Logo

Looking down at her newborn son, new mom Talliya Burnside at first thought the exhaustion of labor had gotten to her when she counted six fingers.

Then, Burnside became petrified there was something wrong with her son, Dessiah. However, the 25-year-old was assured he was fine and had a hereditary condition called polydactyly.

Polydactyly is one of the most common abnormalities in babies, involving the infant having one or more extra fingers, which are usually smaller than average, abnormally developed and lacking in functional bones.

“My first reaction was that I must’ve done something wrong in my pregnancy — I was terrified,” the Pennsylvania mom-of-four told NeedToKnow.online. “I had no idea two of my kids were going to be born with an extra finger, as they weren’t detected on the ultrasounds.”

Although the condition is rare, Burnside defied the odds when four years later she gave birth to another child, daughter Darla, with an extra digit.


  Two of Talliya Burnside’s babies were born with an extra finger. Jam Press Vid Two of Talliya Burnside’s babies were born with an extra finger. Jam Press Vid

  The mom documented her children’s polydactyl journey on TikTok. Jam Press Vid The mom documented her children’s polydactyl journey on TikTok. Jam Press Vid

“While the finger was boneless and flopped about, I didn’t feel squeamish because it was a part of my children,” recalled the doting mom, who is also mom to Dior, 2 and Daisy, Darla’s twin.

It’s not medically necessary to amputate the extra finger in all cases, but Burnside decided to remove Darla’s and Dessiah’s extra fingers because she was worried about the “possibility of them biting or pulling it off.”

The mom documented the process on TikTok, sharing a clip that gained a whopping 9.5 million views and over 800,000 likes. In the video, the mom explains the only options were to leave the extra digits, “tie them” or schedule surgery.


  Daisy and Dior with sibs Darla and Dessiah, both born with an extra finger. Jam Press Daisy and Dior with sibs Darla and Dessiah, both born with an extra finger. Jam Press

To remove the bonus appendage, doctors usually cut off the circulation by tying up the finger and allowing it to fall off naturally just after birth.

Sometimes the process can be more complicated for newborns. Darla’s removal, called a suture ligation, occurred at just a few months old. This involves tying a thread around the extra fingers, allowing necrosis to set in and continuing to monitor the area to ensure there are no signs of sepsis.

Showing the procedure in progress, the mom shared a clip of her daughter’s extra “pinky,” which had turned completely black and shriveled up.


  In many cases, the bonus digit eventually falls off. Jam Press Vid In many cases, the bonus digit eventually falls off. Jam Press Vid

Burnside said her TikTok video was flooded with comments from people who also had the condition, admitting she was “shocked” at the volume of users sharing their stories.

“Different types, sizes, even extra toes and ears — there’s been so many other stories like theirs,” she gushed. “It’s been fascinating to learn about and I love their unique condition.”

Comments
anonymous profile image
Powered by RoundtableBuilt on infrastructure designed for real-time media. Learn more at RTB.io.© Roundtable 2026. By using this site you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy