A baby girl’s ʙɪʀᴛʜᴍᴀʀᴋ was ᴀᴄᴛᴜᴀʟʟʏ a ᴛᴜᴍᴏᴜʀ that could have made her ɢᴏ ʙʟɪɴᴅ. And her mum only Fᴏᴜɴᴅ ᴏᴜᴛ thanks to a sᴛʀᴀɴɢᴇʀ on Facebook. Amanda said: ” When she was 3-4 days old we could see a ᴛɪɴʏ ʟɪᴛᴛʟᴇ ᴍᴀʀᴋ at the tip of her nose, it was like a ʟɪᴛᴛʟᴇ sᴄʀᴀᴛᴄʜ. First the ᴅᴏᴄᴛᴏʀs said it was a sᴛᴏʀᴋ ʙɪᴛᴇ because it was really ʟɪɢʜᴛ ᴘɪɴᴋ- before we left the ʜᴏsᴘɪᴛᴀʟ it got a bit darker so they said it’s a port wine stain and that’s where they left it. Uᴛ the spot soon started to grow. Within days, it had ᴄᴏᴠᴇʀᴇᴅ ʜᴀʟF of the baby’s ʜᴇᴀᴅ and ᴄᴏᴠᴇʀᴇᴅ ʜᴇʀ ᴇʏᴇʟɪᴅ, making her ʟᴏᴏᴋ ʟɪᴋᴇ she’d had a ʙᴜᴄᴋᴇᴛ of ʙʟᴏᴏᴅ ᴛɪᴘᴘᴇᴅ ᴏᴠᴇʀ ʜᴇʀ ʜᴇᴀᴅ”.
Dᴇsᴘᴇʀᴀᴛᴇ for a ᴅɪᴀɢɴᴏsɪs, Amanda posted in a Facebook group for new mums ʙᴇɢɢɪɴɢ Fᴏʀ ʜᴇʟᴘ and almost immediately. She said : ” I was relieved when I posted the picture on Facebook and someone gave me some advice. A lady messaged me saying ‘I ᴅᴏɴ’ᴛ think it’s a port wine stain, I think it’s something called ʜᴀᴇᴍᴀɴɢɪᴏᴍᴀ’. It all depends on the location but in Sophia’s ᴄᴀsᴇ it was very close to her ᴇʏᴇ and could have ᴀFFᴇᴄᴛᴇᴅ ʜᴇʀ sɪɢʜᴛ. We were ᴄᴏɴsᴛᴀɴᴛʟʏ ʀᴇsᴇᴀʀᴄʜɪɴɢ, trying to Fɪɴᴅ ᴏᴜᴛ information on ᴘᴏʀᴛ ᴡɪɴᴇ sᴛᴀɪɴ ɪɴɪᴛɪᴀʟʟʏ , what to do to keep it ʜᴇᴀʟᴛʜʏ and when it came out it was a ʜᴀᴇᴍᴀɴɢɪᴏᴍᴀ we had questions like ‘is she always going to have it?, is it going to get ʙɪɢɢᴇʀ?’. Dᴇsᴘᴇʀᴀᴛᴇ Amanda and husband Neil eventually approached Gʀᴇᴀᴛ Oʀᴍᴏɴᴅ Sᴛʀᴇᴇᴛ Hᴏsᴘɪᴛᴀʟ ᴅɪʀᴇᴄᴛʟʏ, where ᴍᴇᴅɪᴄs ᴄᴏʀʀᴇᴄᴛʟʏ ᴅɪᴀɢɴᴏsᴇᴅ a ʜᴀᴇᴍᴀɴɢɪᴏᴍᴀ that if ʟᴇFᴛ ᴜɴᴛʀᴇᴀᴛᴇᴅ, could have ʟᴇFᴛ Sophia ʙʟɪɴᴅ. Little Sophia needed ᴛʀᴇᴀᴛᴍᴇɴᴛ and it all had to be done ᴛʜʀᴏᴜɢʜ the ʜᴏsᴘɪᴛᴀʟ but it ᴛᴏᴏᴋ her parents ᴀʟᴍᴏsᴛ ᴀ ᴍᴏɴᴛʜ ᴛᴏ ᴄᴏɴᴠɪɴᴄᴇ the ᴅᴏᴄᴛᴏʀs of their baby’s ᴄᴏɴᴅɪᴛɪᴏɴ. Sophia is now ᴍᴜᴄʜ ʙᴇᴛᴛᴇʀ, the ʙɪʀᴛʜᴍᴀʀᴋ has almost ᴅɪsᴀᴘᴘᴇᴀʀᴇᴅ and now her ᴅᴏsᴀɢᴇ will be ʀᴇᴅᴜᴄᴇᴅ, to ᴄʜᴇᴄᴋ if the ᴍᴀʀᴋ ʀᴇɢʀᴏᴡs.
She added: ” It ᴛᴏᴏᴋ ᴛʜʀᴇᴇ ᴅᴀʏs going to the ʜᴏsᴘɪᴛᴀʟ because her ʜᴀᴇᴍᴀɴɢɪᴏᴍᴀ ᴋᴇᴘᴛ ʙʟᴇᴇᴅɪɴɢ and we ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅɴ’ᴛ sᴛᴏᴘ it. Eventually they told us they’d sᴛᴀʀᴛ ʜᴇʀ on ᴘʀᴏᴘʀᴀɴᴏʟᴏʟ, but we’d have to stay in the ʜᴏsᴘɪᴛᴀʟ to be ᴍᴏɴɪᴛᴏʀᴇᴅ. The ᴍᴇᴅɪᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ᴀFFᴇᴄᴛs her sleep, you have to be really ᴄᴀʀᴇFᴜʟ with the ᴅᴏsᴀɢᴇ because it can ᴀFFᴇᴄᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ʙʟᴏᴏᴅ sᴜɢᴀʀ and the ʙʟᴏᴏᴅ ᴘʀᴇssᴜʀᴇ so you have to ᴍᴏɴɪᴛᴏʀ ɪᴛ ᴄᴏɴsᴛᴀɴᴛʟʏ. We’ve been very lucky with people in general, we’ve only had maybe a few people sᴛᴀʀɪɴɢ ᴀɴᴅ ᴀsᴋɪɴɢ, ‘oh what she done, how did she Fᴀʟʟ ᴏᴠᴇʀ’ and we had to explain to them it’s ɴᴏᴛ ᴀɴ ᴀᴄᴄɪᴅᴇɴᴛ it’s a ʙɪʀᴛʜᴍᴀʀᴋ.
We are just grateful she is ɴᴏᴛ ᴏʟᴅ enough to understand that people are talking ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ ʜᴇʀ. When she gets ᴏʟᴅᴇʀ we want to teach her to appreciate it and learn it’s a ᴘᴀʀᴛ ᴏf who she is. And to know how much she’s been ᴛʜʀᴏᴜɢʜ at such a ʏᴏᴜɴɢ ᴀɢᴇ without realising it- she just ᴅᴏᴇsɴ’ᴛ ᴋɴᴏᴡ how sᴛʀᴏɴɢ she is.”
