TEEN Mom star Cory Wharton has posted a new photo of his daughter Maya post-heart surgery and revealed a heartbreaking detail about the procedure.
Cory, 31, and his girlfriend Taylor, 28, have been open about sharing updates regarding their daughter's health.
They each shared more posts on their Instagram Stories of the seven-month-old Maya as she recovers from her surgery.
On Sunday, Taylor took to the platform to share a snap of their baby girl asleep in her hospital bed.
The precious tot had wires hooked up to her and a pacifier in her mouth as she slept.
Her mother gushed over her youngest child, captioning the pic with double white heart emojis.
Read More on Cory Wharton
She shared another photo on Monday of Maya awake and smiling while sitting upright in her bed.
The youngster played with a toy and had heart-shaped pieces of tape on her cheeks to keep her nasal cannula in place.
She smiled widely at the camera as her mother captured the shot, which Taylor captioned: "My little love" along with a white-heart emoji.
Cory also posted a sweet video of him and Maya on his Stories, showing him rocking the little one alongside her crib.
Most read in Entertainment
He locked eyes with his third-born child and patted her on the backside to soothe her to sleep.
The reality star promised his followers another update on Maya's condition soon in his caption.
Cory wrote: "I will have an update for you all later, right now I'll just tell you that Maya is a fighter and things don't always go as planned but we're gonna continue to pray. Keep trying to make steps forward."
'TRENDING UPWARDS'
The Teen Mom OG star has been vocal about Maya's health battle and has regularly shared updates since her surgery on Wednesday.
On Friday, Cory excitingly shared that his daughter's condition improved after experiencing a rough couple of days post-surgery.
In his Stories, the MTV star posted a video of him feeding Maya after she was taken off the ventilator.
"Well, you guys can see where we get to feed her today. She's off of her ventilator. We're going to try to move her to a crib. We might get to hold her today," Cory softly shared.
He continued: "This girl is trending upwards, and that's what we wanted, and I just wanted to show you guys this video quick, let you guys know that your prayers were heard and want to say, 'thank you, guys,' and let's continue this upward trajectory and we'll be alright.
"So, appreciate you guys. Maya's doing just fine, and we'll get through," Cory concluded before kissing his baby girl's forehead.
The TV personality reiterated his words in his caption, which in part read: "Maya is off the ventilator! She's no longer intubated. We are going to continue to make steps in the right direction."
DIFFICULT RECOVERY
The heartwarming news comes after Cory got emotional while explaining that his daughter wasn't doing "great" in a post on Thursday.
From inside the hospital, the young dad began: "Just hopping on here quick, you guys. I just want to say thank you to everyone for all your support, all your messages you guys have been sending."
He continued: "Maya's doing okay. You know, she's not doing great, but they're keeping her sedated right now because her left lung has some fluid in it, and she's having a hard time breathing on her own.
"So, I just need that little girl to push out all that fluid in her lungs, so then hopefully, her vitals start to look normal. But she's on a ventilator right now, she's not breathing on her own, and it's part of the process.
The Challenge star concluded: "We're in good hands. Just keep us in your prayers. She's a fighter; she's gonna make it through."
SCARY DIAGNOSIS
Recently, Cory revealed on Instagram that his and Taylor's youngest child was born with coronary heart disease.
In June, the couple welcomed their daughter, and in September, the Teen Mom star opened up to his fans about Maya's health condition online.
Cory told fans: "She turns three months today. I want to say thank you to the CHD heart community."
He explained: "Maya‘s heart requires two more open heart surgeries. The plan is to have one of the surgeries done in October, and then after that we don’t have to worry about it until she’s four years old, so that’s nice."
Cory added: "Maya is so strong every day she amazes me. This girl‘s already gonna have two heart surgeries completed and beat Covid she’s a warrior."
According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, "Coronary heart disease is a type of heart disease where the arteries of the heart cannot deliver enough oxygen-rich blood to the heart."
"It is the leading cause of death in the United States."
The pair also recently divulged their little girl's latest diagnosis: tricuspid atresia.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, tricuspid artesia is a heart birth defect where the valve controls the blood flow.
Cory expressed that the "heart's tricuspid valve" played a part "in the heart’s essential function, which is to pump blood between the lungs and body."
Read More on The US Sun
He revealed that Maya would have to undergo several surgeries in the years to come.
Cory is also a father to a 2-year-old daughter, Mila, with Taylor, and a 5-year-old daughter, Ryder, with his ex-Cheyenne Floyd, 30.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7tbTEZqqupl6YvK57xKernqqklravucSnq2hvYG5%2BeIOPaKuenZ5iurC5jJymq7FdrLWivtOopWaumZmysHnDmqygoKSav265wLKYZqCfqL2qwMClZg%3D%3D