Most married couples get asked “when,” but Charli Worgan and her husband Cullen often got asked “why.”
Living in Sydney, Charli and Cullen frequently found themselves in the spotlight because of their unique forms of dwarfism, especially when Charli became pregnant with their first child. After their baby was born, Charli decided to share their family life on social media, never expecting how popular it would become.
Now, with two beautiful daughters, Charli has gained over 300,000 followers on Instagram. Recently, she shared exciting but bittersweet news: she was fourteen weeks pregnant with their third child.
Each of Charli’s pregnancies involved extensive genetic testing. Experts warned that if their children inherited just one type of dwarfism, inherited both forms, or were of average height, the results could be fatal due to the combination of their genetic conditions.
Charli shared her disappointment about not being able to celebrate her pregnancy’s 12-week milestone like most mothers. “Most people are thrilled to announce their pregnancy at 12 weeks,” she said, “but I was preparing for a procedure called Chorionic Villus Sampling (CVS), which is like an amniocentesis.
A big needle goes into my abdomen to take a sample of the placenta to check the baby’s genes, and there’s a 2% chance of miscarriage.”
Their daughters, Tilba, 4, and Tully, 2, each have one of the two types of dwarfism. They waited anxiously to find out which type, if any, Charli’s third child would have.
In an Instagram post, Charli explained the possibilities:
“Our child could be of average height.”
“Our child could have achondroplasia, the type of dwarfism I have.”
“Our child could have geleophysic dysplasia, the type of dwarfism Cullen has.”
“If our child inherited both genetic conditions, they would have ‘double dominant dwarfism,’ which is always fatal according to medical experts. If that happened, I would have to decide whether to terminate the pregnancy or continue and see what happens.”
Through it all, Charli and Cullen remain hopeful and committed to sharing their journey with their growing community.
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