Minn. woman's baby has surgery while half in womb
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A Minnesota woman's baby is recovering after doctors performed a rare surgery while the baby was still half in the womb.
Jennifer Kuklok calls her daughter Lilyana "a trouper."
Lilyana is now 6 weeks old. When her mother had an ultrasound at 20 weeks, doctors discovered a tumor that could kill the baby. The noncancerous tumor stretched through the mouth and connected to the skull base.
Once the baby was full-term, doctors partially delivered Lilyana, only pulling her head and shoulders out of the womb.
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Doctors kept Lilyana attached to the umbilical cord, allowing her to breathe during the procedure. Doctors later did a tracheotomy, so the baby could continue to breathe. They also removed the tumor a couple days later.
Lilyana spent another four weeks in the hospital before going home to Bloomington.
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Information from: WCCO-TV
