CDH - 1 Year On

One year ago we were happy and excited - we were going to see our baby on an ultrasound

One year ago we had a feeling something was wrong

One year ago we first heard the news that would forever change our lives

One year ago we heard the words Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia

Its been almost exactly a year ago that we first heard the diagnosis about Tahnee. Almost a year ago that I posted the news onto the blog with the post entitled "Three Little Letters"

I started this blog post a month ago ... planning what I would say and how I would say it. You see, the last year has taken us on a roller coaster ride. A journey with an ending we couldn't foresee ... no anticipation of joy at the end, in the form of a newborn, endless cuddles, sleepless nights and the like.

Its been a year to the date and time that we first heard the ominous words "birth defect" and "congenital diaphragmatic hernia". Like most of our blog readers, we have never heard of this defect and knew nothing about it. And yet, there is a CDH baby born every 10 minutes worldwide ... every 10minutes!! or 6 every hour ... 144 a day!!! And its as common as Cystic Fibrosis and Spina Bifida, of which most people have heard of at least one of these. We do hope that our blog has educated you and helped to spread awareness of this birth defect.

Its been almost a year ago that we discovered CDH Australia - our wonderful support group. We have forged strong friendships with so many families, both here in WA and around the country. We treasure our support group who have been there almost every step of the last year.

So back to us, we have survived the uncertainty of Tahnee's birth, we have survived the stress of 2 surgeries and we have experienced the joy and uncertainty of bringing her home. Yet, life is still difficult and there are a few struggles I/we have. Let me explain...

Last month my doctor confirmed that I have post natal depression. The reason I decided to publish this on the is two fold: all too often its a taboo subject. When I first realised that I may have PND I thought about my family and friends and who have also had PND and I came to a grand total of 2 people!! Its not often spoken about and is often viewed as a sign of weakness or as being something "in your head"

The other reason to publish this was to let our readers know that I/we are not infallible. So many people have commented that our blog is so positive and we are also positive when speaking to others. And this is something we made the conscious decision to do. We could have been doom and gloom, but we chose to look at the situation as "half full". And this has shown through the blog too. By telling you all, our readers, about the PND diagnosis, we are choosing to show you that yes we have struggled through the last year, it hasn't been a walk in the park, it hasn't been easy and it wasn't without its difficulties.

BUT, we are getting through the last year and working through our struggles. I get a lot of support from Chris, who works hard all day and will come home to help me out with dinner, tending to the kids and housework. And we are getting help from our GP who has prescribed some natural products that help with exhaustion (how my PND mainly presents itself).

With my PND I struggle mostly with Lucas and unfortunately he cops the brunt of it. Like my GP has said, I/we are products of PMH - they have "taught" us to react to anything and everything regarding Tahnee...she coughs, I jump. She doesn't eat as much on a given day, I worry about weight gain, etc etc. And since I have been taught to be so over-protective of her, I don't take anything out on her.

I won't mentioned much about PND in future posts. We just wanted you to be aware of it. We were very watchful of it as we had been told that parents (yes, plural!) who have a child with a birth defect are at a greater risk, mainly due to the stressful circumstances. And now that it has happened, its something else to deal with and work through and grow closer to God and each other through.

So........as I type this blog post I am listening to my daughter sit in her bouncer next to me, gurgling, laughing and talking away to her toys. We feel extremely blessed that she has survived and is doing as well as she is. We consider her our miracle baby and love her to pieces!

A year ago we never thought anything like this would happen to someone we knew

A year ago we never thought anything like this would happen to us

A year ago we never could have imagined where we would be one year on

A year ago we never thought our lives would be as they are today, one year on ...