Oct 14, 2009 - 17 weeks - Jayden's CDH Awareness Day
Everything turned upside down as a new
ultrasound suggested Jayden had a Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia (CDH),
a congenital birth defect of the
diaphragm.
Survival rates average about 50%. It was at that point we
found out that his defect looked bad enough that they thought he might
need a type of heart-lung bypass machine called extracorporeal membrane
oxygenation (ECMO) & that our regular facility did not have it
available so she would have to deliver at a neighboring facility.
The
good news was that his heart was structurally sound although squished a
bit & the liver was not in the chest. Either or both of those
problems would have reduced his survival chances further. We started
learning about it & were scared to death for what it might mean for
Jayden...
From the doctor's summary: Fetal
Weight Estimate: 216 gm.
Diaphragmatic hernia: The heart is deviated to the right & the fetal
stomach is within the left chest. In addition, a small amount of small
bowel is also seen in the chest. No definitive liver involvement.
Possible renal cystic dysplasia. Several small cysts were seen within
the renal parenchyma. Normal bladder and amniotic fluid noted.
