We never really know what’s going to happen when a new baby is born.
Although there are a wide variety of conditions that doctors can spot in an ultrasound before that happens, this doesn’t mean nature can’t slip some surprises past even the most vigilant medical team.
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In some cases, that’s because a baby is going through something that’s too subtle to detect until after they’ve arrived. Indeed, when else is anyone going to notice they have a single strand of hair constricting one their toes?
And when a baby enters the world with a more obvious difference, it’s not always one that anyone expects to see due to its incredible rarity .
That was the situation one mom encountered during her daughter’s birth and she’s now making it her mission to ensure her child grows up to love herself as much as she loves her.
When Nicole Hall gave birth to her 13-month old daughter Winry, she immediately noticed a brown patch of skin covering half of her face.
As Hall told Good Morning America, “When they first handed her to me, I thought it was a bruise. It was then quickly apparent to my husband and I that it was not a bruise.”
Instead, it’s a rare type of birthmark called a congenital melanocytic nevi and according to the National Organization of Rare Diseases , a mark of Winry’s size only occurs in about one out of 50,000 births.
Although it’s largely considered benign, Winry’s mark is a cause for some medical concern.
That’s because people with larger versions of this mark are at greater risk of developing melanoma than others and that risk also tends to manifest at a younger age than usual.
In Hall’s words, “Her health and happiness are our top priority. We have to monitor her with sunscreen. I’m careful with hats and that sort of thing. I know our regular dermatology appointment is probably going to be our best friend growing up.”
But since other children often don’t have the best reactions when someone looks different to them, Hall is more worried about the bullies Winry might come across than any health complications.
And it’s for that reason that she’s using her social media presence to spread as much awareness of Winry’s condition as she can and is working to encourage parents to teach their children to celebrate each other’s differences.
As she said, “For a lot of people, this is the first time seeing a birthmark like hers and that’s part of why I enjoy sharing.”
And not only has she found that Winry’s winning personality has seriously charmed her growing audience, but she’s also received messages from people with similar birthmarks all over the world.
And it’s her hope that with this kind of reinforcement, Winry will grow up as happy and confident as she is now.
As Hall put it, “She just radiates joy. She’s almost always laughing or shrieking. She is just the happiest baby I have ever seen.”
She added, “She’s a big talker already. We haven’t got a whole lot of words out, but she tells you like it is and she’s already getting a little bit of sassiness, so I think we’re gonna have a lot on our hands.”
h/t: Good Morning America
