Thought to be beyond survival at birth, a miracle happened to a 9-month-old American girl, who now resembles a bodybuilder.

A rare congenital condition has given 9-month-old Armani Milby, from Kentucky, USA, a body shape similar to that of a bodybuilder, with large, swollen arms and chest. She’s even nicknamed “baby hulk” or “mini hulk.”

Armani suffers from lymphangioma, a benign growth that increases the size of her chest and arms.

Her mother, Chelsey Milby (33), had a difficult pregnancy and delivery. At 17 weeks, ultrasound doctors were concerned about a dangerous fluid buildup around the heart – a rare condition occurring in only 1 in 4,000 births. They believed the baby wouldn’t survive.

Chelsey didn’t consider abortion, even though doctors had mentioned it. Her family still believed a miracle could happen when the baby was born.

The mother shared with the media: “When I learned about my baby’s condition, I was devastated and heartbroken, not understanding what was happening because I had given birth to two healthy babies before. Every day, I asked God why.”

During Chelsey’s pregnancy, people often asked if she was having triplets because her belly was so big. At 33 weeks, Chelsey became even heavier, weighing 91kg, and her health deteriorated. The growing fetus caused Chelsey shortness of breath and insomnia every day, even requiring constant gastric emptying. Doctors decided to perform an emergency C-section to deliver the baby.

When Chelsey went into the operating room, her whole family waited outside, hoping for a miracle. The baby’s father, Blake, stayed outside the operating room, praying for both mother and child.

During the cesarean section, Chesley was terrified, but also overjoyed to see her baby’s face. “They had to give me something to calm me down during the panic. I screamed and cried so much when I actually saw my baby being born,” Chesley recounted.

Baby Armani was born weighing 5.5 kg. After the birth, the family traveled 160 km to Cincinnati for the baby to receive treatment at a specialist hospital.

After giving birth, Chesley suffered from postpartum depression. The mother of three shared: “I had to fight severe postpartum depression; I had to push it aside, trying to be the strongest person I could be for Armani and the other two children.”

Armani will undergo surgery to remove the excess lymphatic vessels later this year so that he can be a normal baby. In the future, the baby will need further surgeries to remove excess skin. Chesley believes her child will have a normal life.

“We are trying everything to give Armani the best life possible, and he will soon say ‘Mommy.’ Armani is my miracle child, and we love him very much,” the mother confided.