Married couples around the world share the journey of having children together. It is something they decide from the start, but sometimes, questions arise about their choices.
One person who has faced such questions is Charli Worgan. She and her husband, Cullen, live in Sydney, and both have different forms of dwarfism. Their decision to have children has often been scrutinized.
When Charli gave birth to her first child, she decided to launch a social media account to help people understand their family life. Now, with two daughters and 300,000 followers, Charli has continued to share their journey.
Recently, Charli revealed on social media that she was pregnant with her third child at 14 weeks. While many were happy for her, some continued to question their decision.
Each time Charli became pregnant, she underwent genetic testing to ensure the health of the baby. Due to their genetic conditions, they wanted to ensure their children did not inherit both types of dwarfism, which would be fatal.
Charli shared her experience: “When most at 12 weeks are celebrating the joy of being able to announce pregnancy, I was lining up for Chorionic Villus Sampling (CVS – similar to an Amniocentesis) – that’s a massive needle through my abdomen to take a sample of placenta that carries a 2% rate of miscarriage, in order to test the genetic makeup of my baby.”
Her daughters, aged two and four, each have one type of dwarfism. When pregnant with their third child, they needed to determine which of the four genetic possibilities the baby had:
- The baby could be of average height.
- The baby could have Achondroplasia, like Charli.
- The baby could have Geleophysic Dysplasia, like Cullen.
- The baby could inherit both genetic variations, known as “double dominant dwarfism,” which is typically fatal at birth. In such a case, Charli would have the choice to continue or terminate the pregnancy.
Despite facing criticism for sharing their lives publicly, Charli believes that sharing their journey, including the challenges and decisions, is about promoting understanding and kindness.
Now, with three beautiful children, the family continues to share their story on social media. We wish them many years of happiness together.
