A surprising and shocking discovery took place during a routine ultrasound — something no expectant mother wants or expects to hear.
According to reports, doctors noticed a large, bubble-like mass just above the baby’s mouth while Tammy Gonzalez, a resident of Miami, Florida, underwent the standard check-up.
“Is that on me or the baby?” Tammy asked the doctor.
After a closer examination, doctors determined the bubble was actually a teratoma — a rare and often fatal tumor that occurs in about 1 in 100,000 births, according to Diply. Doctors advised Mrs. Gonzalez to terminate the pregnancy to avoid a miscarriage.
The procedure was performed by Dr. Ruben Quintero, head of the Fetal Therapy Center at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami. He made a quarter-inch incision in Gonzalez’s abdomen and inserted a tiny camera and surgical tools into the amniotic sac. Gonzalez was awake during the entire procedure.
“It was a defining moment,” the doctor said. “We cut the stalk, and the tumor just fell away.”
When Mrs. Gonzalez saw on the ultrasound that the mass moved away from the baby’s face, she felt an immense sense of relief.
