Sawyer’s Story - Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia (CDH)
We are Michelle & Vanessa, a two-mom family to our now 1-year old CDH hero, Sawyer Pretty. We are from the Niagara area of Ontario, Canada, and Sawyer was born and received treatment at McMaster Children's Hospital in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
At our 20-week anatomy scan, our OBGYN informed us that there was a small "speck" of fluid showing at the base of his heart but that it was nothing to be concerned about. As first-time parents, we were concerned and requested a follow-up ultrasound. This occurred at 28-weeks, where we were then told Sawyer's heart was flipped to the opposite side, or "dextrocardia." With that, we were sent to McMaster Children's Hospital, where we met with a maternal-fetal medicine specialist. His scan determined Sawyer had CPAM, which was a benign mass on his left lung. We returned every 10-14 days for follow-up scans and to meet with our MFM doctor. During our 5th or so scan, at the 35-week mark, the ultrasound technician noticed peristalsis occurring in Sawyer's chest cavity while she was conducting the scan. It was determined that his bowels and intestines were in his chest, and that is when we first heard the term CDH. After that scan, Michelle was sent for an urgent MRI to confirm these findings. That MRI showed Sawyer's intestines, bowel, and some spleen occupying the left side of his chest, which was pushing his heart to the right.
At 39 weeks and 1-day, Michelle was induced. That induction turned into an emergency c-section 5-hours later as Sawyer's heart rate kept dropping.
Sawyer was born at 8 pounds, 3 ounces & 22 inches long. What shocked everyone was the fact that he did not need to be intubated. Sawyer was breathing on his own but was put on high-flow oxygen by nasal prongs as he required some support.
Halfway through the 48-hour wait for surgery, he no longer needed oxygen and was breathing room air. Of course, he was intubated for surgery and had his repair done at 50-hours old. A muscle flap was used, and his surgery was uneventful.
Sawyer went home on day 26 with reflux medication (omeprazole) and has had no issues since. He is now 1, weighs 27 pounds, and is 7.8 inches long. He's had no feeding or weight gain issues and has eaten over 100 different foods!
I've blogged our entire journey from diagnosis to life at home here: www.babypretty.ca