• Galleries
    • 4th Tri Bodies Gallery
    • my body. my choice. my voice. Gallery
    • I'M Visible Gallery
  • Events / Participate
    • Tour Schedule
    • Event Schedule
    • Participate
    • FAQ
    • Previous Cities
  • About
    • Mission
    • Ashlee Dean Wells
    • Laura Weetzie Wilson
  • Podcast
  • Blog
  • Conferences
    • body. breast. baby.
    • Portland, OR
    • Chicago, IL
  • Book a Session
  • Buy Merch
  • Contact
  • Mailing List
  • Media
  • Sponsors
  • Menu

4th Trimester Bodies Project

  • Galleries
    • 4th Tri Bodies Gallery
    • my body. my choice. my voice. Gallery
    • I'M Visible Gallery
  • Events / Participate
    • Tour Schedule
    • Event Schedule
    • Participate
    • FAQ
    • Previous Cities
  • About
    • Mission
    • Ashlee Dean Wells
    • Laura Weetzie Wilson
  • Podcast
  • Blog
  • Conferences
    • body. breast. baby.
    • Portland, OR
    • Chicago, IL
  • Book a Session
  • Buy Merch
  • Contact
  • Mailing List
  • Media
  • Sponsors

Donna Cavanagh

March 19, 2015 in 4th Trimester Bodies

The courageous Donna Cavanagh with her daughter Cecilia (8) and sons Waylon (6) and Wyatt (7 months).

Donna had very healthy, typical pregnancies and uncomplicated vaginal deliveries with her first two children. Her third pregnancy, however, was anything but. She was told early on via routine screening that her son has incompatible with life. At 12 weeks, they tested nuchal translucency and learned that his result was irregular but inconclusive. Around 20 weeks, she had an anatomy scan and learned he had enlarged ventricles in his brain and holoprosencephaly with severe midline deformities on his face and body including missing parts of his brain and his nose. The doctor said she should terminate her pregnancy because her son would have no quality of life if he lived at all. She left thinking that was their best option and she wanted to protect her older children. She scheduled her "interruption of pregnancy" but sought out further testing at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. She says this was the best thing she ever did. The new scan showed the parts of the brain they were told he was missing as well as his nose and they learned he did not have holoprosencephaly but that he did have ventriculomegaly which would eventually lead to hydrocephalus. She and her husband fought over what was the right decision but ultimately chose to continue the pregnancy. Wyatt was born 6 weeks early via cesarean and he spent 8 weeks in the hospital. He has hydrocephalus, polymicrogyria, endocrine problems and is blind, but he's here. Wyatt has also just been diagnosed with infantile spasms, one of the worst forms of childhood epilepsy. Wyatt has had 9 brain surgeries and has a shunt, he's begun therapy to help his development but Donna says that due to the seizures and/or the medication, he's regressed. She's had to balance caring for her older children with caring for Wyatt, who has spent more of his life in hospital than out. Donna says that this has been the hardest year of her life but it's also the best, that during it her family has come together in ways they were previously struggling.

Donna has struggled with her body and the way she's looked for along time and has begun to notice her daughter does too sometimes. She says it's hard for her to instill in her daughter that she needs to love and accept herself the way she is, if she doesn't own it herself. Since Wyatt's arrival the last thing on her mind is getting to cross-fit or how she wants to be in her previous size and she she doesn't want to think about those things anymore. In order to teach them, she's realized she needs to teach herself and she's ready to feel good about her. Her children boost her up and make her feel better. She tells them all the time, if she didn't have them she would just be Donna, and just Donna wasn't much fun. "I feel like some empowerment is needed in my life. I feel deflated, physically and emotionally and I shouldn't, I should be proud of myself and what my body has created but I need a push and no one is going to push me, it's got to come from me."

Tags: Washington DC, DC, nuchal translucency, enlarged ventricles in brain, holoprosencephaly, ventriculomegaly, hydrocephalus, cesarean, NICU, polymicrogyria, endocrine, blind, infantile spasms, epilepsy, brain surgery, shunt, developmental delay, Vaginal Birth
Prev / Next
  • March 2018 20
  • February 2018 8
  • January 2018 6
  • December 2017 22
  • October 2017 13
  • September 2017 26
  • August 2017 19
  • July 2017 17
  • June 2017 7
  • May 2017 10
  • April 2017 2
  • February 2017 1
  • January 2017 25
  • December 2016 2
  • November 2016 17
  • October 2016 17
  • September 2016 38
  • August 2016 14
  • July 2016 26
  • June 2016 33
  • May 2016 16
  • April 2016 33
  • March 2016 28
  • February 2016 20
  • January 2016 26
  • December 2015 30
  • November 2015 30
  • October 2015 49
  • September 2015 23
  • August 2015 34
  • July 2015 25
  • June 2015 51
  • May 2015 29
  • April 2015 40
  • March 2015 35
  • February 2015 75
  • January 2015 53
  • December 2014 32
  • November 2014 47
  • October 2014 46
  • September 2014 54
  • August 2014 45
  • July 2014 65
  • June 2014 50
  • May 2014 22
  • April 2014 43
  • March 2014 74
  • February 2014 46
  • January 2014 34
  • December 2013 9
  • November 2013 20
  • October 2013 39
  • September 2013 22
  • August 2013 31
  • July 2013 3
  • June 2013 6