Sarah Regan was horrified to find blood in her 9-month-old baby’s diaper when she went to change it.
Afraid Birdie might have a kidney infection, Regan rushed her daughter to the hospital in 2020, where doctors conducted a battery of tests.
Her bones advanced by 18 months, and she was diagnosed with precocious puberty before she could even walk or talk after ultrasounds, hormone tests, and an X-ray on her wrist.
“That was the first period she’d ever had,” the puzzled mother told reporters. “I didn’t know what to think, we didn’t know much about it and we’d never heard of it before.”
Children who display physical signs of sexual maturity too early suffer from precocious puberty, according to Stanford Medicine.
Birdie, who is now 2, is so young that it’s hard to tell what other symptoms she has, such as mood swings or aches and pains.
“She doesn’t have pubic hair or breasts, which some children with the condition can get,” said Regan.
With two other children, Zachary, 10, and Elsie, 1, the mom of three admitted it’s difficult to explain Birdie’s condition all the time.
“When she goes to day care I felt like I had to explain that if they find blood in her nappy that’s why and we have a doctor’s note to ensure no one becomes concerned about it,” announced her mother. “That’s our biggest hurdle with her.”
In spite of that, the mom believes it’s important for people to be aware of it.
“I also don’t want people to become complacent. If blood is found in an infant’s underwear it has to be investigated,” she told reporters.
Following her initial bleeding, Birdie has experienced random spotting. Every six months, the toddler must undergo a hormone test, ultrasound, and X-ray.
Regan says that if Birdie’s development accelerates rapidly, she’ll consider hormone injections to slow it down and prevent other elements of puberty from coming prematurely, but doctors are keeping an eye on it.
“She’s had spotting since the full bleed. It hasn’t been monthly. It’s stretched itself out, it’s not regular,” she says. “It makes it really hard to track. We’re trying to make sure it doesn’t affect her physically.”
According to the concerned mother, all she wants for her daughter is a typical childhood.
“As her mom I hope it doesn’t affect her appearance and growth more than any other child her age,” she expressed. “If we need hormone therapy then we’ll do it, I just don’t want it to make her different.”
Regan describes Birdie as “normal” despite her rare condition.
“She’s a normal girl, she’s almost 3, she’s having tantrums,” she said. “She’s normal, you wouldn’t know. Appearance wise you wouldn’t know the difference because we’re on top of it.”