One of 14 Babies With ‘Permanent Smile’ Condition Is Spreading Positivity Online

Babies born with a congenital abnormality making them have this ‘permanent smile’ condition are extremely rare. In fact, it’s an extremely rare condition. And on average, it occurs only once in every 150,000 to 300,000 live births.

And recently, a baby who was born with this condition is spreading love to the world. The social media platforms dubbed her a “permanent smile.”

As the New York Post reported, Ayla Summer Mucha, born in December was born with a rare condition known as bilateral macrostomia. This causes the corners of a baby’s mouth to fuse incorrectly. Thus, giving her this permanent smile look.

Ayla is born to Australian parents, 21-year-old Cristina Vercher and 20-year-old Blaize Mucha. They shared that at first, they did not know about their daughter’s condition until she was born.

Talking to Daily Mail, Vercher said, “A cesarean is an uncomfortable experience as it is. Therefore, I was already in an overwhelmed state. As you would know during the surgery the doctors will show you the baby once it has been removed from the uterus.” She adds, “At the time it was a very obvious formation as Ayla was so tiny. We were instantly worried. Blaize and I were not aware of this condition nor had I ever met someone born with a macrostomia. So it came as a huge shock.”

In a 2007 study that was published in the Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Journal, the researchers said that they could only find 14 cases of bilateral macrostomia.

The doctor at Flinders Medical Centre, where the baby was born, had never seen any indication that Ayla was going to have this condition. Vercher said, “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, especially when I had been so pedantic throughout my entire pregnancy.”

This condition may seem harmless, but in reality, it affects more than just the baby’s appearance. That is why it is recommended for babies to have such a condition to have surgery. She said, “We are yet to receive the exact specifications of the surgery, yet we know this involves a skin closure that results in minimal scarring. The challenges we will face post-surgery are worrying as a couple.”

And not only that, strangers have showered her some love as well. There is a TikTok account @cristinakylievercher where there are videos of the baby and her milestones. The account has more than 118,000 followers!

Vercher said that most of the social media comments and reactions they receive have all been supportive. Overall, she said, those commenting have shared love with their family. She said, “I am thankful we left the video posted as I have spoken to a number of mothers going through similar experiences. We will not stop sharing our experiences and favorite memories as we are so proud.”

Even though abortion was an option, Ayla’s parents didn’t see this as something that they would be willing to do. The family has shown that even though their baby has this condition, she will do just fine because she is surrounded by affection and care from her family.