When Ayla Summer Mucha was born in December 2021, she surprised her parents with a big smile on her tiny face. Initially, her mom and dad were concerned about the newborn’s permanent smile, caused by a rare condition. However, they quickly fell in love with Ayla, who has since become a social media sensation, charming fans worldwide with her heartwarming grin.
After nine months of eager anticipation, Australia’s Cristina Vercher and her husband Blaize Mucha were overjoyed to welcome their baby girl, who made her grand entrance on December 30, 2021.
However, during the C-section, doctors delivered unexpected news to the new parents.
Ayla Summer Mucha was born with bilateral macrostomia, a condition where her mouth hadn’t fully formed.
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The deformity, known as a facial cleft, is an extremely rare condition in which the corners of the mouth fail to fuse during pregnancy.
According to the National Library of Medicine, only 14 cases have been documented in medical literature.
Ayla’s parents were completely surprised by her large mouth opening, as their ultrasound scans had shown no abnormalities.
The new mom, now 23, recalls that she and Blaize, 22, “were instantly worried” when they first saw Ayla, as the condition was “obvious” given how “tiny” she was.
“Blaize and I were not aware of this condition, nor had I ever met someone born with a macrostomia,” said Vercher, from Adelaide. “So it came as a huge shock.”
The shock wasn’t limited to the parents—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.” She axplained. “All I could think about as a mother was where I went wrong.”
However, doctors reassured the concerned parents that there was nothing they could have done differently. Cristina had feared that she might have made a mistake during her pregnancy or that she had somehow “caused” her daughter’s condition.
She admitted, ”All I could dwell on as a mother was where I might have made a mistake.”But after days of genetic testing and scans, they were reassured that the condition was entirely beyond their control and that they were not to blame.
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What the Muchas could do was shift their focus to helping Ayla live with her condition, which also affects functionality, like latching and suckling.
For this reason, parents are often advised to consider surgery for their little ones.
The young couple embarked on a journey to learn more about the condition and decided to share Ayla’s story on social media. On TikTok, her distinctive smile captured the hearts of 6.5 million users.
The Muchas never anticipated the overwhelming support they would receive.
“I just read on doctor Google that there are only 14 documented cases. She is so darn special. Be proud, mama,” one user commented.
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Drawing strength from the positive comments and support, Vercher states, “We will not stop sharing our experiences and favourite memories as we are so proud.”
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Although it hasn’t been officially confirmed, it seems that Ayla, who recently celebrated her 2nd birthday, successfully underwent surgery to correct her enlarged mouth. The little girl, who became a big sister to baby brother Sonny in November 2023, has almost no visible scarring from the procedure.
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