We've all heard of Snow White, the fairy tale princess with hair black as coal and skin white as snow - but one couple was truly amazed when they welcomed a newborn baby who had hair as white as, well, snow. 25-year-old mom of two, Taylor Dunnavant, told her story to Love What Matters.
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"When we found out we were pregnant again in July 2017, we were surprised but had no idea just how surprised we were going to be," writes the Missouri native, who already shares one daughter with her husband, Chris. Dunnavant goes on to explain that she expected the pregnancy to be just like her first, doing what most of us do - eating lots and gaining weight. Instead, she was shocked to find that this time around she was going off of her food and losing weight instead of gaining it - a stark contrast to her first pregnancy where she gained 20 pounds. Despite her concerns, doctors assured Tyler that everything was well with both her and the baby - a beautiful little girl. Another shock to the expectant mother as she had been convinced it was a boy.
The rest of the pregnancy went on as expected, with no complications and the usual aches and pains. When it was time for the new member of the family to come into the world, it was a regular hospital visit with a regular delivery that lasted a gruelling 15 hours. As she began to push, the nurse exclaimed "She has hair!" When the baby was placed in Tyler's exhausted arms, she was shocked to see her baby daughter had masses of lace white hair. Little Nora was diagnosed by a specialist as having albinism, a condition caused by a recessive gene that causes the absence of pigment in eyes, skin, and hair. While the couple was concerned about the health of their child, they worried most about what five-year-old Brooklynn would feel about her little sister being different.
"She told me that her sister was a snow fairy," said Tyler. "Then she informed me that she was related to Elsa. I should have known that children see no differences." The happy family of four are thriving. Thankfully, doctors have no major concerns about Nora's future health. "We will forever have to lather her up with the highest SPF of sunscreen that we can find. She will most likely need corrective lenses like glasses. There is a chance that she could have trouble with hearing. However, everything that was mentioned was manageable. She is healthy, she is just different."