Let's Start at the Very Beginning...

On September 15th, Katy and Andy found out that Baby Jacob has a life-threatening condition called Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia (CDH). CDH is a very serious condition in which a hole in the diaphragm allows abdominal organs to move into the chest restricting lung development. In Jacob's case, his liver is also squishing his heart and displacing other organs. CDH occurs in about 1 out of every 3,000 pregnancies and has a mortality rate of 50%. To make matters more complicated, Jacob has Right-Sided CDH which only occurs in about 10% of CDH cases and is typically more severe. They are so blessed to have found this out when they did, or Baby Jacob would have surely died at birth.

They will be delivering at UW Hospital in Seattle and later transferred to Seattle Children’s. Thank you to everyone who has already begun praying, and everyone who will now. Baby Jacob is blessed to have all of you thinking and praying for him.

Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia

A congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) is when there is an absence of a child's diaphragm, or a hole in her diaphragm.

·      This can occur on either the left or right side, but is most common on the left.

·      The contents of your child's abdomen, including her stomach, intestines, liver and spleen may go through the hole and into her chest.

·      This prevents the normal development of the lung on that side, and may affect the growth of the other lung.

After the baby is born, your baby will have difficulty breathing if the lungs are not developed enough.

There are two types of diaphragmatic hernia:

Bochdalek hernia: This type involves an opening on the back side of the diaphragm. The stomach, intestines and liver or spleen usually move up into the chest cavity.

Morgagni hernia: This type is rare and involves an opening in the front of the diaphragm, just behind the breastbone. The liver or intestines may move up into the chest cavity.
Congenital diaphragmatic hernia is present at birth (congenital). It occurs early in pregnancy while the diaphragm is forming. Doctors do not know the exact cause. It occurs in about 1 in every 4,000 babies.
Some babies with CDH have other health problems at birth, such as small hearts or a hole in their hearts (ventricular septal defect). These problems may also require treatment.