Mother speaks out over baby daughter's birthmark after people tell her they 'pray it goes away'

Katie Crenshaw: 'I try, daily, to remind myself that most humans are kind and well-intentioned. I don’t get angry about brief stares... But we don’t need to talk about it every time you look at her'

A mother has spoken out about and shared photographs of her baby daughter’s birthmark “because it’s usually the first thing people comment on”.

In an honest and emotional blog post, Katie Crenshaw provided an explanation behind the birthmark, the reaction people have to her child and why she believes people do not need to address it every time they see her.

The birthmark on Charlie’s face is five by six centimetres and is called a capillary hemangioma, which doctors have said is purely cosmetic.

She said that her daughter is not unwell or in pain because of it and that she hopes people do not feel the need to pray for it to go away.

In the blog post, Ms Crenshaw says: “I try, daily, to remind myself that most humans are kind and well intentioned.

I don’t get angry about brief stares. I understand that it’s human nature to do a double take when you see something about someone that makes them different. That said, I’d like to share some knowledge.

“We don’t need to talk about it every time you look at her.

“We see past the colour of her face.

“Charlie is Charlie and it’s part of who she is. It doesn’t need to be constantly commented on, critiqued, or questioned.

“While I don’t mind educating curious minds, I don’t need your opinion on how it its progress or the affect it may have on her. It’s a part of her unique beauty.

“She isn’t in pain or ill. She simply has an unusual quality about her appearance.

“The most common sentiments are ‘I’m praying that it goes away’. Or ‘Bless her poor little heart’. I’m constantly being asked ‘When will that go away?’ I’ve even heard things as harsh as ‘turn her to her good side’ or ‘Too bad, she’s so pretty otherwise’.

“I encourage you to, instead of praying it will disappear, pray that she grows into a confident girl who loves herself no matter what she looks like.

“She doesn’t have a ‘good side’ that we choose for family pictures. I don’t retouch her hemangioma in photos.

“Her entire face is my sweet Charlie, and it doesn’t matter what it looks like.”