Mom Shares Her Daughter’s Unique Birthmark, Gathering 300k Followers Supporting Their Journey
From lucky charms to signs of trade in a former lifetime, birthmarks have been surrounded by lore and stories for centuries. It’s truly a fun token in most cases to be born with one and watch it develop over time, a symbol that’s uniquely yours to keep. However, sometimes, these little marks are not so little.
This special baby was born with a beautiful birthmark covering nearly half of her face. And even though it caused some health concerns to her family at first, the girl is healthy and happy as ever!
Before we get into the details of the story, the specificity of the birthmark and potential effects it will have on the girl growing up, I’d like to encourage you dear Pandas to upvote the story, leave your thoughts below and, maybe, if you’re feeling generous, follow the creator. Thanks so much, now let’s get into it!
Winry was born healthy and happy, however, her face was adorned with a very special birthmark
Nicole Hall became the happy and proud mother of her daughter Winry nearly 13 months ago; however, from the second she came into the world, she was obviously different.
The little girl bore a sizable birthmark on the right side of her face, as if Picasso himself mistook the baby for a canvas. This, of course, alarmed the parents.
Her mom Nicole and her husband were quite confused upon seeing it, quickly turning concerned for their newborn girl
When recalling the moment they first saw her daughter, Nicole explained that they were initially confused and concerned for her safety, as neither of them had ever seen such a birthmark.
“When they first handed her to me, I thought it was a bruise,” Nicole told Good Morning America. “It was then quickly apparent to my husband and I that it was not a bruise. And like the name, I thought it looked a lot like a mole.”
However, doctors assured them they had little to worry about and it was diagnosed as Congenital Melanocytic Nevi, or CMN
Doctors stated that their baby had an extremely rare birthmark called Congenital Melanocytic Nevi, or CMN. It’s estimated to occur in around 1 in 50,000 births, the parents having no way to know of it until the baby is born. However, they reassured the parents that the birthmark was most likely purely aesthetic and that any health risks would be on par with other nevi or moles, such as, in the worst case scenario, developing melanoma.
Nicole revealed to Bright Side that it was a massive load off their shoulders, allowing them to relax and appreciate Winry’s arrival even more. At this point in time, the pair are focused on keeping their daughter healthy and bringing her up to be confident in herself.
“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,” the mom said. “I know our regular dermatology appointment is probably going to be our best friend growing up.
It’s estimated to occur in around 1 in 50,000 births and is mostly aesthetic, carrying the same concerns as any mole or nevi would
Her older brother Asher has barely acknowledged the differences between them, the birthmark not fazing him whatsoever
Their first son Asher and Winry have become quite close, spending lots of time together. Every little sister would be envious of their bond. Asher is a helpful, loving brother. Like most kids his age, he gets somewhat jealous when having to share his parents’ attention, but they’re sure to become the best of friends.
According to Nicole, he is wonderfully unaware that there is anything ‘different’ about her. He knows she has a birthmark on her face, but it doesn’t faze him whatsoever.
Unfortunately, that can’t be said about some people. The family have received multiple malicious comments and criticism online since Nicole began sharing her daughter’s story on Instagram and TikTok. People stare or give Winry unfavorable glances when they’re out and about, as well.
However, others have not reacted the same way, with negative comments and unfavorable stares following the little girl and her parents
However, Nicole has been rather calm about it all. They keep most of their social media responses informative and humorous, considering most negativity is born out of ignorance and misinformation. Regardless of their reasons, hostility towards a child or their parents is beyond loathsome.
Even though they’re trying their best to not let the negativity get to them, it has made them consider ways of protecting their little girl from bullying and unfair treatment as she grows older. Nicole has told us that educating Winry on cherishing qualities like kindness is one of their top priorities in life.
They are raising her to become a self-confident woman, able to stand strong and joyful. Nicole is certain that they’ll always safeguard and direct their daughter toward people able to treat her with the kindness and respect she deserves, especially as she’s a little bit of sunshine herself.
They’re trying their best to stay positive, yet it’s made them consider the ways of protecting their little girl from bullying and unfair treatment
“She just radiates joy. She’s almost always laughing or shrieking. She is just the happiest baby I have ever seen,” her mom said. “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.”
Thankfully, the negativity is but a mere stone in a river of positivity and compassion. Many people have fallen in love with the little joyful girl and her electric personality.
“For a lot of people, this is the first time seeing a birthmark like hers and that’s part of why I enjoy sharing,” Nicole said. “This is a good conversation for parents with their children to see kids have differences, or for those parents who do have a kid that looks like Winry or has any kind of a birthmark to see their child represented.”
“She just radiates joy. She’s almost always laughing or shrieking. She is just the happiest baby I have ever seen,” her mom said
They’ve got around 300k followers combined throughout their social media, rooting for the little girl and her journey in life
The 90.7k followers on Instagram and 200k followers on TikTok have allowed the family to meet people from across the globe with similar stories. “We’ve got to talk to several people from Brazil with birthmarks,” Nicole said. “One of them has one that is almost identical to Winry and it’s been so fun to talk to her because she’s almost exactly my age.”
Nicole is committed to continue raising awareness about CMN, while also encouraging people to celebrate diversity, stay kind to others around them and appreciate beauty in all shapes and sizes. However, oftentimes, the world both directly and indirectly tells us that we shouldn’t be happy with ourselves if we don’t fit certain beauty standards.
She’s truly becoming a little cookie monster, crumbling both sweets and beauty standards simultaneously
Sometimes the unique qualities we are born with that are completely normal to us make us outsiders in our own community. Martin Jay explains that the “fear of ‘alienation’ from a perceived state of harmony has a long and winding history.”
To alienate means to take away or remove, whether in a physical or emotional sense, and has been defined as “the fundamental pathology of modern life.” He continues to describe the feeling as one of lacking a home or place within society.
Sometimes the unique qualities we are born with that are completely normal to us make us outsiders in our own community
However, Martin poses a question: “In an era of fluid modernity, defined by incessant change, why should sameness and identity be preferred over otherness and difference?”
As the beauty standards expand to include more and more different people, there is hope that one day we will cease to define ourselves by our outward appearance as holding significant value.
Beauty should be acknowledged and not defined by strict measures. Yet, we continue to see the glorification of past principles of beauty, letting bigotry out of the cage of silent confinement.
However, we can hope that with the everchanging views in society, she will be accepted just like any other happy-go-lucky girl
The more we learn about one another, the quicker we can accommodate our beliefs to include the other and not exclude them.
As truly, what matters is how we act with one another, and where there is no harm done, and only happiness spreads, why should we denounce a person as not worthy or not beautiful enough?
Katie M. McLaughlin has found that the problem is that, too often, the only time girls get compliments is because of what they’ve done to their appearance rather than who they are as people.
She suggests that compliments on beauty should come at times when there’s the most amount of mess, say during physical activity, messy playtime or whilst she’s being creative, throwing paint around, as the girl will associate beauty with herself and her achievements and personality, rather than a piece of clothing or appearance alone.
We wish Winry all the best and we’re sure her parents will shower her with love and care non-stop
As my own mom used to say, “wherever you go, you will always find yourself.” And that is what we hope for Winry growing up.
Her mom wrote in an Instagram post: “I want Winry to know that her CMN does not define her. While it may be a part of her that makes her unique, and is the reason for this extra attention, I know it will not be the most special thing about her.”
“I am so excited to watch her grow and discover what those other things are – her mind, sense of humor, bravery, kindness – but whatever they are, I know there will be many things about her that are much more remarkable than a spot on her face.”
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