Baby Born at 34 Weeks with Two Different Eye, Hair and Skin Colors After Mom’s ‘Life-Threatening’ Pregnancy

Ashlee Black always knew her daughter was special — she just didn’t realize in what way.

When Valyn was about four weeks old, Black noticed something unusual: her baby’s eyes and hair didn’t match on both sides.

In December 2025, Black — a 36-year-old mom of nine — posted a TikTok video of Valyn smiling in her crib. The clip quickly took off, drawing more than 2.7 million views. In the caption, she wrote that Valyn had different colors in her eyes and hair, along with two distinct skin tones, and wondered whether her daughter might have chimerism.

Chimerism is a rare condition in which one person has at least two different sets of DNA. It can sometimes appear as different-colored eyes, patchy differences in skin tone, or sections of hair that vary in color or texture.

Black says that sharing the video helped her realize just how uncommon Valyn’s combination of traits might be. She describes Valyn’s right side as having a darker eye and dark, straight, thick hair, while her left side has a lighter eye and lighter, thinner, curlier hair.

She says she posted the video partly out of curiosity — to see if anyone else had been born with similar features — and also because she wanted people to see her daughter.

Behind the joyful viral moment, Black says her pregnancy was filled with fear.

She learned she was pregnant at five weeks, but doctors initially warned her that the gestational sac was positioned too low and that the fetal heart rate was also low — signs that suggested she might miscarry. Two weeks later, an ultrasound showed the heart rate had improved, but she was given another alarming diagnosis: a cesarean scar ectopic pregnancy, meaning the pregnancy had implanted in the scar from a prior C-section rather than higher in the uterus. She says she was urged to end the pregnancy quickly and was referred to a specialist.

Black recalls being told the condition carried a serious risk of uterine rupture and heavy bleeding, potentially endangering both her and the baby. Even so, she and her husband chose to continue the pregnancy, returning for weekly ultrasounds as doctors continued to caution her about the risks.

At her 12-week ultrasound, Black says doctors saw that Valyn was growing upward into the uterus instead of toward the bladder — and appeared to be doing well. But the scan also revealed placenta accreta and placenta previa. Placenta previa occurs when the placenta partially or fully covers the opening of the uterus, while placenta accreta is a serious condition in which the placenta grows too deeply into the uterine wall.

Black says Valyn’s placenta grew through her uterus and attached to other organs, including her bladder. She was hospitalized for two months before delivery due to heavy bleeding and the high risk of complications. With a specialized medical team, she delivered Valyn at 34 weeks.

Black says she chose the name Valyn because it reflects strength and resilience. Today, she describes her daughter as a happy baby who smiles and laughs throughout the day, loves meeting people, and enjoys playing with her siblings — while also being content playing on her own.