A baby has been dubbed a ‘mini Hulk’ after she was born with a rare medical condition that causes an unusually enlarged chest and arms.

Armani Milby was delivered via C-section at just 33 weeks, weighing an incredible 12lbs – more than three times the average weight for her gestational age.

In fact, her mum Chelsey, 33, said people thought she was expecting triplets because of the size of her bump.

When Armani was born, she was diagnosed with a severe form of lymphangioma, a rare condition that causes benign growths in the lymphatic vessels, giving her the appearance of a ‘mini bodybuilder’.

Chelsey, from Kentucky, US, discovered Armani had the condition after an ultrasound at 17 weeks, when doctors raised concerns about suspected fluid around her baby’s heart.

Despite doctors giving her unborn daughter very little chance of survival, Chelsey remained determined to continue her pregnancy.

She said: ‘I had never, ever heard of the diagnosis before. Honestly, I had looked into it, and I didn’t really like what I saw in some of the pictures.

‘When I found out, I was devastated and heartbroken. I didn’t understand what had happened or what had gone wrong, because I had two other healthy babies. I cried every day. Every day, I asked God why.

‘We never considered an abortion, even though it was mentioned almost immediately after doctors discovered serious concerns about our unborn baby. We just wanted to know how we could help her when she arrived.

‘They literally gave her a zero per cent chance. They said she wouldn’t make it and that she probably wouldn’t even cry when she came out.’

Due to her baby’s unusual size, Chelsey experienced an extremely challenging pregnancy.

The 33-year-old mum recalled: ‘My body was shutting down. Something was telling me it was time to get her out. I was almost 200 pounds (14 stone), and my health was getting really bad.

‘I struggled every day. I could never sleep, and I was extremely sick.

‘That’s why I asked them to deliver her at 33 weeks, because my body was struggling. Every day, it became harder to go about my life and even breathe comfortably because of her size. I also had to keep having excess fluid drained from my stomach.

‘To everyone’s surprise, she came out crying, and everybody in the room was emotional. No one knew what was going to happen. It was a truly magical moment.’

Shortly after Armani’s arrival, the little girl began treatment at a specialist hospital. Since then, she has undergone repeated procedures to remove excess fluid from her body, although she still has a significant amount of extra skin.

Now nine months old, the youngster is expected to undergo surgery later this year, during which doctors will remove excess lymphatic vessels to help her body gradually reduce in size. Over the coming years, she is also expected to have further procedures to remove the extra skin.

Chelsey remains hopeful that her daughter will be able to enjoy a normal, comfortable life.

She said: ‘Now she’s so squishy, I just call her my little squishy baby. She’s doing very well. She has a lot of extra skin, but hopefully it will gradually go away, and she’ll have a more typical appearance. She will have some significant scarring from the surgeries and everything.

‘She’s happy. She hardly ever cries unless she wants to be held. We’re trying to do everything we can for this baby and give her the best life possible.

‘She’s doing wonderfully. She literally is my miracle baby, and we just love her so much.’

Source: Metro