Wells’ CDH Story

Weldon “Wells” was diagnosed with left-sided CDH when I was 36 weeks pregnant. It was a very late diagnosis, and we were completely shocked. I had gestational diabetes and was being closely monitored with weekly sonograms—week 35 showed no hernia, but by week 36, there was suddenly a small hole in his diaphragm, and his intestines had moved into his chest.

The doctor explained he would need surgery after birth. All I could think to ask was, Will he live? Will he survive? I had two healthy children at home—how could this be happening?

We were told to continue the pregnancy and still plan for induction at 39 weeks. Everyone said it was the “best-case scenario,” but also warned it would still be very hard.

The day before my scheduled induction, I went into labor early that morning. Everything moved quickly, and Wells was born at 12:56 p.m., weighing a healthy 8 lbs 10 oz. He cried right away. While I wasn’t able to hold him, he was briefly placed on my chest—and hearing his cry and seeing his face meant everything.

He didn’t need immediate intubation but was placed on high-flow oxygen and taken to the NICU, with my husband by his side the entire time. He did remarkably well with minimal support and had surgery at just 2 days old. Thankfully, it was a less invasive repair, and his diaphragm was strong enough to be stitched without a patch—a Type A defect.

Recovery had its challenges. He initially struggled to be extubated, and during another attempt, he experienced a pulmonary hemorrhage and developed an infection. It was a scary time. But after two weeks, he was finally off the ventilator, and we slowly began working on feeding.

After 30 days in the hospital, Wells came home—and today, you would never know how much he went through. He is exclusively breastfeeding, always smiling, and completely adored by our entire family.