Baby Girl Born With a Tumor Almost as Big as Her Body Survives Extraordinary Delivery and Life-Saving Surgery

Before little Anaiah Carrazana entered the world, her parents were already facing a frightening medical journey.

During pregnancy, doctors discovered that their unborn daughter had developed an enormous tumor near the base of her spine.

The growth was so large that it posed serious risks to her developing body, requiring a highly specialized medical team to plan her delivery.

For her mother, Aguirre, the dream of holding her baby safely in her arms suddenly depended on an extraordinary medical intervention.

A Rare Tumor Growing Before Birth

Anaiah was diagnosed with a sacrococcygeal teratoma, a rare tumor that develops near the tailbone during fetal development.

These tumors can become exceptionally large before birth and may contain numerous blood vessels.

Depending on their size and blood supply, they can place enormous strain on a developing baby’s circulatory system.

At Jackson Health System in Miami, maternal-fetal medicine specialist Dr. Rodrigo Ruano closely monitored Anaiah throughout the pregnancy.

Her parents also met the pediatric surgery and neonatal intensive care specialists who would be responsible for their daughter’s treatment immediately after delivery.

A Frightening Change at 28 Weeks

As the pregnancy progressed, doctors continued monitoring Anaiah’s heart and the enormous tumor.

At 28 weeks, a fetal echocardiogram revealed that the right ventricle of her heart was working harder than the left.

This development raised additional concerns about the strain being placed on her body.

Her medical team decided that an ordinary planned cesarean section was no longer the preferred approach.

Instead, they prepared an EXIT procedure, a specialized delivery technique that allows doctors to stabilize a baby while the placental connection is temporarily maintained.

A Delivery Unlike Any Other

On September 26, 2023, Anaiah was delivered at Jackson Health System.

Doctors used the carefully planned EXIT procedure to minimize the risk of damaging or rupturing her enormous tumor during birth.

The operation required coordination between maternal-fetal medicine, pediatric surgery, anesthesia and neonatal intensive care specialists.

Fortunately, Anaiah was delivered safely and transferred to the neonatal intensive care unit without the tumor rupturing.

For her parents, surviving delivery was an enormous milestone, but their daughter’s treatment was not yet complete.

Major Surgery Just One Day After Birth

The following day, pediatric surgeon Dr. Ann Brady and her team performed an operation to remove Anaiah’s teratoma.

Removing such a large tumor from a newborn requires careful management because of its size, location and potential blood supply.

The successful removal marked a crucial step in Anaiah’s treatment after months of prenatal monitoring and preparation.

Her family had endured the uncertainty of a high-risk pregnancy, a specialized delivery and major neonatal surgery within the first days of her life.

A Name Filled With Hope

Anaiah’s mother explained that she chose her daughter’s name because it carried the meaning of an answered prayer.

For a family who had spent months worrying about whether their baby would survive, that meaning became especially personal.

Anaiah’s story demonstrates how coordinated prenatal diagnosis, specialized delivery planning and pediatric surgery can help babies facing exceptionally complex congenital conditions.

Her medical journey began long before her first breath, but the efforts of her family and medical team gave her an opportunity to begin life beyond the enormous tumor.

Source: Jackson Health System — The Infant With a Body-Sized Tumor Who Beat the Odds.