A routine ultrasound led a mother to believe her baby was blowing bubbles, but doctors discovered a rare, life-threatening tumor.
In 2012, during a standard prenatal ultrasound, Tammy Gonzalez from Miami, Florida, noticed what appeared to be her unborn baby blowing a bubble. This seemingly innocent image led to a startling medical discovery that would challenge her pregnancy journey.
While undergoing a routine ultrasound, Gonzalez observed a bubble-like image above her baby’s mouth. Concerned, she asked the doctor, “Is that on me or the baby?” Further examination revealed that the bubble was a teratoma—a rare and typically fatal tumor occurring in approximately 1 in 100,000 births.
Doctors advised Gonzalez to consider terminating the pregnancy due to the high risk of miscarriage associated with the tumor. Determined to save her child, she sought alternative solutions, stating, “They told me that type of tumor can grow so fast. I said, ‘There must be something we can do.’”
Gonzalez discovered endoscopic surgery, a procedure never before attempted for this condition. Dr. Ruben Quintero, director of the Fetal Therapy Center at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, performed the groundbreaking surgery. Using a tiny camera and surgical tools inserted through a small incision in Gonzalez’s abdomen into the amniotic sac, Dr. Quintero successfully removed the tumor. Gonzalez remained awake during the procedure and described feeling the tube entering the sac as “like a popping balloon.”
The tumor was too large to remove from the amniotic sac immediately, so it remained floating until Gonzalez gave birth four months later, by which time it had significantly shrunk. Her daughter, Leyna, was born healthy, with only a tiny scar on the roof of her mouth as a reminder of the ordeal. Gonzalez expressed her relief and gratitude, calling Leyna her “little miracle child.”
Tammy Gonzalez’s experience underscores the importance of medical innovation and a mother’s unwavering determination. Her story offers hope to other expectant parents facing similar challenges and highlights the potential of pioneering surgical techniques in fetal medicine.
