Many married couples often face questions about when they plan to have children, but for Charli Worgan and her husband Cullen, the inquiries they received were not about when but rather “why.”
Charli and Cullen, both residing in Sydney, each live with distinct forms of dwarfism, subjecting them to public scrutiny, especially when Charli became pregnant with their first child. Filled with joy upon the birth of their first daughter, this Australian mother decided to create a social media account to shed light on their family life, unaware of the eventual popularity it would gain.
Today, the couple is blessed with two lovely daughters, and Charli’s Instagram account boasts over 300,000 followers. However, Charli recently shared bittersweet news: she was 14 weeks pregnant with their third child.
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With each pregnancy, Charli had to undergo agonizing genetic testing. Both Charli and Cullen’s genetic conditions meant that their children could inherit one type of dwarfism (either from their mother or father), attain average height, or inherit both types of dwarfism, a scenario doctors considered fatal.
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Charli expressed the heartache of not being able to relish the 12-week milestone of pregnancy like most mothers do. She recounted, “While most mothers are celebrating the joy of announcing their pregnancy at 12 weeks, I was preparing for Chorionic Villus Sampling (CVS), a procedure akin to amniocentesis, involving a substantial needle passing through my abdomen to obtain a placenta sample, carrying a 2% risk of miscarriage, all to examine my baby’s genetic makeup.”
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Their two-year-old, Tully, and four-year-old, Tilba, were already diagnosed with one of the two types of dwarfism. Hence, when Charli became pregnant with her third child, they anxiously awaited to discover which of the four possibilities their baby would have.
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Charli elaborated in her Instagram post:
- The baby would be of average height.
- The baby would have Achondroplasia, the same form of dwarfism as Charli.
- The baby would have Geleophysic Dysplasia, the same form of dwarfism as Cullen.
- The baby would inherit both genetic variations, termed “double dominant dwarfism,” which, according to all medical evaluations, would be fatal upon birth. In such a situation, Charli would face the difficult choice of continuing the pregnancy or terminating it.
Charli expressed the reality of their situation, conveying that she was anxiously awaiting the outcome: “Whether I can welcome this little one into the world by March 2021 or if their journey ends here.”
By openly sharing her life, she has also been exposed to substantial criticism, a topic she addresses in her post.
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“I’ve faced criticism for choosing to have children against these odds, which is a complex discussion in itself. However, by revealing this small part of the story, those who doubt can understand that making the decision to bring a child into this world with my odds is far from simple. It’s all about compassion.”
Now, the couple is blessed with three thriving children, and they continue to share their highs and lows.
Their baby boy, Rip, was born in late February, and Charli shared a heartfelt post featuring a picture of her with her newborn, along with some insightful words for every parent.
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“I may be tired, but I’m feeling incredibly grateful and fortunate. There’s no one ‘right’ way to navigate motherhood, but one thing’s for sure, there’s no ‘wrong’ way either.”
Ultimately, Charli demonstrates that her journey as a parent is much like that of everyone else’s; many parents can relate to the challenges and joys of bringing children into the world.
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Her posts serve as an inspiration to all, and I wish this family nothing but good health and happiness on their journey together. Please share their story.
