Ayla Summer Mucha, an infant born in December, is now winning hearts on Tiktok. Her videos have gone viral on social media even before she can say the word 'viral'.
Born to Christina Vercher, 21, and Blaize Mucha, 20, Ayla was diagnosed with a rare condition known as a 'permanent smile'.
Ayla's mouth was not normal like other infants. It was diagnosed as a condition called Bilateral Macrostomia. In this condition, unlike in normal cases, the corners of the mouth do not fuse properly when the baby is in the mother's womb.
The couple was unaware of such a condition. Hence, it came as a 'huge shock' to them. A competitive study in the Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Journal in 2007 noted just 14 such cases. This finding was not reported in the ultrasound scan either, which left the doctors too astonished as they performed the cesarean.
It was an uncomfortable experience by itself, and Vercher was already overwhelmed by it. When she held her daughter for the first time, she instantly noticed her condition since it was very evident as Ayla was 'so tiny'.The new parents were quite worried about their daughter's condition.
The condition is not just an aesthetic anomaly, but it also affects the functions of the infant, such as suckling and latching. Surgery is often advised in such cases, which involves skin closure with minimal scarring.
The parents are apprehensive about the challenges that they will have to face after the surgery. They haven't lost hope despite their baby's rare medical condition and have created a TikTok account to create awareness about it. The account already has over 1,18,000 followers.
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