A new mother and father were stunned when their daughter was born. Although there were no problems during the pregnancy, their daughter’s appearance shocked them when they held her in their arms for the first time. At age six, her parents think she’s the most beautiful little girl they could have asked for.
A husband and his wife were looking forward to having their very first baby. The soon-to-be mom, Jennie Wilklow, had been dreaming of being a mother for several years now. She and her husband had planned ahead for the pregnancy, praying that everything would be fine and that they could have the little girl they were so excited for.
Jennie even planned outfits for her little girl, dreaming of the day she would get to hold her baby and dress her up in the variety of adorable get-ups she painstakingly planned out. When she finally fell pregnant, things were looking excellent. Her scans didn’t indicate anything strange, and the couple was looking forward to their daughter’s birth.
The only unusual thing about the pregnancy was that Jennie’s water broke at 34 weeks, but the doctors assured the mom that everything would be fine – they’d seen worse. The readings were still excellent, so the hospital staff initiated a C-section, which went well. All the doctors seemed relaxed.
On the way, Jennie woke up, reached for her husband, and enquired whether everything was fine.
As soon as the baby girl was successfully born, it was clear that a slight panic was descending on the surgeons and the rest of the staff present. The team retreated behind a curtain as the alarm mounted, and things became more frantic. Jennie, meanwhile, was stuck in bed with no idea what was happening to her daughter.
As the mother enquired whether her daughter was healthy, all the hospital staff could do was reassure her. They offered her medication to help her relax, and Jennie went to sleep while the doctors did everything they could to handle the increasingly drastic situation.
While Jennie slept, the hospital staff informed her husband that their daughter’s skin had started to harden shortly after she was born. Little Anna Wilklow suffered from an extremely rare condition called Harlequin Ichthyosis, and the doctors had no real experience dealing with the disease.
How the Baby Girl Survived
After Anna was born, doctors took her to her father. The new dad had the chance to look into her eyes before they closed. They didn’t open for the next few days. The dad had to choose a new hospital that was better prepared for a case such as Anna’s. Jennie was moved to recovery, still unaware of what was wrong.
On the way, Jennie woke up, reached for her husband, who “sat in shock,” and enquired whether everything was fine. Presumably hoping not to upset the exhausted mom, the hospital staff refused to give her a direct answer. Jennie didn’t ask any more questions, afraid of what the answers might be.
The mom recalled she felt it was her fault that something was going wrong. She explained, “I felt as if somehow by wanting a girl so badly I had jinxed myself, and I wasn’t ready to hear bad news. I wasn’t ready for my life to be different. I just wasn’t ready.”
In recovery, the doctors started to tell Jennie about her new daughter. Although they didn’t give her every detail, they disclosed that the little girl suffered from a “birth defect.” At first, Jennie was optimistic. She kept thinking that they would be able to fix whatever was wrong with her little girl.
The new mom only realized the situation was dire when she saw her husband sitting in “silence.” When the medical staff left the room, she pressed her husband for answers, but all the stunned dad could manage was, “It’s bad.” This left Jennie with even more questions, but her husband followed up with:
“Jennie, I looked in her eyes, and she has the most beautiful soul.”
Jennie finally had the opportunity to hold her newborn daughter. The mom was initially shocked to see her daughter in such a state, and she had no idea how to react. She felt “broken.” The doctors didn’t think little Anna had much chance of survival, but gradually, Jennie decided she wouldn’t allow that to happen.
How Jennie and Anna Stuck It Out
Even though the doctors doubted that Anna would live for long, the baby girl astounded everyone. She was tough and excelled at everything she went through at the NICU. After a few days, the swelling in her eyes subsided, and she could once again look at the world. It was also the first time Jennie saw her little eyes.
Now, six years later, Anna and Jennie are full of hope for the future.
When Jennie looked at her daughter, she suddenly recalled what her husband had said about her a few days earlier. The same feeling came over her, and Jennie knew her baby was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. But Anna’s condition meant many challenges still lay ahead for the two new parents.
For the first while, Anna and her mom remained at the hospital. The baby girl was kept in a humidity-controlled box, and the first time she was exposed to the outside air, her skin dried up once more. Cracks soon formed, and Anna cried out. That first experience took its toll on Jennie.
The new mom was afraid her daughter would never be able to have a regular life. The second time they tried, they covered Anna in Vaseline and wrapped her in a protective plastic sheet. Jennie recalled those first few days were dismal, showing little progress and countless challenges. She recalled:
“The following two months were the worst because I felt alone and broken, consumed by despair. My sister, mother, husband, and friends took over, and the only clothes she could wear were fleece pajamas.”
Slowly, things got better, and Anna and Jennie are full of hope for the future. The mother adores her little girl, and Anna’s dad shares a special bond with his “beautiful princess.” The dad-and-daughter duo even recently attended a ball together. In the photos, Anna and her dad smile lovingly at each other while Anna looks “gorgeous.”
The little girl’s parents posted often on an Instagram page they created for her. In May 2023, they returned with a photo showing how much Anna had grown since, with the loving parents calling her their “beauty Queen” while talking openly about the support they’d gotten from people living with the same condition.
The Little Girl’s Fantastic Milestones
On September 24, 2023, Anna reached an incredible milestone by surpassing doctors’ expectations celebrating her sixth birthday with a Pokémon party! On her Instagram page, the little girl was seen enjoying her party with friends by doing some fun activities like making potions, blowing out her birthday cake’s candle, and freeing candy from a piñata.
Fans of the little girl’s page rushed to leave heartfelt comments, with one person calling her the “sweetest” and “most beautiful birthday girl.” Other people wished Anna a happy birthday, while another described her as the “most sweetest beautiful little lady.”
Someone else saw the girl who was born different as a “sweet spirit” who was beautiful both on the inside and out. The follower hoped the birthday girl had lots of fun celebrating her special day. In September 2023, Anna’s parents emotionally revealed she’d started the first grade!
The Instagram included several photos of the student riding to school in the morning. Jennie and her husband shared another picture of their little girl enjoying doing craftwork with friends at school, and later in the month, Anna showed off two of her best school outfits.
