Meet the Miracle Baby Born with a Tumour Double Her Size

Saylor was born at Mater Mothers’ in August. Within minutes of her birth, a team of 25 doctors and medical professionals set to work to remove her tumour.

The operation took an incredible six hours, where they removed the sacrococcygeal teratoma from Saylor’s tailbone.

Professor Saliesh Kumar from the Mater maternal foetal medicine unit, who helped deliver Saylor, said it was the largest tumour ever removed from a baby of her size at Mater Mothers’.

The risk comes from the fact that they divert blood from the baby, raising the risk of heart failure.

“We don’t know why the tumour grows, but it arises from embryonic germ cells and is four times more likely to occur in female infants,” Prof Kumar said.

“Saylor’s tumour was extremely large and very complex. It extended into her pelvis and abdomen.”

Mater Neonatologist Dr Richard Mausling said that without the expertise and skill of Mater’s nursing staff and allied health teams Saylor would not be alive today.

“Without a doubt, this was the biggest teratoma I have seen removed from any newborn baby, regardless of gestation.”

“Many of these babies do not survive the pregnancy. Essentially these tumours function like a large vascular shunt causing a lot of blood to return to the heart. In some babies, the heart can’t cope with this extra volume and heart failure occurs.”

Rachel and Kieran were prepared for the worst as their little girl headed into the operating room, but Saylor has proved to the world that she is a little fighter.

Just ten days after Saylor’s surgery, Rachel was able to hold her daughter for the first time. Since her operation, Saylor continues to get stronger and stronger every day and now weighs in at 3kg.

“Being born prematurely, even at 28 weeks, carries its own potential risks. [But] she has made a fantastic recovery.”