Reazjhana Williams, from Denver, had planned a natural birth for her long-awaited daughter. But when doctors suddenly lost track of the baby’s heartbeat, her birth plan changed in an instant.
Before she could fully grasp what was happening, Reazjhana was rushed into an emergency C-section. The moment her daughter Kyanni was born, a wave of joy was quickly overshadowed by shock — a deep, painful gash stretched across one side of the newborn’s face.
Unlike most new mothers who get to hold their baby immediately, Reazjhana was forced to hand over her daughter to a plastic surgeon for urgent treatment.
“I was given a pill to speed up labor, and within minutes, they rushed me into surgery,” Reazjhana recalled in an interview with KDVR.
The doctors worked quickly, but the injury left Kyanni needing 13 stitches — a terrifying ordeal for any parent.
The unexpected scar has brought intense emotions and worry to the new family, who are now focused on healing and cherishing every moment with their brave little girl.
Kyanni was immediately rushed to a plastic surgeon to have the deep wound carefully stitched up.
“I’ve tried to be understanding about what happened,” Reazjhana shared, “but on top of my baby’s face being cut, having a plastic surgeon involved—it’s just so much I still don’t understand about the C-section.”
According to Kyanni’s grandmother, doctors explained that the baby’s head had been positioned extremely close to the placenta wall during the surgery. The medical team was reportedly horrified by the extent of the injury and acted swiftly to get Kyanni the specialized care she needed.
The laceration on Kyanni’s cheek was wide and deep enough to require 13 stitches.
“I’ve never heard of anyone having to deal with their newborn’s face being injured like this during a C-section,” Reazjhana said, her voice filled with pain.
Her partner, Damarqus, echoed the family’s distress, saying, “It’s heartbreaking. She’s uncomfortable, and it’s upsetting to see.”
Denver Health has addressed the situation in a public statement:
“Denver Health has been in direct contact with the family. While this is a known, though rare, complication during emergency C-sections, our priority remains the health and safety of both mother and child,” the statement read. “At Denver Health, the well-being of our patients is our number one concern.”
In support of the family, a GoFundMe campaign has raised over $11,000 to help cover the unexpected medical expenses resulting from the incident.