Cannon’s CDH Story
We did not find out about Cannon’s CDH until I was 36.5 weeks pregnant. I went in for a growth scan because I was measuring big, and that is when they thought they saw his stomach up in his chest. They sent me to the high-risk OB, Maternal Fetal Medicine, the following day for more scans. It was a whirlwind of emotions and so many appointments in only two weeks. They decided to induce me at 38.5 weeks. Something that the doctors prepped me for before I delivered him was that they needed a lot of extra people in the room for when he was born, so I delivered in an operating room with 12 people in there with me! He came out and was immediately intubated. He was left-sided CDH with intestines and bowel up, with pretty good lung volume considering, so the doctors did not think he would need ECMO, thank goodness! He was transferred to our Children’s Hospital here in Columbus, Ohio.
He had surgery to repair his hernia at five days old, and they were able to do it thoroscopically. We were in the NICU for almost four weeks before we got the amazing news that we were being discharged! His two siblings were SO excited to meet him finally!
Things were going so great at home, but after about a week and a half, one morning, I noticed he was having a tough time catching his breath, and I immediately knew something was wrong. I took him to the emergency department and called his surgical team so they knew what was going on. After a chest x-ray, they confirmed that he had reherniated. Part of his bowel was back up in his chest. They rushed him into surgery because the hole was so small it was pinching off his bowel, and they did not want it to cause permanent damage. The surgery went great, and this time, they put a patch over his hernia. His surgeons said there is only a 1-2% chance of him reherniating again.
He has been good ever since and is thriving! We go back in a couple of months for another chest x-ray to make sure everything still looks good. He is truly the happiest baby with the best smile, and we are so lucky that he is ours!
