Mom Believes Her Baby Is Blowing Bubbles In Ultrasound, But Doctors Uncover The True Story

Note: This story is being republished; it originally came to light in June 2012.

A routine ultrasound led to a surprising and unsettling discovery for one mother.

Tammy Gonzalez from Miami, Florida, was undergoing a standard ultrasound when doctors observed an unusual sight—a large, amorphous bubble near her baby’s mouth.

“Is that on me or the baby?” Gonzalez inquired.

Further examination revealed that the bubble was actually a teratoma, a highly uncommon and typically fatal tumor occurring in about 1 in 100,000 births, according to Diply. The medical team advised Gonzalez to consider terminating the pregnancy due to the high risk of miscarriage.

Despite the recommendation, Gonzalez was determined to explore options to save her baby.

“They told me that this type of tumor could grow rapidly,” Gonzalez told ABC News. “I said, ‘There must be something we can do.'”

She then discovered endoscopic surgery, a technique that had not been tried before for this condition. Her reaction to the proposed procedure was straightforward: “Let’s do this.”

Dr. Ruben Quintero, head of the Fetal Therapy Center at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, performed this pioneering surgery. He inserted a small camera and surgical instruments through a tiny incision in Gonzalez’s abdomen and into the amniotic sac.

Gonzalez remained awake during the procedure.

“I couldn’t feel the incision due to the local anesthetic, but I could sense the tube entering the sac,” she said. “It felt like a balloon popping.”

The camera enabled Dr. Quintero to closely examine the tumor and determine the feasibility of removing it.

“It was a critical moment,” the doctor recounted. “We proceeded to sever the stem, and the tumor detached successfully.”

Gonzalez expressed relief as she watched the tumor move away from her baby’s face on the ultrasound.

“It was incredible,” she said. “It felt like a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders.”

Although the tumor was too large to be fully removed through the amniotic sac, it remained in the womb until the baby was born four months later, by which time it had greatly diminished in size.

“My daughter Leyna is perfectly healthy,” Gonzalez shared. “She has a small scar on the roof of her mouth, but she talks and drinks normally. She truly is my miracle baby.”

Sources: Diply, ABC News