Baby Lynlee Hope from Lewisville, Texas, became known as the baby who was “born twice” after undergoing a life-saving surgery before she was even born. When her mother, Margaret Hawkins Boemer, was 16 weeks pregnant, doctors discovered that Lynlee had a rare spinal tumor called sacrococcygeal teratoma. This tumor was pulling blood away from the baby’s body, putting her at serious risk of heart failure. Earlier in the pregnancy, Mrs. Boemer had been expecting twins but sadly lost one baby. She was advised to consider ending the pregnancy, but specialists at Texas Children’s Fetal Center offered another option a complex and risky surgery inside the womb.
At just 23 weeks, Lynlee weighed only 1 pound 3 ounces when surgeons carefully removed her partially from the womb to operate on the tumor. During the procedure, her tiny heart nearly stopped beating, but a pediatric heart specialist helped stabilize her. Doctors successfully removed most of the tumor and then gently placed her back into her mother’s uterus so she could continue growing. The uterus was closed, and Mrs. Boemer remained on strict bed rest for the next 12 weeks to protect the pregnancy.
On June 6, Lynlee was delivered by C-section at nearly full term, weighing 5 pounds 5 ounces marking her “second birth.” Eight days later, she had another surgery to remove the remaining part of the tumor. Doctors later confirmed she was recovering well and thriving at home.
Sacrococcygeal teratoma is extremely rare, affecting about 1 in 30,000 to 70,000 births, and is more common in girls. Lynlee’s story highlights the progress of fetal surgery and offers hope to families facing difficult diagnoses.
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