Born in an unusual position, this newborn has been dubbed a “miniature gymnast” by doctors, while her mother calls her little princess a “tiny chick.”

Upon birth at Pinderfields Hospital in West Yorkshire, England, Willow Flather-Paziuk’s legs were twisted up towards her neck, her feet curled behind her shoulders. The next day, Willow still preferred to sleep with her legs at her sides. However, it didn’t seem to harm her. Doctors confirmed that Willow’s unusual position wasn’t due to any dangerous syndrome, but was most likely a result of her maintaining this position in the womb.

Her mother admitted that she and everyone else were incredibly surprised to see her like this. “I had never heard of anything like this before. I had no idea a newborn could be born in the position my daughter was in. At first, I thought her legs were backwards and wondered what would happen. We called Willow ‘little chick’ because she always liked to keep her legs to the sides like that, even when sleeping. She really did look like a little chick.”

Previously, during each ultrasound, the midwives had told Paziuk that her daughter was covering her face with her hands. But it turned out that wasn’t her hands, but her feet.

“I had an ultrasound at 15 weeks of pregnancy, and the picture showed that her legs were down. But in subsequent ultrasounds, they always told me, ‘You can’t see your daughter’s face. Your baby keeps covering her face with her hands.’ They knew Willow’s legs were also bent upwards, but they thought her feet were behind her head, not covering her face like that. Now that she’s born, everything is much clearer. The doctors have also witnessed Willow’s unusual leg position.”

Because she had a C-section, Paziuk couldn’t immediately see her daughter after the birth. She admits that she wasn’t fully conscious but can still remember how “shocked” the doctors were.

“I could hear the whole group of doctors and nurses discussing my daughter’s strange position. But honestly, I didn’t understand what they were talking about. Everyone was calling Willow a little gymnast.”

Paziuk said it’s likely Willow was in an unusual position for too long in her womb and didn’t have enough space to lower her legs. In medical terms, Willow is in a breech position, with her legs level with her head. Babies in this position are usually scheduled for a C-section to ensure the safety of both mother and child.

Initially, Paziuk was very worried about her daughter’s leg movement and felt frustrated because she couldn’t dress her in pretty baby rompers: “I felt terrible because I spent a lot of money buying all these beautiful things, and Willow couldn’t wear them at all. She could only wear vests because her legs wouldn’t fit into anything. Her knees bent the day after she was born, but three weeks later, she was back in the ‘chick’ position.”

“I had trouble holding her and couldn’t change her diapers. I didn’t even know where to start.” Although it’s funny, I’m still afraid of hurting her. I’m trying to figure out if I can straighten Willow’s leg back to normal. The midwife examined her and said she’d never heard of a case like this. But it’s really strange to witness this.”

Paziuk added: “Willow is doing very well. She had an ultrasound of her hip and everything is fine. Now her leg is back to normal and very straight. It’s only when she sleeps that her position is ‘just right’. It must be a position that makes her feel very comfortable. God bless her.”