A baby born with a “permanent smile” is melting hearts on Tiktok.
Ayla Summer Mucha was born with bilateral macrostomia, per the New York Post, which is “a rare facial deformity classified among facial clefts. It is a rare congenital anomaly which affects the aesthetics and function of the oral cavity,” according to NIH.
After Ayla was born, her parents, Cristina Vercher, 21, and Blaize Mucha, 20, from South Australia, were told that her mouth was not “normal,” according to the outlet. Doctors did not initially notice the deformity in the ultrasound, which was a surprise to them once they performed the C-section.
Ayla’s parents were taken by surprise too.
“Blaize and I were not aware of this condition nor had I ever met someone born with a macrostomia,” Vercher told Jam Press, according to NY Post. “So it came as a huge shock.”
Vercher said that when she first saw her daughter, her condition was “obvious” because she “was so tiny.”
It took doctors “several hours” to give them an answer because “the hospital had little knowledge or support for such a rare condition,” Vercher said.
Vercher admitted to feeling guilt about her daughter’s deformity, saying, “All I could think about as a mother was where I went wrong, especially when I had been so pedantic throughout my entire pregnancy.”
However, the new parents were told by multiple doctors that this was not something that was their fault or that they contributed to.
Ayla’s parents decided to create a TikTok account where they post videos of her, as a way to spread awareness about her condition.
One video went viral after receiving more than 48 million views, and they have grown to over 133,000 followers, as of Monday morning.
They have received both positive and negative comments, but nonetheless, they haven’t let that stop them.
“I am thankful we left the video posted as I have spoken to a number of mothers going through similar experiences,” Vercher said. “We will not stop sharing our experiences and favorite memories as we are so proud.”