Those nine months a mom carries her baby are filled with joy, anticipation, and a dose of uncertainty. What the new parents hope for is their bundle of joy to be healthy. Sadly, that is not always the case.
Jennie Wilklow, from Highland, New York, couldn’t wait to meet her daughter. She and her husband were over the moon to hold her in their arms. All the ultrasounds and doctor’s appointment suggested the baby was healthy, so they were eased and never thought sweet Anna would be born with a condition that would change all of their lives forever.
Jennie delivered Anna via C-section at 34 weeks. Doctors told her she looked beautiful and that was all Jennie needed to hear at that point.
Shortly after, the proud mom heard her daughter cry, and that was just another sign that everything was right with her little jewel.
When her husband visited Jennie, he was strangely silent and looked worried and puzzled.
“My husband’s silence scared me; he just sat in shock as the doctor left, and I prodded for more info,” Jennie shared with Cafe Mom.
“He just kept saying, ‘It’s bad.’ What does that even mean? I thought in my head. He told me, ‘Jennie, I looked in her eyes, and she has the most beautiful soul.’”
Anna was diagnosed with harlequin ichthyosis, a rare condition that causes thick diamond-shaped plates that are separated by deep cracks. “As they tried frantically to help her, her skin hardened within seconds (of birth). After hardening, it began to split, causing open wounds all over her body,” Jennie told Cafe Mom.
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Although doctors weren’t sure she would survive, Anna beat the odds and is thriving. “She was beauty in the purest form,” her mom said.
There isn’t cure, and the treatment is quite demanding as it requires constant baths and keeping the skin as much moisturized as possible. “Every couple of hours I covered her with Vaseline and bathed her for many hours of the day. I had dreamed for years about the things my baby would wear, and though it seemed so trivial, it was what I struggled with most,” Jennie said.
In an attempt to raise awareness about this condition, Jennie posts photos of Anna on her Instagram page harlequindiva. She opens up about the everyday struggles and what it is like to have a child with harlequin ichthyosis.
“Anna captured everyone’s hearts because she is the purest form of perfection. Doing the work every day is simple when I’m doing it for her, and with every new accomplishment, the world celebrates with me,” Jennie told Cafe Mom.
She adds, “I now understand that I was given her because of the love I already carried in my heart for my daughter. Anna was meant for me, and I for her, and together we will show the world what true beauty is.”
The Body Part You Wash First While Bathing Reveals Your Personality
Ever consider how your showering habits can disclose some of your deepest secrets? It’s accurate! According to scientific theories, what you wash in the shower first can reveal a lot about your personality. It seems like a scene from a psychic’s script, don’t you think? So grab a seat, for this insight will clear your doubts and leave you feeling uncannily accurate.
Get a loofah out of curiosity or giggle until you cry because what you do in the first few minutes of taking a shower says a lot. Let’s explore this soap opera and see what your approach to taking showers says about you.
1. If you initially wash your hair
Oh, those who prioritize their hair! What’s wrong with you? If you wash your hair right away, you’re probably a control freak who gets upset by even the tiniest hairstyling. Isn’t it the “my way or the highway” mentality you possess? Your life’s shampoo and conditioner are order and discipline, and to be honest, you probably give up bubble baths in favor of timeliness. When choosing companions, you put intelligence above strength because, let’s face it, no one wants to stick around with a knucklehead.
2. If you first wash your chest
Washers who put their chests first are showing off their skills with assurance. In a group of betas, you’re the alpha. You speak the truth; I won’t put you through any sly tricks. Feeling at ease in your own flesh? You have plenty of comfort, I see! Your confidence in yourself and your short-term objectives is almost irritating, as though having second thoughts is a crime.
3. If you initially wash your underarms
Armpit enthusiasts, you are the people that everyone wants to be around during a party or emergency. You exude dependability and empathy. Because you love without limits, friends come swarming to you. Your universe is dominated by black-and-white thinking: there is either complete scorn or great devotion. Reasonable tones of gray? Not for you, haha!
4. If you cleanse your face first
Oh boy, you’ve got your vanity on full display, face-first washers! Immediately catering to all five senses demonstrates a near-obsession with one’s own appearance. Too anxious? Indeed! As though your soul depended on it, you’re anxious about remarks and criticism. Unwind—no one is paying that much attention. Could you perhaps quit glancing at your mirror in every puddle?
Don’t waste time fretting about a terrible hair day ever again since life is too short!
5. If you first wash your neck and shoulders
People with necks and shoulders, you overachievers! Cleaning here first indicates that you’re successfully hunting as if this were your main food source. Your objectives seem heavy to you, and to be honest, it’s making you feel like Herculean lifters. You adore being the center of attention in every circumstance and are fiercely competitive. Here’s a secret: you’re doing such a great job carrying that weight that it hardly shows.
6. If you initially wash your legs or arms
Arms and legs? You are the salt of the earth, after all, aren’t you? You are, on the one hand, as modest and grounded as a monk in zen mode. Conversely, you are displaying your limbs as though they were banners of power and rebellion. The only thing that can match your determination and willpower are your extreme dislike and intense affection for an object. I’m happy to have you join the human contradictions team!
7. If you initially wash your underwear
Do you still grit your teeth? Cleaning your underwear first makes you seem like the bashful one—possibly a capital-I introvert. Even though you’re not the light of the party, people who connect with you find you to be quite sincere. socially disregarded? Perhaps. A jewel that’s hidden? Without a doubt. You find it difficult to stand up for yourself, yet everyone in your immediate circle benefits from your warmth.
8. Alternative
You are the “other” parts washer, the wild card. Are you not complex? It’s as though you’ve mixed up a secret recipe for mayhem and kindness. You’re a stand-up guy at heart, maybe even interesting. It’s time to start living a little more boldly, embrace unpredictability, and flaunt your individual flare. And who knows, your perfect mate? Seek for someone who worries about their appearance as much as you do about appearing erratic. A union made in heaven, indeed!
There you have it, then. Even something as easy as cleaning up can reveal a lot about who you are! One scrape at a time, who would have thought that those soothing minutes under the mist could strip you of your secrets and expose your soul? Maybe consider your priority list the next time you take a shower. Happy cleaning until then!
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