Babies, sadly, do not come with an owner’s manual, which means that new parents have to figure it all out as they go. And baby girls present their own unique challenges. Not only do you have to teach her how to love what makes her a girl, but there’s the prospect of someday dealing with dating, parties, and the internet. But know this: You’re not alone in this parenting gig.

According to the girl’s mother, Zara, when her daughter Connie was born, the doctors noticed that something was sticking out of the girl’s nose. The doctors realized that the child was born with a bright red birthmark on her nose. The brave mother fought for her daughter to have surgery to remove the red growth at a young age, despite doctors warning her that Connie would not be eligible for the procedure until she turned ten. She said: “We noticed the birthmark just after she was born. At first we assumed it was a pressure mark from the delivery. After two weeks, the growth had darkened in colour and had become lumpy. We were told it was a regular birthmark which would disappear of its own accord eventually.”

The mother then went to another hospital and asked for a second opinion at another hospital, where specialists diagnosed the mark as hemangioma – a benign tumour – in and around her daughter’s nostrils. The little girl was prescribed medication to halt the spread of the growth and a consultant advised that she would be able to undergo surgery to remove it completely when she turned ten years old. The mother also said that Connie reportedly told her at 18 months old that she didn’t like her nose and she wanted one like her mother’s.

Unfortunately, the negative reactions at pre-school eventually prompted Zara, her partner Tom to pursue options for removing the birthmark. Luckily, the little girl was approved for NHS funding and underwent the surgery, shortly before the birth of her little brother Archie (Connie – BEFORE AND AFTER SURGERY). She told Daily Mail: ‘Connie’s Christmas play was last week and she played a cat as part of a large group of friends who were also playing cats. People don’t associate her with a birthmark at all now. She’s developed a huge amount of confidence. The change has been incredible – she’s almost a completely different girl. She’s not shy in the slightest. She has loads of friends and loves going to class.  If I’d had left it to the doctors who suggested we didn’t go for surgery, Connie’s life would have been completely different. ‘I’m so glad we did. We have no regrets at all.”

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