OK I've been wanting to get this going FOREVER but keep putting it off. Like any normal mother I want nothing but to talk about my baby all day long. I want to share with everyone how she is doing and whats new in Dahlialand.
I think by now most everyone knows about Dahlias history. When she was born, how she was born, her struggle, her strength, her fight and her amazingness.
So to make a LONG story short, here is a quick timeline:
2/15/11 - Dahlia was born via c-section
2/15/11 - diagnosed with CDH, put on ECMO (full life support)
2/28/11 - taken off of ECMO and has her 1st hernia repair
5/05/11 - discharged from the hospital!!
5/18/11 - hospitalized for RSV, during this hospitalization we found out her diaphragm had torn again
6/09/11 - 2nd hernia repair
8/29/11 - 3rd hernia repair
9/20/11 - hospitalized again for an infection from the last surgery
I kept looking and sometimes treating Dahlia like a CDH baby or like a sick baby. Recently I decided this was no more. CDH is simply (although not so simple) something she was born with, not something she is. Although we have to be on the lookout for CDH related complications as she grows, this doesn't mean I have to act or treat her any different than if she was born with no complications at all.
I just don't want her to feel like she is anything different than any one of us. Of course I would never hide anything she went through from her or even try and hide her button (gtube) out in public when its time for her to eat but I never want her to feel odd. Does this make sense?
I'm also making this blog public so that any other parents looking for other families who love someone with CDH can see how well Dahlia is doing.
We were warned about so many things that could go wrong. About developmental issues, feeding issues, hearing loss, reflux, brain damage, the list goes on and on. And aside from her gtube and some reflux, thank the good Lord above we have not had major issues aside from reherniations.
Dahlia likes to eat, shes recently taken a couple of steps ALL ALONE, shes like any normal 11 month old beautiful monkey woops, I mean baby.
So theres my "intro" blog. Hopefully I'll be able to get myself to update this often including pictures.
Thank you for reading this and being interested in out little flower.
