First of all, thank you to all our friends who have called up or texted us over the last few days. We really appreciate the kind words, prayers and concern you have all shown. It had been one nightmare weekend for us and we really appreciate the support shown, especially my wife. She had at a time over the weekend felt very down and was blaming herself for this - if she had eaten the wrong food, moved too much, etc. But I told her it is not her fault. It is no one’s fault. In a way, you can say it is fated. We can hope it will be a relatively smooth journey for us in the next few months till delivery.

Almost the whole of Monday and first half of Tuesday was spent at the hospital.On Monday, we met up with another doctor at UMMC (University Malaya Medical Centre) who performed a more thorough ultrasound scan on our baby. She also suspects the same as what our regular doctor has suspected last Saturday - our baby is most likely to have this condition called Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia.

Diaphragmatic hernia?!? What is that? That is what went through my mind the first time the doctor mentioned it. It is the same when I tell my concerned friends… A big question mark appears. So, in my own words, understanding and illustration… Diaphragmatic Hernia basically means that the diaphragm (see illustration below) is either not developed properly or there is a hole/ tear on the diaphragm and it is causing the organs from the abdomen (like the stomach, liver and intestines) to move into the lung area.

The doctor explained how she came to such conclusion and I have to agree with her. The ultrasound scan on the hear shows that there is ’something’ located next to our baby’s heart. Scans on the abdomen showed us that our baby’s stomach was ‘missing’ or not at its place. So it is very likely that our baby’s stomach and perhaps even the bowels (intestines) have moved into the chest/ lung area. Other than this, there is nothing wrong with the baby - heartbeat is regular, growth is normal, no abnormalities with the hands and legs, etc…

Text added based on what I remember. I could have heard wrongly and mis-interpreted the photo.
According to the doctor, there is not much we can do at the moment. We will have to wait until the baby is delivered in May. Then the pediatric surgeon will take over. It is very likely that our baby will need to undergo a corrective surgery immediately. But all these will depend a lot on other factors as well. Anyhow, we are scheduled to meet with the doctor again this Thursday (tomorrow) and then the surgeon, on Friday.

Doctor have also informed us that there is a possibility of a ‘worst case scenario’. I guess this is one scenario which we hope will not happen but in a way, we have to be prepared.

Both Mrs Tai and myself have agreed that we will be open and positive about this. We will post updates as well as our experience, findings, links, etc here so that if there is anyone else who is facing such situation, especially in Malaysia (though we do hope no one else have to go through this), we are more than happy to share our experience and lend our support.