Thiago’s CDH Story
When I was around 30 weeks pregnant, I went in for a growth ultrasound because I measured almost four weeks ahead! During the scan, the ultrasound tech informed us that she believed Thiago's heart was on the wrong side. It was strange and almost hard to believe because prior to that, I had completed my anatomy scan, and everything appeared to be normal. The news was incredibly heartbreaking because we didn't know what this could mean for our baby boy.
Due to the limited resources in our hometown, we were asked to travel to Grand Junction, Colorado, to get an echocardiogram to try and get more answers. At this point, we were told he had a small VSD, and they confirmed his heart was pushed to the right but were still unsure what was causing it. They thought it could be a mass but could not say for sure! We were then asked to travel to Children's Hospital in Denver, Colorado, to get an MRI and a second echocardiogram done to get a clear answer.
Thiago was diagnosed with left-sided congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH). They informed us that his intestines had traveled up into his chest, and that's what was causing his heart to be pushed over to the right side. We met with the multidisciplinary team at the Children's hospital and came up with a plan to safely deliver our baby.
On August 19th, 2022, I delivered a beautiful 7lbs 10oz baby boy via c-section. He was quickly intubated and transported to the NICU, where he was closely monitored for the next couple of days until he was stable enough for surgery.
Thiago's surgery was successfully completed at four days old, and that's when we learned it was not only his intestines that had traveled up into his chest but his kidney and spleen as well. Thiago remained stable and was intubated for about a week after the surgery. Shortly after that, he transitioned to high-flow nasal oxygen, and a feeding tube was placed.
We had good days and some very hard days, but our Tiny Hero pushed through! After a month of being in the NICU, when our baby boy successfully took all feeds by mouth and only needed a slight amount of oxygen, we were told he was ready to go home!
Fast forward five months, and this Tiny Hero is officially off of oxygen completely! He is the happiest boy with the world's best smile and everything we could have ever hoped for! Thiago's journey has not been easy, but thanks to our team at the Children's Hospital, who never gave up on him and helped us along the way, Thiago will have a great future ahead of him!
Thiago has brought so much joy into our lives, and we will forever be grateful to the team of doctors and nurses who worked tirelessly for our Tiny Hero!
