‘Permanent smile’ baby born in Australia with ‘bilateral microstomia’, know more about the rare condition

Australia born Ayla Summer Mucha has taken over the internet with her super cute smile. The baby girl is born with a rare condition – ‘bilateral macrostomia’, wherein the corners of mouth don’t fuse together during pregnancy.

Due to this rare condition, Ayla seems to have a ‘permanent smile’.

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The now-viral baby girl was in December 2021 to parents Cristina Vercher, 21, and Blaize Mucha, 20. Her rare condition came across as a huge surprise for the young parents as the doctors told them that Ayla had developed this condition in the womb.

Interestingly, the ultrasound scans done before the caesarean delivery of Vercher didn’t unveil anything about Ayla’s rare condition.

Ayla’s parents wanted to get a surgery done so that the doctors could fix the wide smile of their child. While the ‘permanent smile’ looks cute in pictures, it causes several problems as it doesn’t let Ayla latch or suckle.

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by(@cristinakylievercher_)

As per the New York Post, a study published in the Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Journal in 2007 reported the existence of just 14 cases of the disease. The condition is so rare that the hospital where Ayla received her treatment saw first such case.

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Due to the rarity of the condition, Ayla’s parents faced many challenges in the course of treatment. Speaking to New York Post, Vercher said that since the hospital saw first such case, the experience became even more worrying as it took several hours for a doctor give answers.

“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”, said Vercher.

What is ‘Bilateral Macrostomia’?

The rare condition that Ayla is suffering from is termed as ‘macrostomia’. It is a physical abnormality which leads to cleft formation of the face of the affected individuals. These clefts are commonly seen on the right cheek of the patient. The condition has a higher rate of occurrence in males.

According to Wikipedia, it is an extremely rare condition that affects only one in every 1,50,000 to 3,00,000 live births on an average.