Cory Wharton is the father of another baby girl!
The Teen Mom star, 31, and girlfriend Taylor Selfridge, 27, welcomed their second baby together, Maya Grace Wharton, on June 1, the couple announced. Wharton and Selfridge are already parents to daughter Mila Mae, 2, and Wharton is father to daughter Ryder, 5, whom he shares with ex Cheyenne Floyd.
Baby Maya was born at 10:39 p.m., weighing 8 lbs. 4 oz. Their little one was also diagnosed with tricuspid atresia, a congenital heart defect requiring open-heart surgery.
“First off I wanna say God is good,” Wharton wrote in part to his followers on Instagram Friday, alongside a carousel of photos of baby Maya in the hospital. “And thank you to EVERYONE for your prayers throughout this pregnancy & birth!”
He then explained that tricuspid atresia is a form of congenital heart disease that “happens when the heart’s tricuspid valve does not develop. This valve plays a part in the heart’s essential function, which is to pump blood between the lungs and body.”
According to the Mayo Clinic, people with tricuspid atresia can’t get enough oxygen through their body; they tend to tire easily and often are short of breath. It is treated with multiple surgeries.
Wharton said, “Maya had her first successful surgery on Tuesday and now she’s in the recovery process. She is doing very well, we can’t wait to bring her home & show her the love that she needs.”
He added that Maya’s condition will require her to have two open-heart surgeries, one at 4 to 6 months old and one around age 3 or 4.
Selfridge also announced the birth of baby Maya on Instagram, calling her daughter “incredibly strong” and “brave.”
She wrote, in part, “Mommy & daddy are so so proud of you and how far you have come in just a week.”
Selfridge revealed that she was around 22 weeks pregnant when Maya was diagnosed with tricuspid atresia.
“Our lives turned upside down in a matter of seconds,” she said, adding that Maya “came into this world doing so much better than expected and with amazing cardiologists we were able to get a stent put in place instead of the first open heart surgery.”
Maya had her first procedure at 6 days old.
Selfridge told her followers, “I have felt very helpless in caring for my own child, my arms are aching to hold her, ache to feed her, ache to wake up to her. My first time really holding her was at 5 days old. The last 9 days have been a complete rollercoaster for us and the most challenging week I’ve had as a mother thus far. This is something I’ve wanted to share with everyone because I found myself looking for other heart mamas out there that know the pain I’m feeling and I’ve found help through some other moms.”
She added, “I’m still new to this but any mothers out there that need someone to talk to please don’t hesitate because I need you as well.”
Wharton said he also “debated” how or if he would share the news of Maya’s diagnosis, but was inspired by the “positive stories” shared by others online.
“If we share her story and can touch the next family that’s going through this, then that’s what we want to do,” he said, adding that he’s “so proud” of Maya for what she’s already been through.
“You have a story, and we can’t wait to watch your personality blossom, and I can’t wait for you to meet your sisters they have SOOOO MUCH love for you and they both are going to be incredible big sisters to you,” he concluded. “We all LOVE YOU SO MUCHHH!!! We can’t wait to have you home.”
The Teen Mom star first shared that he and Selfridge were expecting another baby together in a March Instagram post.
Addressing his social media post to “the newest member of the family,” Wharton revealed his second baby with Selfridge was due on June 8. “We will welcome a new member to the family!” he wrote.
“Each one of my kids have continued to push me into making me a better man, so I know you’re gonna do the same,” Wharton added.
Continuing his caption, Wharton said, “Throughout the years the satisfaction I get from raising my two lil girls is unmatched. The joy that they bring me, the excitement is unmatched.”
“I truthfully feel like God has put me in a position that I’m so lucky & blessed to be in,” he added.
Then explaining that his father was absent during his own childhood, Wharton detailed, “I feel like that’s why I try and give you girls EVERYTHING that I have.”
“I can’t wait to watch you grow with your sisters Ryder & Mila,” he continued. “I’m telling you right now both those girls love you so much.”
Wharton and Selfridge met during season 1 of Ex on the Beach and dated briefly after the show wrapped. Despite breaking up initially, Wharton said the two never lost that first spark.
“Taylor and I never really stopped talking after Ex on the Beach,” he told PEOPLE in April 2019. “We’re going on almost a year and a half. We took about two to three months off and other than that, that’s who I’ve been with.”
