Most married couples can relate when asked when they intend to have children, but Charli Worgan and her husband Cullen were asked “why” a lot.
Due to their unique forms of dwarfism, the parents—who reside in Sydney—are regularly in the media, especially when Charli became pregnant with their first child.
After giving birth to their first baby, the excited Australian mother decided to start a social media account to tell people about their family’s journey. Little did she know how popular her account would become.
With two gorgeous children under their belt, the pair is now well over 300,000 Instagram followers strong for Charli.
Recently, Charli disclosed that she was 14 weeks pregnant with her third kid, but it was a poignant revelation.
With every pregnancy, Charli has had to face agonizing genetic testing. Medical experts state that because to Charli and Cullen’s genetic composition, their children may inherit both kinds of dwarfism, which would be fatal, or they may be ordinary in height and receive one of the two types of dwarfism (from their mother or father).
At week twelve, Charli shared her agony at not being able to enjoy her pregnancy like most other moms could.
“But while most people at 12 weeks are happy to be able to announce their pregnancy, I was getting ready for a procedure called Chorionic Villus Sampling (CVS), which is like an amniocentesis except that it involves inserting a large needle into my abdomen to take a sample of placenta, which has a 2% miscarriage rate, so that the genetic makeup of my unborn child can be determined.”
When Charli became pregnant with her third child, they awaited learning which of the four possible dwarfisms their daughters, Tully, age two, and Tilba, age four, had. Their girls each have one of the two kinds of dwarfism.
Charli clarified in a post on Instagram:
- Our child would be of normal height.
- Our child would be dwarfized in the same way as me, with achondroplasia.
- Our child would be born with Cullen’s dwarfism, Geleophysic Dysplasia.
- Our child would be born with “double dominant dwarfism,” which is the result of inheriting both genetic abnormalities and is considered lethal by all expert medical examinations. Should this have happened, I could have chosen to end the pregnancy or to continue and see how things work out.
According to Charli, their current predicament is that she is awaiting word on whether she will be able to bring the child into the world in March 2021 or whether the adventure will end here.
She has received a lot of criticism for sharing her life so openly, which she also touches on in her piece.
The couple is now parents to three gorgeous children who are doing well, and the family still has its highs and lows.
After giving birth to her son Rip at the end of February, she posted a picture of herself holding her child along with some insightful advice for all parents.
“Although I’m exhausted, I feel extremely fortunate and thankful.” As with anything, there is no “right” or “wrong” way to be a mother. There is no “correct” method.
In the end, Charli demonstrates to everyone that her life as a mom is no different from anybody else’s, and that a great deal of parents can identify with the pleasures and challenges of raising a family.
I wish this family all the health and happiness on their journey together, as her posts serve as an encouragement to us all. Kindly give it away.
