A baby removed from the womb for life-saving surgery before being put back inside her mother is looking forward to a healthy future.

LynLee Boemer, from Texas, had a large tumour which was stealing her blood supply and causing her heart to shut down.

Some doctors recommended a termination but Margaret Boemer found doctors at Texas Children's Hospital who said they might be able to save her baby's life.

"It was a choice of allowing the tumour to take over her body or giving her a chance at life and so that's what we chose was to give her a chance," Mrs Boemer said.

Image: Margaret Boemer (left) had her baby after a full 36 weeks

At 23 weeks pregnant, LynLee was cut out the womb for a delicate five-hour operation to remove the sacrococcygeal teratoma - which was almost as large as the foetus itself.


The baby's heartbeat slowed to a crawl, but a specialist was able to keep it going so surgeons could cut out the bulk of the tumour.

LynLee - who weighed just over a pound - was then put back in the womb and her mother stitched up.

Mrs Boemer was laid up for 12 weeks' rest before the little girl was safely delivered by caesarean section on 6 June - after a full nine-month pregnancy.

Image: LynLee is now nearly five months old

A week later, LynLee had minor surgery to remove the last of the tumour.

"She had more surgery and they were able to remove the rest of the tumour and kind of reconstruct how things looked and moved her muscles around and everything to fill in where the tumour was," said Mrs Boemer.

"How exciting it is that she's made it through and not only made it through but done so well," added the proud mum.

LynLee is now settling down to life in Lewisville, Texas, with her father and two elder sisters.

She looks set to have a healthy future - the doctor who performed the surgery, Dr Oluyinka Olutoye, told CNN he had done the operation once before, seven years ago, and the girl is "completely normal".