Christmas spirit of hope and wonder.