Doctors were not sure what to expect when Stephanie Turner got pregnant.
The Wynne, Arkansas woman lives with a rare, painful skin condition called Harlequin ichthyosis, which causes the skin to grow in very hard and thick plates that crack. The Mirror reports Turner is believed to be the first woman with the condition to become a mother. Because of the skin disorder, she is constantly in pain, and her body is prone to illnesses and infections.
The 23-year-old became pregnant not long after marrying her husband, Curtis, according to the report.
“I always wanted to be a mum but I didn’t know if I could have kids,” Stephanie said. “The doctors couldn’t tell us anything because I was the first one to consider having a baby.”
Her doctors were worried that the skin on her stomach would not stretch as her unborn baby grew. Stephanie said she knew she was taking a risk with the pregnancy.
Here’s more from the report:
But against all expectations pregnancy was beneficial for Stephanie’s rare skin condition and she gave birth to a healthy baby boy.
Now the couple are parents to two children Willy, aged two, and Olivia, aged four-months.
Both parents must have genetic defect for Harlequin to be passed on to children and as Curtis doesn’t have the defect both Stephanie’s babies escaped their mother’s painful condition.
Her husband described her as a “super-mom” who stays very active and happy as she cares for their children, even though she is in constant pain.
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Stephanie said she is happy, too.
“I can’t tell you what good of a feeling it is just to have your children healthy and happy,” she said. “I hope the future holds nothing but happiness. I’m sure there will be a few bumps along the road, but that’s life. We’re just focusing on my two perfect babies and my wonderful husband.”
