Cory Wharton and Taylor Selfridge welcomed their second child together this week.
The “Teen Mom OG” star announced the birth of his daughter Maya Grace Wharton on Instagram on Friday June 10, sharing a series of photos of the newborn in the hospital.
In the caption, the 31-year-old penned a lengthy message about his daughter’s birth, revealing that she was diagnosed with tricuspid atresia, a congenital heart disease where the tricuspid valve has not fully formed.
“Don’t really know how to start this off there’s sooo much I wanna say, so much I’ve felt over the past week,” Wharton wrote. “As a parent you’re scared, worried, nervous, angry, sad, mad & you don’t understand why this is happening to your baby.”
Wharton thanked this followers for their prayers during Selfridge’s pregnancy before explaining his daughter’s diagnosis.
“This valve plays a part in the heart’s essential function, which is to pump blood between the lungs and body," Wharton wrote.
He said that his daughter had her first surgery on Tuesday, June 7, and is recovering.
“She is doing very well, we can’t wait to bring her home & show her the love that she needs,” he added. “With her condition it requires another two open heart surgeries one being at 4-6 months old and the next not being till she’s 3 or 4 years old. Right now we are all trying to stay positive & having that successful surgery on Tuesday is something to celebrate.”
Wharton continued his caption, explaining that he “debated for a long time” if he wanted to share the news about his daughter with the world.
“I think what made me wanna share her journey is all the positive stories we heard on YouTube & the Internet,” he said. “If we share her story and can touch the next family that’s going through this, then that’s what we want to do.”
To conclude the caption, Wharton wrote a paragraph dedicated to his newborn daughter, writing, “My juicy girl daddy loves you so much, you are so strong, everyday visiting you in Nicu isn’t easy but if that’s what it takes then we are gonna do that.”
“We are always right by your side. I’m so proud of you for going thru all this,” he added. “You have a story, and we can’t wait to watch your personality blossom, and I can’t wait for you to meet your sisters they have SOOOO MUCH love for you and they both are going to be incredible big sisters to you. We all LOVE YOU SO MUCHHH!!! We can’t wait to have you home, So you just keep recovering and before you know it you’ll be home with us.”
Selfridge, 27, also shared an Instagram post on Friday announcing her daughter’s birth, sharing more details about her pregnancy and Maya’s condition in the caption. The 27-year-old revealed that her daughter was diagnosed when she was around 22 weeks pregnant.
“Our lives turned upside down in a matter of seconds,” she wrote. “Maya came into this world doing so much better than expected and with amazing cardiologists we were able to get a stent put in place instead of the first open heart surgery. Maya had her first procedure at 6 days old.”
Selfridge said it was “very overwhelming” seeing Maya after her first surgery, adding, “I have felt very helpless in caring for my own child, my arms are aching to hold her, ache to feed her, ache to wake up to her.”
“My first time really holding her was at 5 days old. The last 9 days have been a complete rollercoaster for us and the most challenging week I’ve had as a mother thus far,” she said. “This is something I’ve wanted to share with everyone because I found myself looking for other heart mamas out there that know the pain I’m feeling and I’ve found help through some other moms. I’m still new to this but any mothers out there that need someone to talk to please don’t hesitate because I need you as well.”
Wharton and Selfridge announced in March that they were expecting their second child together in an adorable Instagram post with the whole family. The couple are also parents to a 2-year-old daughter, Mila, while Wharton shares 5-year-old daughter Ryder with his ex-girlfriend, Cheyenne Floyd.
After sharing his post on Instagram, Wharton also posted a series of Instagram Stories from the hospital holding his daughter and shared updates on her condition.
In one video, "The Challenge" star held his newborn daughter, writing an update from the doctors in a text overlay that read in part, "Doctor came in and gave us good news!!!"
“She might be coming home quicker than we expected which is amazing and her recovering from her surgery is going well,” the message continued. “thank you guys for all your prayers.
He posted another sweet video holding his daughter, giving her a kiss on her forehead.
"I always tell her that she's strong and she got this and she doesn't need to be scared her sisters love her we love her and she will be home soon and we say a quick prayer," he wrote.