"We did it. We survived": Chezzi Denyer's emotional revelation about baby girl
Chezzi Denyer is celebrating a "huge leap" made by her youngest daughter Sunday.
Sunday, 2, was diagnosed with hip dysplasia when she was a baby and had to wear a hip brace for nine months.
Hip dysplasia occurs when a hip joint doesn't develop properly, and if left untreated can damage the joint over time which causes hip pain and arthritis.
Now, almost a year after getting her hip brace, Sunday is running around "unstoppable," and her proud mum took to Instagram to share the highs and lows of the past year.
She began the post by encouraging parents who are experiencing a similar diagnosis to "hang in there."
"The nights are long and the days even longer when you’re got a baby in a brace or a spica cast," she continued.
"It’s absolute torment seeing your baby in pain or uncomfortable. You think you won’t be able to cope.
"The lack of sleep. The constant discomfort. The lump in your throat when you encourage your baby to go in for another procedure. Another general anaesthetic. The fear you feel in the pit of your stomach. Trying to keep your eyes on the end goal.
"You need to be strong for them.
"The heat of the cast. The pressure points. The dry sore skin you massage and moisturise where you can. And the mess. The spica cast mess and the smell…" she wrote.
She then listed all of the medical appointments, procedures and tests they had to go through for the past year and how challenging it was having to adjust.
“Adapting and changing your entire life for an indefinite period can be paralysing - New prams, specially created car seats, cots, mattresses, high-chairs, specially made clothes, nappies, accessories, activities.
“Having to stop work, take leave, giving up daycare with little hope of getting your days back down the track, not being able to travel easily, having to sacrifice activities with older kids, nursing your toddler for hours unable to do much else, trying to keep them occupied when they can’t move and they’re bored… all of these might seem trivial to someone on the outside...
“But when you’re in it, every single thing you know or you’ve learnt or even want to do must change to accommodate your hippy baby, and that too can be terrifying," she added.
She also shared how "hard and tiring and stressful and scary" it was to take care of not only your baby, but yourself, and encouraged other parents to feel and express these emotions when they can.
The wife of former Sunrise weather presenter Grant Denyer also expressed her gratitude towards all the mums that have helped her throughout this journey.
“I remember so many experienced parents telling me that their child once was in a cast or a brace and how they remember the time well.
“Many of those kind-hearted parents telling me their child now runs or dances etc and you wouldn’t even know… and when I was deep in it, it felt like that was a lifetime away.
“But here we are, one year on from getting the rhino brace on, and little Sunday is running around unstoppable.”
Although Sunday is "not out of the woods" yet as she will need an operation or two when she is around four years old, the mum of three couldn't help but express how proud she was.
“I am celebrating this milestone with so much pride. I’m so proud of her. She’s incredibly resilient.. but I’m also proud of me. We did it. We survived.
“We have come out the other side and we are stronger for it. And I hope that can help some other parents either going through this or about to. Xxx,” her post ended.
Images: Instagram