A mum has revealed how her two children were born with extra fingers – and the shocking process for removing them.
When Talliya Burnside gave birth to her first born, Dessiah, now aged five, she didn’t expect to receive the shock of her life – as she counted two extra fingers.
The mum-of-four, aged 25, recalls feeling terrified about the well-being of her baby, until medics informed her that the bizarre occurrence was rather common and named polydactyly.
While typically only present in one child, Talliya received another shock when another of her children, Darla, aged one, was also born with the birth defect.
“My first reaction was that I must’ve done something wrong in my pregnancy – I was terrified,” the mum, from Pennsylvania, US, told NeedToKnow.Online.
“I had no idea two of my kids were going to be born with an extra finger, as they weren’t detected on the ultrasounds.
“While the finger was boneless and flopped about, I didn’t feel squeamish because it was a part of my children.
“But I chose to remove them because they were pointless and the possibility of them biting or pulling it off – or getting it trapped – was too much of a worry.”
Polydactyly is a condition in which an extra finger or toe develops while in the womb and is the second most common birth defect, with a 50% chance in all births according to Great Ormond Street Hospital.
A hereditary condition, Talliya believes this was passed on from their uncle, who also has an extra finger.
In order to remove it, medics used to cut off the circulation through tying up the finger and allowing it to fall off naturally straight away after birth.
However, due to risk of complication with newborns, the process wasn’t as simple for Darla, who had to undergo a suture ligation a few months after being born.
The process, which includes tying a thread around the extra fingers, involves allowing necrosis to set in and monitoring the area to ensure there’s no signs of sepsis.
In a bid to share the bizarre ordeal, and find others with the same condition, she decided to upload a clip about their journey on TikTok.
The clip, which has racked up 9.5 million views and over 800,000 likes, shows Darla and one of her extra fingers, which appears to be hanging on by a thin ligament.
As she documents the process, she reveals the three types of treatment available: keep them, tie them, or surgery.
Finally, she reveals the “pinky” which has turned completely black and shrivelled up, before comparing it to raisins.
Users flocked to the comments to share their reactions, with many sharing their own experiences.
“I had mine removed at three months, hospitals are so stingy about doing it now tho for some reason,” one user said. [sic]
Lecutio Maxima added: “In Jamaica it’s good luck.”
“Me watching this missing two fingers. I was ripped off,” Lindy commented, followed by two laughing faces.
Someone else said: “I think she is unique I would never cut them.”
“My brain just simply says pull it off,” Georgia added.
Talliya, who is mum to Dessiah, Dior, aged two and twins, Daisy and Darla, claims Darla’s twin was left unaffected from the condition.
Now, the mum hopes to raise awareness and make others feel less alone with their journey.
She added: “I know there’s more people out there [with this condition] and I was shocked when I learned how many there were.
“Different types, sizes, even extra toes and ears – there’s been so many other stories like theirs.
“It’s been fascinating to learn about and I love their unique condition.”
