Parents choose life for baby ‘born two times’

An American couple have shared the remarkable story of how they refused to abort their baby before she was ‘born two times’.

LynLee Hope Boemer, from Lewisville, Texas, had life-saving surgery outside of her mother’s womb at 23 weeks.

After being placed back into her mother’s womb, LynLee was eventually born on 6 June by caesarean section.

Choose life

It was an easy decision for us: We wanted to give her life.
Margaret Boemer

Her mother Margaret first discovered that her baby had a rare tumour when she was 16 weeks pregnant.

Doctors had initially advised her to have an abortion but the family decided to choose life.

“It was an easy decision for us: We wanted to give her life,” Margaret said.

23 weeks

The cause of the tumour – known as sacrococcygeal teratoma – is unknown and it occurs in one out of 35,000 live births.

Margaret said: “At 23 weeks, the tumour was shutting her heart down and causing her to go into cardiac failure, so it was a choice of allowing the tumour to take over her body or giving her a chance at life.”

The baby was taken out of the womb for an operation and put back in after having her heart restored and receiving a blood transfusion.

Trust in God

Through this entire experience we have trusted in God to get us through each day.
Margaret Boemer

Dr Darrell Cass, who led the surgery at Texas Children’s Fetal Centre, said Lynlee was now doing well.

Margaret shared how their faith helped the family throughout the process in an online post.

She wrote: “Through this entire experience we have trusted in God to get us through each day.”

For other stories of families who chose life, visit

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