LS ‘Idap Penyakit Langka Sejak dalam Kandungan, Dada dan Tangan Bayi Ini Membesar Mirip Hulk’ LS
A baby named Armani Milby, nicknamed “Baby Hulk” by his own mother, earned the name because his upper body—particularly his chest and arms—grew abnormally large compared to other children.
His mother, Chelsey, gave birth to Armani via an emergency C-section at 33 weeks of pregnancy after he was diagnosed with severe lymphangioma.
This rare congenital condition causes non-cancerous, fluid-filled growths in the lymphatic vessels.
As a result, Armani’s upper body became swollen. Chelsey said her son looked like a tiny bodybuilder, which is why she also called him Hulk.
“When I saw him, I cried because I had never seen anything like it before. I was just shocked. But I didn’t care what he looked like—I loved him anyway,” Chelsey said, as quoted by The Sun on Tuesday (September 26, 2023).
According to Chelsey, the condition caused Armani significant suffering. He had difficulty sleeping, struggled to breathe, and endured daily discomfort.
Chelsey first learned that Armani had lymphangioma during an ultrasound at 17 weeks of pregnancy.
At the time, doctors were concerned about the possibility of fluid building up around his heart, which could interfere with his breathing and vision. Despite the risks, Chelsey and her family chose to continue the pregnancy.
“I was devastated and heartbroken. I didn’t understand what was happening because I already had two healthy children, so I cried every day,” Chelsey said.
The Kentucky, USA native was even offered the option of an abortion, but she refused and insisted on carrying the pregnancy to term.
“The doctors really gave him a zero percent chance. They said he wouldn’t make it and that he probably wouldn’t cry at birth,” she added.
However, at 33 weeks, Chelsey underwent a C-section, and Armani was born crying, shocking both Chelsey and the medical team.
After Armani’s birth, the family decided to move more than 100 miles to Cincinnati, Ohio, where they stayed at a specialist hospital for three months.
“I struggled terribly with postpartum depression, but I had to push it aside and try to be the strongest person I could be for him and my other two children,” Chelsey shared.
Armani eventually underwent surgery to drain fluid from his body, which reduced his weight to 3.1 kilograms. However, his skin condition remained the same as at birth.
Later this year, Armani is scheduled to undergo another surgery, during which medical staff will remove additional lymphatic vessels to help reduce the swelling of his body.
After that, Armani will have surgery to remove the excess skin he was born with.
“He has a lot of extra skin, but it will all be removed, and he will look like a normal baby,” Chelsey said.
“He’s lucky. He’s not disabled or anything like that,” she added.
