Born with Gastroschisis in 1978

Hello all,

My name is Tracy and it is nice to see a supportive site such as this for gastroschisis. I was born on May 20, 1978 with this unfortunate issue. I am now 30 years old and very healthy! I wanted to write to let all of those parents out there know that your child can live a healthy life. I have a beautiful daughter that was born with no problems at all. Chloe is healthy and there was no sign of any issues during pregnancy or at birth.

Because my gastro was so long ago, I have a large 1 inch deep scar that runs from my breast-bone to my pelvis. The scar has always been a sort of medal for me and although babies today will have a belly button and very little scaring…still be supportive. My parents were wonderful at letting me know that I was unique and that was special. I remember as a young girl showing my friends my “cool” difference.

God bless all of the parents going through this now. Your babies are beautiful and it takes special people to deal with an issue like Gastroschisis. However, your babies can live full lives! The only issues I’ve had are blockages a couple of times in my life. I was 14 the first time a blockage snuck upon me and 26 the second.

I hope I haven’t bothered all of you with the fact that I’ve told my life story…but I know how worried I was thinking my child would have this. I can’t imagine how scared the parents of babies with this abnormality are. I’m sure every parent is scared for their future and the here and now. Feel free to ask any questions! I am very open about it.

Have a blessed week!

Tracy