Cory Wharton and Taylor Selfridge have welcomed a brand new baby into their little family!
On June 1st, Taylor delivered an adorable baby girl they named Maya Grace Wharton.
This is the second child they’ve had together — they also share a two-year-old daughter named Mila — and Cory is also father to Ryder, the five-year-old girl he shares with Cheyenne Floyd.
Fans of the MTV stars have been a bit concerned because on June 1st, Cory announced that Taylor was going into labor, but the couple had been quiet since then.
Now, over a week after that update, we know why.
As Taylor and Cory revealed in posts on their Instagram accounts, baby Maya was born with a rare condition called tricuspid atresia, a congenital heart disease that prevents one of the heart valves from developing in the womb.
She’s already undergone surgery to address this, and they’ve said that she’ll have to have two more as she continues to grow.
In Taylor’s post about Maya, she revealed that they’d actually found out about the disease when she was 22 weeks pregnant, and she said that when they heard the news, “Our lives turned upside down in a matter of seconds,” which is definitely understandable.
“Maya came into this world doing so much etter than expected and with amazing cardiologists we were able to get a stent put in place instead of the first open heart surgery,” she wrote.
She explained that that procedure took place when the baby was only six days old, and that with all of this going on “I have felt very helpless in caring for my own child, my arms are aching to hold her, ache to feed her, ache to wake up to her.”
“My first time really holding her was at 5 days old. The last 9 days have been a complete rollercoaster for us and the most challenging week I’ve had as a mother thus far.”
Taylor said that “This is something I’ve wanted to sahre with everyone because I found myself looking for other heart mamas out there that know the pain I’m feeling and I’ve found help through some other moms.”
“I’m still new to this but any mothers out there that need someone to talk to please don’t hesitate because I need you as well.”
She did say that they were going to be able to bring Maya home this weekend, and she finished up her post with a message to her baby, writing “We still have a long road ahead but I will always be by your side, no matter how hard it gets.”
“Now let’s go home baby girl.”
As for Cory’s post, he started off by talking about the rush of emotions he’s felt since Maya’s birth and how difficult it’s been. He also thanked his fans and followers for all the well wishes throughout Taylor’s pregnancy and the delivery.
He explained her condition a bit more, and he said that she’s recovering well from her surgery, but she’ll have to have another when she’s four to six months old, and one more when she’s around three or four years old.
“This is Maya’s journey and I debated for a long time on how I was gonna share this news or if I wanted to share this news,” he admitted.
“I think what made me wanna share her journey is all the positive stories we heard on YouTube & the internet. If we sahre her story and can touch the next family that’s going through this, then that’s what we want to do.”
Like Taylor, he also concluded his announcement with some words for his new little girl.
“Daddy loves you so much,” he wrote, “you are so strong, everyday visiting you in Nicu isn’t easy but if that’s what it takes then we are gonna do that.”
“We are always right by your side. I’m so proud of you for going thru all this. You have a story, and we can’t wait to watch your personality blossom, and I can’t wait for you to meet your sisters they have SOOOO MUCH love for you and they both are going to be incredible big sisters to you.”
We can’t imagine how terrifying this must be for the family, but it looks like baby Maya is surrounded by so much love and support, and it’s such good news that she’ll be able to go home soon.
Congrats, Cory and Taylor!