Without further adieu, let me introduce myself. My name is Joshua and I was 7 pounds, 9 ounces, and 20 inches long at birth. I live with my mommy and daddy in Arizona, and have a wonderful 2-year-old sister who loves me beyond belief. Here I am at one-day-old.
As the doctors began to examine me after my birth, mommy and daddy heard them comment that I had a "significant birthmark" on my bottom. A few moments later, they saw this birthmark, and were quite surprised. As it turns out, I had developted a Congenital Melanocytic Nevus (CMN), which is an extremely rare birthmark created in-utero. It begins at my lower back, covers my entire behind, and wraps just slightly onto the sides of my waist. I also have some "satellite" spots of this CMN on my legs and head. We later learned that a CMN is categorized by size, and mine is on the border between Large and Giant.
The hours after my birth were an emotional blur for mommy and daddy. Unfortunately, because a CMN is so rare (I'll tell you more about CMNs later on), nobody could tell them much about my condition. I went to the NICU for examination, where the neonatologist told them he "believed" it was a CMN, and that we would need to see a dermatologist and a surgeon to get more information. They also said I needed a full-spinal ultrasound to make sure I don't have a "tethered spine," which can happen to someone with this condition. The ultrasound was completed when I was one-day-old, and it was normal, thank God.
Mommy and daddy spent the next five days in the hospital, and just focused on enjoying their beautiful new baby boy. All of the hard stuff would come later ....
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