Though mom and dad weren’t initially happy to see the newborn’s permanent smile, caused by an extremely rare condition, they fell in love with Ayla, who’s now a social media sensation with fans across the world gushing over the adorable girl with the heartwarming smile.
After nine months of anticipation, Australia’s Cristina Vercher and husband Blaize Mucha were thrilled to finally meet their baby girl, who was making her grand entrance into the world on December 30, 2021.
But, during the C-section birth, doctors delivered some shocking news to the new parents. Ayla Summer Mucha had developed bilateral macrostomia, which means the baby’s mouth had not properly formed.
The deformity, classified as a facial cleft, is a rare condition where the corners of the mouth don’t fuse together during pregnancy. In fact, the malformation is so rare that according to the National Library of Medicine, only 14 cases have been reported in medical literature.
Ayla’s large mouth opening was a complete surprise to her parents, whose ultrasound scans had not picked up any abnormalities. The new mom, now 23, explains she and Blaize, 22, “were instantly worried” when they saw Ayla for the first time, as the condition was “obvious” since she “was so tiny.”
“Blaize and I were not aware of this condition, nor had I ever met someone born with a macrostomia,” said Adelaide’s Vercher. “So it came as a huge shock.”
It wasn’t just the parents who were shocked. Doctors were also unprepared to handle a baby with bilateral macrostomia. “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,” Vercher added.
Cristina harbored fears that she had somehow erred during her entire pregnancy or had “caused” her daughter’s condition. “All I could dwell on as a mother was where I might have made a mistake,” she confessed.
Nonetheless, after days of genetic testing and scans, they received reassurance that this issue was entirely outside their influence and that they bore no blame for it.
The young couple went on a mission to learn more about the condition and decided to share Ayla’s story on social media, where on TikTok her distinctive smile attracted the likes of 6.5 million online users.
The Muchas never expected they’d get the huge amount of support they received. “I just read on doctor Google that there are only 14 documented cases. She is so darn special. Be proud mama,” one user writes.
A second netizen says of Ayla’s contagious smile, “She is beautiful and just perfect the way she is. She made me smile as well.”
Meanwhile, a handful of trolls who judged the helpless child were quickly shot down by Ayla’s loyal followers. “Your daughter is absolutely beautiful, please do not listen to those bitter people. She’s such an Angel,” shares one. “Oh my looord. How cute are you!! ignore all those hurtful comments your little cuteness is just too sweet,” said another.
Responding to the hateful comments, Vercher said, “I would advise nothing more than to be kind and accepting of all people.” She added that conditions “such as this” could really happen to anyone and that “Social media is a divided place. You can’t control the personalities of other people unfortunately.”
Although it hasn’t been confirmed, it appears that Ayla, who recently celebrated her 2nd birthday, successfully had surgery to correct her enlarged mouth. The little girl, who in November 2023 became a big sister to baby brother Sonny, has almost no scarring from the procedure.
We’re happy that the Muchas were undeterred by online hate and continued sharing videos and pictures of the beautiful little Ayla. Her contagious smile has melted hearts across the globe, and her story serves as a powerful reminder to embrace and celebrate our differences.
