One of the biggest moments in any parent’s life is the moment that their baby smiles for the first time. It is something that warms our hearts and we are going to remember it for the rest of our lives.
It usually takes a few months before the baby smiles but that isn’t the case with Ayla Summer Mucha. When she was born, she had the biggest smile on her face and her parents couldn’t stop thinking about it.
When doctors saw what was going on, they realized that something was not right. The newborn had a permanent smile on her face and it was a rare condition that led to her being a social media sensation. People around the world can’t get enough of her big smile.
Australia’s Cristina Vercher and her husband Blaize Mucha welcome the little baby on December 30, 2021. She was born via C-section, and doctors had some news to talk to the parents.
Their daughter, Ayla Summer Mucha had developed a condition in which her mouth had not properly formed. It is known as bilateral macrostomia.
The deformity is a rare condition that is known as a facial cleft. During pregnancy, the corners of the mouth usually fuse together but that doesn’t happen with this condition. Only 14 cases of this condition have been noted in medical literature.
The large mouth opening surprised the parents because it didn’t show up on the ultrasounds. The 23-year-old mother said that they were instantly worried when they saw her for the first time and she was very tiny so the condition was obvious.
“Blaize and I were not aware of this condition, nor had I ever met someone born with a macrostomia,” said Adelaide’s Vercher. “So it came as a huge shock.”
The doctors were also surprised when seeing the baby that had this condition. The mother added: “This made the experience all the more worrying as it took several hours for a doctor to give us an answer. With this came more difficulties as the hospital had little knowledge or support for such a rare condition. All I could think about as a mother was where I went wrong.”
Fortunately, the doctors said that there was nothing that she could’ve done differently. She said that she could dwell on how she had made a mistake but after genetic testing and scans, they said that there was nothing that could have changed the outcome.
The best thing that the parents could do was help the little baby to live with the condition. It did have an impact on her in various ways, including making it difficult for her to latch on and nurse. The doctors encouraged them to have surgery.
As the parents were busy looking into the possibilities, there were some trolls who had negative things to say about the pictures they were sharing. Fortunately, the others who followed them were quick to stand by their side and reaffirm how beautiful the baby was.
The little girl is now two years old and, although it is not for sure, it seems as if she may have had some surgery to correct the issue.