Woman, 41, shocked to discover she had a full-term baby hiding behind 22lb tumor that she was about to have surgery to remove

When nurse Suze Lopez walked into Cedars-Sinai, she was expecting to finally get a huge tumor removed from her uterus that had been causing her pain for years.

But when the 41-year-old, from Bakersfield, California, underwent some standard pre-operation tests, she was stunned to find out that she was in fact carrying a baby - as well as a 22lb tumor.

Lopez, who had a child in her early 20s, had struggled to conceive again in the years since and had all but given up on the hope of having another baby. Especially with a huge growth occupying her uterus.

But as medics prepared for the surgery to remove it, a routine pregnancy test came back positive. Though at 41, the result was most likely hinting at a much deeper health issue.

The mom-of-one couldn't believe that she was pregnant (Getty Stock Image)

The experienced healthcare professional said in a statement from the hospital: "Because of the large ovarian cyst that had been growing for years, it could have been a false positive, even ovarian cancer."

She would begin to experience extreme pain in her abdomen in the days following the surprise test result, at which point specialists at Cedars-Sinai carried out a scan that revealed something none of the doctors could quite believe.

Hospital director of labor and delivery, John Ozimek, said: "Suze was pregnant, but her uterus was empty, and a giant benign ovarian cyst weighing over 20 pounds was taking up so much space.”

He then detailed what can only be described as a medical marvel, after seeing Suze's well-developed baby somehow surviving outside of the uterus, nestled in her abdomen.

Suze Lopez pictured with her husband Andrew (left) and Dr. John Ozimek after the birth of her miracle baby (Cedars-Sinai)

Ozimek explained: "We then discovered a nearly full-term baby boy in a small space in the abdomen, near the liver, with his butt resting on the uterus. A pregnancy this far outside the uterus that continues to develop is almost unheard of.”

In her overjoyed statement from hospital, Suze shared her disbelief, saying: "I was used to very irregular periods and some abdominal discomfort. I could not believe that after 17 years of praying, and trying, for a second child, that I was actually pregnant.”

But despite the serendipity of the pregnancy, doctors' hopes that the baby could be delivered alive were low, as most abdominal ectopic pregnancies have a high mortality rate.

That's when the hospital's staff kicked her treatment into a higher gear, deploying 30 doctors and specialist equipment to both remove the massive uterine tumor and safely remove the baby from her abdomen.

Anesthesiologist Michael Sanchez, MD, said that Suze worryingly began to haemorrhage large amounts of blood as soon as the baby was delivered.

Doctors at Cedars-Sinai said Suze's full-term pregnancy was 'unheard of' (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

But the team of specialists had prepared for such complications. Sanchez explained: "I had already powered up a special machine that delivers blood products fast because every second matters. We used 11 units of blood."

And just like that, miracle baby Ryu was born, weighing in at eight pounds after defying all the odds and expectations of health experts.

Husband Andrew said in a statement: “He is our gift. And Ryu and Suze are my miracles … many prayers have been answered.”

While relieved mom Suze sdded: “I appreciate every little thing. Everything. Every day is a gift and I’m never going to waste it.

"God gave me this baby so that he could be an example to the world that God exists — that miracles, modern-day miracles, do happen.”