Extraordinary Birth Defies Medical Expectations
In a medical case so unusual that doctors plan to document it for publication, a baby boy named Ryu entered the world under extraordinary circumstances. His mother, Suze Lopez, carried him outside her uterus, concealed by a massive ovarian cyst—a situation described by medical professionals as exceptionally rare.
Dr. John Ozimek, medical director of labor and delivery at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles where the birth occurred, emphasized the rarity: "Just 1 in 30,000 pregnancies occur in the abdomen instead of the uterus, and those that make it to full term are essentially unheard of – far, far less than 1 in a million. I mean, this is really insane."
Unaware of Pregnancy Until Days Before Delivery
The 41-year-old nurse from Bakersfield, California, remained unaware she was expecting her second child until mere days before giving birth. For months, she attributed her growing abdomen to the ovarian cyst doctors had been monitoring since her twenties. She experienced none of the typical pregnancy indicators—no morning sickness, no fetal movements—and her irregular menstrual cycle offered no clues.
"When her belly began to grow earlier this year, she thought it was her ovarian cyst getting bigger," the report noted. Lopez and her husband Andrew continued with their normal lives, even traveling internationally, completely unaware of the developing pregnancy.
Sudden Discovery and Emergency Response
The situation changed when increasing abdominal pain prompted Lopez to seek removal of what she believed was a 22-pound cyst. A required pregnancy test before a CT scan revealed the shocking truth: she was pregnant. She shared this unexpected news with her husband at a Dodgers baseball game in August.
"I just saw her face," Andrew Lopez recalled, "and she just looked like she wanted to weep and smile and cry at the same time."
Shortly after the game, Lopez began feeling unwell and sought medical attention at Cedars-Sinai. Medical scans revealed an empty uterus but discovered a nearly full-term fetus in an amniotic sac positioned in her abdomen near her liver.
Medical Challenges and Successful Outcome
Dr. Cara Heuser, a maternal-fetal specialist not involved in the case, explained that most ectopic pregnancies—those occurring outside the uterus—typically rupture and cause hemorrhage if not removed. A 2023 medical journal article from Ethiopia noted that fetal mortality in abdominal pregnancies can reach 90%, with birth defects occurring in approximately 20% of surviving infants.
On August 18, a surgical team delivered the 8-pound baby while Lopez was under full anesthesia, simultaneously removing the cyst. The procedure involved significant blood loss that required transfusions, but both mother and child recovered successfully.
"The whole time, I might have seemed calm on the outside, but I was doing nothing but praying on the inside," Andrew Lopez said. "It was just something that scared me half to death, knowing that at any point I could lose my wife or my child."
A Family Complete
Since the birth, Ryu—named after both a baseball player and a video game character—has been healthy and thriving. His parents cherish watching him interact with his 18-year-old sister Kaila and feel their family is now complete.
"It was really, really remarkable," Dr. Ozimek said of the outcome.
As Ryu's first Christmas approaches, his mother reflects on their journey with profound gratitude. "I do believe in miracles," she said, looking down at her baby. "God gave us this gift—the best gift ever."
