By Emily Payne A baby girl has been born with paralysed vocal cords - leaving her unable to gurgle or even cry. Three-month-old Leya Raper may one day regain her voice but currently, her mother Casey, 23, can only tell she is distressed by looking out for tears or a sad face. The baby girl was born with bilateral vocal cord paralysis - meaning that both sides of her vocal cords are unable to move. Specialists at Derriford Hospital in Plymouth gave Leya a tracheotomy - an opening made in the neck to provide her with an airway She was able to make sounds and gurgle in her first few days but Casey and Leya's father, Dan, also 23, soon noticed problems with her breathing.
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Three-month-old Leya Raper from Cornwall cannot cry or even gurgle
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Bilateral vocal cord paralysis means neither side of her vocal cords move
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Her mother Casey, 23, relies seeing tears or a sad face to know she's upset
And because babies can’t produce tears for their first month or so, Casey and @placeholder could only rely on facial expressions to tell if she was crying.