She Gave Birth To a Special Looking Baby. Doctors Were Shocked When They Did a DNA Test

When Sarah and Johnny found out they were expecting a baby boy, they were over the moon. But when they gave birth to a strange-looking child, the doctors were forced to take a DNA test and were shocked by the results. When Sarah went into labor four weeks prior to her due date, her husband Johnny rushed her to the hospital with a fake smile plastered on his face.

He didn’t want her to worry and silently prayed that their baby was just an early bird. But she was sure that something was wrong, and he couldn’t find the strength to convince her otherwise. He had already lost a bet to her early in the pregnancy when he had proudly announced that he was going to be the father of a little girl who looked just like Sarah. She had told him that she believed it was going to be a boy. He had been confident in his intuition until an ultrasound had revealed that Sarah was right. Despite losing the bet, he couldn’t have been happier.

But now he was wondering if losing this other bet would mean losing his baby altogether. The hospital staff quickly attached Sarah to monitors, and when they found that the baby’s heart was under distress, they opted for an emergency C-section. Johnny held her hand while Sarah was put under and kept a brave face while the doctor started cutting. This was not the birthing plan the couple had wanted, but they knew that things could change in the blink of an eye and were prepared to do anything to ensure the well-being of their son.

As the child was lifted from his mother’s womb, Johnny was quickly whisked out of the delivery room. Their baby boy was four weeks premature and needed to be taken to the ICU immediately. As cruel as it looked, the doctors needed to focus on him and couldn’t waste time explaining what was happening to the father step by step. After a few minutes, Sarah was wheeled back to her hospital room where Johnny was waiting anxiously. She was still out, looked extremely pale, and her breathing was shallow. A nurse assured the concerned husband that his wife was doing well and that she just needed time to recuperate.

When Johnny asked about the boy, the nurses refrained from eye contact and told the father to wait for feedback from the doctors. After what felt like ages, Sarah finally opened her eyes. She was glad to see her husband, and a few tears of relief streamed down her cheeks. Then she asked about their baby. The doctor had not returned to the room yet, but as much as Johnny was concerned, he did not want to upset his wife. With a calm voice, he reminded her that it was normal for a premature child to be cared for in an ICU. If there was something seriously wrong, the doctors would have told them.

So, Sarah waited patiently for another hour, dozing off in between, but when she woke up and there was still no news of her baby, she urged Johnny to go and find out. She needed to know what was going on with her baby. The nurse on their floor had no information but promised to find out. As Johnny stood there, she phoned the ICU. He could not hear what the doctor was saying, but the look on the nurse’s face confirmed that their baby boy wasn’t doing well. When she put the phone down, she told the anxious father that the doctor would come and speak to him in the next 10 minutes.

Johnny waited out in the hallway, pacing up and down. By this time, he was really upset. What was wrong with the boy, and why were they not telling them anything? When the doctor finally came through the doors, Johnny almost lost his cool. His emotions were all over the place. Dr. Hamilton introduced himself and told them to follow him to the ICU. As they were walking, the doctor tried to brace him for what he was about to see, but nothing could have prepared Johnny for the sight he was suddenly faced with.

In a crib in the ICU lay a strange-looking baby. The medical team was still working all around him. At the bottom of the crib was a sticker that identified him as baby Michaels, proving that he was indeed his son. However, he was covered in a thick layer of pitch-black hair that almost looked like fur. Dr. Hamilton explained that they were doing various tests to try and find out what was wrong with the baby.

They had already started to test his DNA, as they were expecting to find some rare genetic disease. Never in his 30 years of practicing medicine had this doctor seen this kind of hair in a baby. They asked Johnny about any genetic disorders in his bloodline and if he was willing to give a DNA sample. This dad was still in shock but replied that he would do anything possible to help their special-looking boy.

While Johnny was still trying to process what was in front of him, he received a piece of good news. The doctors had done some scans and tested the vital organs, and the results had shown that he was perfectly healthy. He had a strong heart and lungs. According to the doctor, the expected due date must have been calculated wrong because the boy had been born full-term. Dr. Hamilton asked Johnny to prepare his wife before the baby would be brought to her in about half an hour. He also asked him to get consent from her in order to get a DNA sample from the mother and continue the testing.

As Johnny walked back to the maternity ward, he was at a loss for words. How could he tell his wife that their boy was as hairy as a bear and potentially suffering from a strange syndrome? Sarah was about to meet their baby, and he did not know how she would react. It took almost the full half-hour for Johnny to break the news to her. Finally, he just told her that their boy might have some genetic problems and that he promised to stay by her side and take care of both of them.

When baby Joshua was finally placed in his mother’s arms, it was clear that she was trying to hide her shock as tears dripped from her cheeks, and Johnny held both of them tightly. The family vowed to walk this journey one day at a time. The DNA tests were prioritized, and within two hours, Dr. Hamilton was back in the Michaels’ room. He had some strange news and tried his best to share it with the family in a way that wouldn’t alarm them.

Little Joshua was covered in thick hair, and that was something no one could deny. Babies are usually very hairy during pregnancy as the soft coat of hair serves as a barrier against potential infections that may develop inside the mother’s womb. However, it usually falls off prior to birth. In Joshua’s case, though, it had stayed on because of an extremely rare genetic condition called hypertrichosis lanuginosa, also known as werewolf syndrome in babies who are born with it. The thin lanugo hair doesn’t shed in time for birth and is not replaced by a vellus, but stays on and thickens. Thankfully, this condition doesn’t have collateral effects on the patient beyond the huge amount of hair on the body.

As the baby boy started crying, Sarah shifted her focus. Despite her being upset, she looked at her son and realized that she still loved him, hair and all. He was hers, and she would love and protect him forever.

Sarah had to remain in the hospital for the next few days, and Johnny remained by her side the entire time. The evening she was to be discharged, her parents came to see their grandchild. Sarah had to prepare them in advance that there was something wrong with the baby. But the moment her mom held little Joshua in her arms for the first time, she simply smiled and nodded.

“I don’t know if there is something wrong with my grandson, but he looks a lot like the picture of my great-grandfather. He was quite strange-looking, but he turned out to be a great pioneer and an upright man,” she said, reassured. Sarah and Johnny left the hospital with their little werewolf child in tow. They knew he would have to face many challenges growing up but were ready to support him every step of the way and forever love every inch of his hair-covered body.