Three-year-old girl born with a sealed mouth goes under the knife in hope of being able to speak and eat for the first time

Amethyst, now three, with her mother Estrellita and father Rolando. Estrella said: 'I love all my children but my love for her is different. If I could I would give her everything she wants. I’d give it. That’s how much I love her'

A three-year-old girl who was born with a sealed mouth has undergone a pioneering operation in the hope she will be able to taste food and talk to her family for the first time.

Amethyst Santos, from Manila in the Philippines, has been fed through a tube since birth because her lower lip was attached to the base of her mouth, her upper and lower jawbones fused and an underdeveloped lower jaw.

Amethyst was also born with no hands and feet, but has learned to walk, play with her two older sisters - and now she can even smile.

Her mother Estrellita, has spoken for the first time about her daughter's incredible journey to recovery on Body Bizarre is on TLC, which airs on Discovery tonight.

Amethyst is currently still in hospital recovering from her second operation - reconstructive surgery on her jaw - but Estrellita said she is excited for her first taste of food.

Filmed before Amethyst's first operation earlier this year at the Philippine Children's Medical Centre in Quezon City, Estrellita said: 'Yesterday I was telling her that her mouth will be opened.

‘And she will be able to eat normal food like ice cream. Then she clapped as if to say "yehey".’

She added: 'We’ve been waiting for this for three years. I feel excited and nervous.'

Amethyst was born with oromandibular limb hypogenesis syndrome, a complex combination of symptoms that affects one in half a million people.

Her mother recalls: ‘During pregnancy, for almost a month I was bleeding. They discovered at five months that she wasn’t fully formed.'

When Amethyst was born doctors realised that her mouth was closed.

Estrellita said: ‘I cried and cried and asked, “Lord how can I manage? How can I look after my child".'

Despite her extreme disability, Amethyst's nurturing parents and two older sisters have helped her flourish and although she cannot talk, Amethyst has developed into a mobile and happy young girl.

Estrella said: 'I love all my children but my love for her is different. If I could I would give her everything she wants. I’d give it. That’s how much I love her.'

Days after Amethyst was born she was referred to Dr Taps Gurango, head of plastic surgery at Philippine Children's Medical Center.

He said: ‘When we first saw her our first concern was the nutrition, so she had to be referred to a paediatrician and fed through a tube going into the nose.

‘Since her heart was strong we know she would survive. As long as you can feed these babies and nurture them they will live.