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| Learning how to drink from a straw cup |
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| Pretty in Pink |
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| with her special teddies - PMH & CDH |
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Kids - March 2012
A selection of photos taken towards the end of March 2012.
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
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 ...
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 ...
Friday, March 23, 2012
Baby Shower
Last week I went to a baby shower for a friend who is due next month (YAY!!). I didn't take along my camera, so sorry, no photos of the actual morning, but I did remember to take a few of her gift. Each guest was asked to bring along a gift that the mummy-to-be could guess while blindfolded...
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| Nappy Cake - with neutral blanket, baby powder, baby oil, baby wipes, a face cloth and newborn nappies |
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| Finished product - all wrapped in cellophane |
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Teeny Tahnee
Tomorrow Tahnee officially turns 7 months!! She is now 30 weeks and a few days and next week will mark 6 months since coming home :)
Tahnee had her 6 months immunisations today (late I know!). Last time (4 months) she detested the oral immunisation against RotaVirus (gastro) and the nurse couldn't administer it all as she was very close to vomiting it all up, and then it wouldn't have the best effect. However, this time Tahnee LOVED it and even went so far as to pull the tube back into her mouth when the nurse tried to take it away!! The other nurses were amazed :)
As per usual, Tahnee cried with the 2 needles in the leg that she received. But it didn't last long and she was happy to sit and cuddle with me afterwards :)
The doctors' surgery we go to has a set of baby scales and I took the opportunity to weigh Tahnee. She is a smidgen under 7kg, weghing in at 6.93kg. This means she is a little below the 25th percentile weight-for-age for girls according to her purple baby book. This is the first time that her figures have dropped under this perecentile. So we shall see what PMH have to say when we go and see them next month.
To put Tahnee's weight into perspective, she still wears 0000 bottoms, 000 shirts and dresses, but is starting to fit some clothes in the next size for both top and bottom.
At 7 months Tahnee can:
- roll tummy to back
- roll back to tummy
- eat solids, including meat
- get up on hands and knees and rock, but not crawl
- experiments with sounds and her latest is "ra ra ra"
- giggle, laugh and smile
- blow raspberries
It still amazes me to have such a small baby, as Lucas was biiiiiiggg! (ie. at 6 weeks he was 6.25kg and out of 4 zero clothes and out of newborn nappies too). But, Lucas is very much Chris, whereas Tahnee is more me, and has more of my familial genes. Just goes to show how different children from the same family can be :)
Tahnee had her 6 months immunisations today (late I know!). Last time (4 months) she detested the oral immunisation against RotaVirus (gastro) and the nurse couldn't administer it all as she was very close to vomiting it all up, and then it wouldn't have the best effect. However, this time Tahnee LOVED it and even went so far as to pull the tube back into her mouth when the nurse tried to take it away!! The other nurses were amazed :)
As per usual, Tahnee cried with the 2 needles in the leg that she received. But it didn't last long and she was happy to sit and cuddle with me afterwards :)
The doctors' surgery we go to has a set of baby scales and I took the opportunity to weigh Tahnee. She is a smidgen under 7kg, weghing in at 6.93kg. This means she is a little below the 25th percentile weight-for-age for girls according to her purple baby book. This is the first time that her figures have dropped under this perecentile. So we shall see what PMH have to say when we go and see them next month.
To put Tahnee's weight into perspective, she still wears 0000 bottoms, 000 shirts and dresses, but is starting to fit some clothes in the next size for both top and bottom.
At 7 months Tahnee can:
- roll tummy to back
- roll back to tummy
- eat solids, including meat
- get up on hands and knees and rock, but not crawl
- experiments with sounds and her latest is "ra ra ra"
- giggle, laugh and smile
- blow raspberries
It still amazes me to have such a small baby, as Lucas was biiiiiiggg! (ie. at 6 weeks he was 6.25kg and out of 4 zero clothes and out of newborn nappies too). But, Lucas is very much Chris, whereas Tahnee is more me, and has more of my familial genes. Just goes to show how different children from the same family can be :)
Monday, March 19, 2012
WA Sunflower Sunday
Sunflower Sunday is annual day in which anyone associated with CDH gets together for a day of celebration and reflection, at various locations around Australia. The WA picnic was held in Kings Park. The day was lovely and warm and we had a nice, shady spot.
This year Perth had 9 families attend - 8 of which had surviving CDH children and 1 grieving family. Out of the 8 families, 4 had babies born between July and October last year, including Tahnee. The other CDH children were ages 9, 6 & 4.
Each family took along their own picnic lunch and had time to either catch up again, or meet new families. For us, we had the opportunity to meet 2 new families and share our common experiences. We (re)learnt that the CDH journey is a long and often difficult one, and everyone present had a slightly different pathway they travelled.
We also had a small memorial for the Angel Cherubs (babies/children who had CDH and lost their fight for life). For this memorial, D, a CDH dad had a speech and said:
Welcome everyone to the second Sunflower Sunday. We hope you’re enjoying the day and relaxing with friends, old and new.
The main goal of Sunflower Sunday is to raise awareness of congenital diaphragmatic hernia, or CDH as we know it. It is also a day to reflect on the struggles and triumphs that families face dealing with the condition, and a day to celebrate the friendships that have blossomed through the support provided through the CDH Australia community.
Raising awareness of CDH is important because by educating the wider community we increase our chances of gaining funding for research, which hopefully one day will lead to a cure. Currently there is no known cause or cure for CDH.
For those who don’t know, CDH is a defect of a baby’s diaphragm that allows the abdominal contents to displace into the chest cavity impeding lung development and compromising the baby’s ability to breathe after birth.
A CDH diagnosis is devastating for families because no one can guarantee the outcome. CDH is a serious condition that can be life threatening and cause ongoing complications. Luckily many babies who fight to overcome the condition go on to lead healthy, fulfilling lives.
Today is a dedication to all babies born with CDH, whether in our arms or in our hearts, we remember them for their fighting spirits, their preciousness and their gift of love.
Please join us in [blowing bubbles] to honour our cherubs.
It was special being able to remember these babies, as they are in our hearts every day!
It was great seeing everyone again, making new friends and watching our children play together. We are looking forward to seeing everyone together again at the Annual Conference in October, in Perth, where we are hoping to meet some of the Interstate families.
p.s. we heard over the weekend that CDH baby H from QLD had reherniated for the second time in her short 6months. However, while she was being prepped for surgery she had another scan where the doctors discovered that she HADN'T reherniated at all!! :)
p.p.s CDH baby R from SA (born a week before Tahnee) has had his nasal-gastric tube removed :)
We could update you on many CDH babies and children, however we have chosen to single out the above 2 families as we have mentioned many updates on them in the past and these two events are quite significant for them - we will endeavour to keep you updated on significant events on all cherubs in the future.
Friday, March 16, 2012
Lucas + dummy
The other day Lucas wanted his dummy, which was on the kitchen counter, out of his reach. I told him no, its only for bed. As I was feeding Tahnee at the same time, I was a little distracted, and it took me a while to realise that a little while later Lucas had his dummy. Now, I was sure I had put it out of his reach. When I walked into the Kitchen, I then realised how he had gotten hold of it - by pushing the bins out of the way, grabbing his chair and standing on it!!! Hmm...naughty or clever??
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