MUM'S AGONY
I was terrified when I saw my baby – my first reaction was I must’ve done something wrong in my pregnancy
A MUM said she was terrified for the wellbeing of her baby when she counted two extra fingers.
Talliya Burnside, 25, said ultrasounds hadn't picked up the bizarre birth defect on her firstborn Dessiah's hands.
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The now mum-of-four said she got the shock of her life when the tot was born.
“My first reaction was that I must’ve done something wrong in my pregnancy – I was terrified,” Talliya, from Pennsylvania, US, told NeedToKnow.Online.
Thankfully, medics told her the strange occurrence was in fact rather common and named .
It's a condition where an extra finger or toe develops while in the womb and is the second most common birth defect, with a 50 per cent chance of it being inherited, according to Great Ormond Street Hospital.
Read more on birth defects
Sometimes the extra finger is well formed, but it's more common for it to be narrow and floppy, it said.
Since it's an hereditary condition, Talliya believed it was passed on from her uncle to Dessiah, as he also has an extra finger.
While typically only present in one child, the mum received another shock when one of her twins, Darla, aged one, was also born with the birth defect.
“I had no idea two of my kids were going to be born with an extra finger, as they weren’t detected on the ultrasounds," Talliya said.
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“While the finger was boneless and flopped about, I didn’t feel squeamish because it was a part of my children."
There are a few ways of addressing polydactyly - you can let be or have extra fingers removed.
“I chose to remove them because they were pointless and the possibility of them biting or pulling it off – or getting it trapped – was too much of a worry," Talliya explained.
In order to remove it, medics can cut off the circulation through tying up the finger and allowing it to fall off naturally after birth.
The process, which includes tying a thread around the extra fingers, involves allowing necrosis to set in and monitoring the area to ensure there’s no signs of sepsis. The process is called suture ligation.
However, due to risk of complication with newborns, the process wasn’t as simple for Darla, who had to undergo a suture ligation a few months after being born.
In a bid to share the bizarre ordeal, and find others with the same condition, Talliya decided to upload a clip about her family's journey on TikTok.
The video, which has racked up 9.5 million views and over 800,000 likes, shows Darla and one of her extra fingers, which appears to be hanging on by a thin ligament.
Talliya showed Darla's 'pinky', which had turned completely black and shrivelled up, before comparing it to raisins.
Users flocked to the comments to share their reactions, with many sharing their own experiences.
“I had mine removed at three months, hospitals are so stingy about doing it now tho for some reason,” one user said. [sic]
Lecutio Maxima added: “In Jamaica it’s good luck.”
Someone else said: “I think she is unique I would never cut them.”
“My brain just simply says pull it off,” Georgia added.
Talliya, who is mum to Dessiah, Dior, aged two and twins, Daisy and Darla, claims Darla’s twin was left unaffected by the condition.
Now, the mum hopes to raise awareness and make others feel less alone with their journey.
She added: “I know there’s more people out there [with this condition] and I was shocked when I learned how many there were.
“Different types, sizes, even extra toes and ears – there’s been so many other stories like theirs.
“It’s been fascinating to learn about and I love their unique condition.”
said it doesn't recommend the 'tying off' method after birth as it can be very painful for the baby due to the nerves in the extra finger.
A large blood vessel also supplies the finger, so babies can bleed a great deal if the tie slips, the hospital said.
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Tying the finger off could lastly lead to infection or leave a bump that can be painful in later life as the nerve is trapped within it.
Instead the hospital recommended extra little fingers be removed in a short operation. Your doctor will advise.
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