BABY BORN WITH 4-LB. TUMOR ON HER TAILBONE SURVIVES SURGERY. (PHOTOS).

 Baby Born with 4-Lb. Tumor on Her Tailbone Survives Surgery 

A 16-centimeter, four-pound (approximately 1.8-kilogram) fetal tumor was successfully removed from a baby's tailbone. Born at 34 weeks, Adalida Tyler survived a sacrococcygeal teratoma tumor, a "very rare" condition that occurs in one in every 20,000 births.

At Kristin Tyler's 20-week anatomy scan in February 2024, she and her husband Jacob Tyler were told that their baby might have spina bifida, a birth defect that can damage the spinal cord and nerves.

"I didn't even know what that was"" Kristin told People on Monday (October 7). "So I was freaking out."

A specialist subsequently diagnosed their unborn daughter with a sacrococcygeal teratoma instead, a rare fetal tumor that forms from the baby's tailbone.

As a result, the couple, from Alexandria, Louisiana, USA, was referred to the Texas Children's Pavilion for Women in Houston to be

monitored by a specialized care team.

They traveled 245 miles (approximately 394 kilometers) from home to meet Dr. Ahmed Nassr, a maternal-fetal medicine specialist and fetal surgeon at Texas Children's Pavilion for Women, People reported.

Dr. Nassr explained that the tumor was "very rare" and that it occurs in girls more often than boys, in addition to being usually benign.

A benign tumor isn't a malignant (cancerous) tumor. It grows more slowly than a cancerous tumor, has even borders and, unlike cancerous tumors, it won't spread to other parts of your body, the Cleveland Clinic explains.

In most cases, doctors don't know why it happens, as Dr. Nassr told People: "It's just bad luck." Moreover, the tumors can grow very large.

In most cases, doctors don't know why it happens, as Dr. Nassr told People: "It's just bad luck." Moreover, the tumors can grow very large.

As they grow, the tumors can develop large blood vessels. "They basically steal the blood supply from the baby," Dr. Nassr explained. "The heart of the baby needs to work very hard," which, he said, can lead to heart failure.

In March, Kristin temporarily relocated to Houston, Texas with her one-year-old son William and her mother, so doctors could continue to monitor the baby. Meanwhile, Jacob, a mechanic, reportedly had to stay in Louisiana and work.

"I was very scared," the 23-year-old mother-of-two told People. "After so many doctor appointments and seeing it on the ultrasound, it was scary."

Kristin had kept the situation shielded from friends and family, as she recalled: "There was nobody for me to reach out to talk about it. It felt like we were in the dark."

On May 21, at 34 weeks, Kristin delivered Adalida via C-section. The little baby girl was born with the dreaded four-pound tumor, nearly two-thirds of her body weight.

Combined, the baby and tumor weighed more than 10 pounds (approximately 4.5 kilograms).

Dr. Nassr recalled the tumor size being "a little bit smaller than a watermelon," but larger than a cantaloupe.

He told People: "It was a big tumor, that's why we were so worried. "We needed to be very careful during delivery.

"We had to avoid any trauma or rupture of the tumor. Because sometimes with that large of a tumor, it can rupture and can start bleeding, and baby can become very sick after delivery."

Kristin, who had only been able to see Adalida for a "split second" through a TV camera, recalled the moment her daughter was immediately taken to the neonatal intensive care unit: "I had just had her, and I was crying and I was upset."

Two days later, a pediatric surgery team was able to remove the tumor successfully, and Adalida went home from the hospital on her due date, June 29, People reported.

"She's a good, happy baby," Kristin said. "She's healthy. She's all good. She's healed." The delighted mom added: "We call her our miracle baby. We call her angel baby.

"There were so many people that loved her. I'm so grateful." When Adalida is between two and three years old, the family will return to Texas Children's for cosmetic surgery, as per People.

In the process of removing the tumor from the bottom of Adalida's spine, a completely flat surface was left, as Kristin explained: "So it was almost her whole butt."

Consequently, plastic surgeons will reconstruct Adalida's bottom and "make her look more like everybody else."

While sacrococcygeal teratoma is extremely rare, it is the most common tumor found in newborns.

More photos below.