Happily we are expecting our second child in the spring and I wanted to share my experiences so far of how our families’ journey with Poland Syndrome has continued during this pregnancy.

When we had the happy news we were expecting, I honestly did not give Poland Syndrome a second thought.  I am not worried about having another child with Poland Syndrome.  It may sound strange but if this baby did have Poland Syndrome, I would be glad that George could share it with his sibling and I would not have to face the question, ‘Why do I have Poland Syndrome when my sister does not.  But of course, you just wish for a healthy child and you would not want to put your children through anything unnecessarily, but I would not change my son having Poland Syndrome because that is how he was born and it’s this that has taken us all on this journey and the reason PIP-UK is here.

It was odd to me in those early days of pregnancy when you are naturally anxious for your little one growing to know that all is well.  It felt like everyone else was more concerned about this baby and Poland Syndrome than I was.  It was often the first question people would ask in relation to the baby.  My only concern is that the baby is healthy and that this time there are no surprises about anything health related and that whatever may be, that we are fully informed along the way.

Thankfully, we are just over half way through the pregnancy and we have had two scans and all is well with our little baby girl!

Our first scan at the hospital was an interesting experience and really surprised and pleased me.  All was well with the scan and after that we had an appointment with the midwife and consultant.  I was expecting a long wait as there were a lot of people in the waiting room so I was happy when my name was called first.  I was met by a lovely midwife who told me that they were so glad I was finally here, they had been waiting all day as they had all been doing their homework the night before, reading up about Poland Syndrome and they were looking forward to meeting me and finding out more about it.  They opened my file and had a lot of printouts on Poland Syndrome from medicine.net.  Relishing the opportunity to raise awareness with everyone and anyone about Poland Syndrome I told them all about my son and how we came to find the anomaly ourselves after his birth and how it took several months to get a proper diagnosis.  It was the first time they had come across Poland Syndrome so they were happy to listen and find out as much as possible.  We are booked in for a reassurance scan in the new year with a specialist to try and have a thorough check for Poland Syndrome.  It’s highly unlikely that they will be able to detect it by ultrasound, but I am glad they are going to have a good look.

I am very philosophical about it all, my son is the light of my life and I cannot wait for us all to meet his little sister and hope that my family are healthy and happy, that is all that is important to me in life.