Mom in tears over daughter’s precancerous ‘birthmark’ on forehead

By Hannah Van De Peer via SWNS

A mom was left “in tears” when her baby girl was born with a large 'birthmark' on her forehead.

Claire Burt, 32, was shocked to find her daughter, Lulu, 10 months, was born with a congenital nevus.

This is a type of pigment that appears at birth or during a baby’s first year.

She was told Lulu’s ‘birthmark’ could become cancerous - and she may have internal ‘birthmarks’ which could cause issues like motor delays and learning difficulties.

Despite her worries, Claire believes Lulu is the most “beautiful girl in the world,” and isn’t worried about her being teased in the future.

Claire, a full-time mom from Timaru, New Zealand, said: “I feel like it’s something every mother would say about their child - but she’s the most beautiful girl in the world.

“I’d never heard of a nevus before.

“We had no idea she even had one - it was a massive shock to us.

“We’ll continuously show her she’s beautiful - and we’re a safe environment.

“So we’re not worried about her having low self-confidence when she’s older.”

Nevus doesn’t show up in any scans, so Claire had no inkling of the condition throughout her pregnancy.

She carried Lulu to 38 weeks - before going in for a c-section because she was in a breech position.

Lulu was born at 2:10pm on September 13, 2023, weighing exactly 7lb.

“I’d had a c-section,” Claire said.

“Nevus isn’t something you’d expect your baby to have when they’re born.

“To be told this was her condition the day after the surgery - it was very overwhelming.

“I just broke down in tears, I couldn’t believe it.”

A pediatrician explained to Claire and her partner, council worker Charlie Satele, 27, this was the first case of nevus he’d ever seen.

He told them he had to gather information about the condition via websites - and to keep an eye on it to see if it got worse.

Claire said: “The easiest way to describe nevus is like a spelling mistake in the genes.

“It develops in the first trimester, and it causes pigmentation on the baby.

“But the pediatrician shocked us by saying it could potentially turn cancerous.”

Claire and Charlie were referred to a dermatologist who was visiting from Christchurch, New Zealand.

She “took one look” at the ‘birthmark’ - and said the chance of it turning cancerous was “tiny.”

“She said if we notice anything different about the birthmark, to contact her straight away,” she added.

“Dermatologists don’t recommend nevus surgery until kids are school-age.

“It’s a very invasive procedure.”

During congenital nevus removal surgery, the normal skin needs to be stretched for a period of time.

Then, doctors will cut it out.

Claire says she was worried anesthetic would be “dangerous” for Lulu, as well.

She’ll need an MRI when she gets older, to determine whether her pigmentation problem is internal.

If this is the case, this could lead to developmental problems.

Claire said: “When Lulu is older, they’ll give her an MRI.

“There’s a very low chance of anything being internal - but they’ll look just in case.”

Both Claire and Charlie have said they’ll let Lulu decide whether she wants to get the surgery when she’s older.

“We’ve said we’ll leave it, in case it’s medically needed,” Claire added.

“But if Lulu decides to have it removed, we’ll 100% support her.

“It’s just on her hairline, and it’ll be hidden very well once her hair's all grown out.”

Claire says despite Lulu’s condition - she’s a very happy and relaxed baby.

“She’s the most beautiful, happy baby.

“Also an amazing sleeper - she’s so chilled out.

“She’s our everything.”