Mom Welcomes Son, 9 Days Later, Doctors Found a Tumor in Her Placenta

Lydia Dutcher, a new mom with a nine-day-old newborn, was making a cheesecake with her husband Matthew in their home in Sun Prairie, Wisc., to celebrate Valentine’s Day when a call from her doctor shocked her to her core.

“I thought that my doctor was just calling me to tell me that something was wrong with Theo,” Lydia, 29, tells PEOPLE. But the news wasn’t about her baby. Instead, Dr. Danielle Hartwig called to inform the new mom that her care team had found a tumor in her placenta. 

“I don’t want to scare you, but there’s not much literature. I’ve been researching it. I don’t know really what the next steps are going to be,” Lydia remembers Hartwig saying during the call, which was on speaker so Matthew could also hear.

The couple sat in shocked silence – and Googled the finding, despite the doctor’s warning – until Theo woke up. Lydia says the shock took a long time to wear off.

Lydia later learned that she had choriocarcinoma, a tumor that can develop from the same cells that ensure embryos connect to the uterus, allowing the placenta to form, according to UW Health Carbone Cancer Center where Lydia received her treatment and works as a nurse.

The cancer spreads quickly and is rare, only affecting about one in 100,000 pregnancies in the United States, according to Dr. Lisa Barroilhet, a gynecologic oncologist who oversaw Lydia’s treatment.

Just three weeks after Lydia gave birth to Theo on Feb. 5, 2024, she began 10 weeks of chemotherapy to treat the multiple tumors that were discovered in her lungs.

Lydia, who has been cancer-free for more than a year now, says she’s grateful her son Theo wasn’t affected by her cancer diagnosis and was born perfectly healthy. (There was a small chance that the cancer had spread to Theo while he was in the womb, but his tests came back negative.)

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Lydia had a normal pregnancy, but when she went into labor, it lasted for almost three days, resulting in an infection: chorioamnionitis. Her doctor was able to treat the infection with antibiotics, but sent the placenta for testing, which is when the tumor was found.

“I was just so excited and hopeful and ready to be a new mom and enjoy my maternity leave,” says Lydia of the initial diagnosis. “I just was not expecting that.” 

When she learned that there were multiple, small tumors in her lungs, the reality sunk in. “I just remember my heart dropping,” she says. “I honestly thought I was going to die.” 

Still, in a way, the infection was fortuitous because Lydia says the cancer may not have been discovered until it went to her brain otherwise. 

While the treatment was grueling, Lydia’s human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) levels began dropping pretty quickly — and it wasn’t before long that she felt reassured that she was going to be okay.

Still, Lydia had PICC lines in both arms, which made it painful to hold her son and the treatment left her feeling drained. Fortunately, her husband was there to take care of their newborn and their parents also stepped in to help — and after sharing her story on social media, more than 60 mothers donated breast milk so she could continue to feed Theo breast milk. 

“I felt really supported and looked out for during the whole time,” Lydia remembers.

Although the mom still has to get her hCG levels checked every month, her doctors don’t expect a recurrence and say she should be able to carry another child in the future, though the pregnancy would have to be monitored. 

For now, her focus is on her healthy 15-month-old son, who loves to play outside. “He’s perfect,” says his mom. When he gets older, Lydia and Matthew will plan how they’ll tell Theo about her cancer diagnosis. 

Says Lydia, “I’ll have to figure out a way to make him know how special he is and how lucky I am to be his mom.”