Woman births healthy baby days after learning of pregnancy – NBC Los Angeles

A Bakersfield family received the shock of a lifetime in the form of a bundle of joy after a woman learned she was pregnant with her baby growing inside of her abdomen instead of her uterus.

Suze Lopez, 41, welcomed a healthy baby boy whose birth was described as a “medical miracle,” according to Cedars Sinai. His birth came just days after the mother was informed of her pregnancy, which went undetected since the baby was developing outside her uterus, hidden behind a large ovarian tumor.

“Because of the large ovarian cyst that had been growing for years, it could have been a false positive, even ovarian cancer,” Lopez said in a statement. “And I was used to very irregular periods and some abdominal discomfort. I could not believe that after 17 years of praying and trying for a second child, that I was actually pregnant.”

Cedars-Sinai Medical Center

Cedars-Sinai Medical Center

Just three days after learning she was pregnant, Lopez was rushed to Cedars Sinai for pain in her abdomen. That’s when she learned of her incredibly rare abdominal ectopic pregnancy.

“It turns out the mass was not growing; It was the baby growing in her abdomen behind the mass, pushing everything out,” said Dr. John Ozimek, medical director of Labor and Delivery. “That’s the reason she didn’t know she was pregnant.”

Ozimek added in a statement that a pregnancy “this far outside the uterus that continues to develop is almost unheard of.”

Thankfully, Lopez delivered her son with the help of a team comprising of about 30 medical experts. The cyst was first removed so doctors could safely deliver baby Ryu Lopez.

Both baby and mother are doing well.

“I hope that he realizes his special place in this world,” said Dr. Sara Dayanim, neonatologist with Cedars-Sinai Guerin Children’s. “Like from being born, he has defied all odds.”