Lithopedion

A "lithopedion" or "stone baby" can be the ultimate result of an ectopic pregnancy where the fertilized egg implanted itself in the mother's abdomen rather than the uterus. Although the majority of these types of pregnancies terminate naturally and are reabsorbed into the mother's body, those that continue full-term must be surgically removed promptly when the contractions start in order for the baby to survive. In the limited number of cases (less than 400) that have been documented, the babies present (post-surgically) as deceased full-term infants that were desiccated and then encased in layers of calcium to wall them off from the remainder of the mother's body (thus the term "stone baby").