At Kathleen's 19-week ultrasound, on December 7, 2009, Kathleen found out two very important things about the twins she is carrying. First, they were both girls! What thrilling news! Second, one of them, whom we have named Allisyn Grace, has Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia (CDH). The other twin, Kathryn Julene, is fine.
Allisyn's CDH means that her diaphragm didn't close fully around 8-10 weeks gestation, and that her stomach and some intestines have slipped into her left chest cavity. This has squished her heart over to the side, made her right lung grow smaller, and her left lung practically non-existent. The left lobe of her liver has also gone into her chest cavity, further compressing her lung capacity and other organs already in her chest.