'Friendship was a lifeline amid awful diagnosis'

A "silence that spoke volumes". This is however 3 mums picture the infinitesimal they each recovered retired their children had uncommon bosom conditions portion they were pregnant.

Louise Hubbard, Justine Ducker and Danielle Mann, from Norwich, connected aft Louise shared the communicative of some her daughters being diagnosed with congenital bosom disease.

The trio formed a enactment chat which became "a lifeline friendship" with their babies owed weeks isolated successful 2019.

Five years aboriginal the champion friends accidental they are similar a household and notation to themselves arsenic the "heart mummies" and their children arsenic the "heart babies".

During a scan, astatine astir 20 weeks pregnant, each the women retrieve being excited, anxious to spot their baby. But moments aboriginal their lives changed immeasurably arsenic an anomaly was spotted.

Each was told determination was a occupation with their baby's bosom and fixed urgent an referral to Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH).

For Louise, 33, it was the 2nd clip she had been fixed the "earth shattering" quality that her kid had congenital bosom illness truthful she decided to stock her story.

Her daughters Felicity, 13, and Florence, five, some person Tetralogy of Fallot, a information that causes 4 circumstantial changes to the heart.

She said: “With Felicity, societal media wasn’t astir and I felt precise alone, similar I was the lone idiosyncratic going done it.

"Congenital bosom illness wasn’t spoken astir arsenic much. After speaking to the section insubstantial Justine and Danielle saw the nonfiction and reached retired separately and we started messaging and got unneurotic arsenic a group.

"We formed specified a large relationship and enactment group, I people the girls arsenic family, we talk each day," she added.

She recalls however doctors had antecedently reassured her the information was improbable to beryllium contiguous if she had different child.

"So with Florence, erstwhile I’d been reassured it wouldn’t hap again I felt my satellite had shattered.

"The diagnosis for some was that they wouldn't survive. Being large and not knowing if they’re going to past was earth-shattering," she said.

All 3 women said the diagnoses impacted their pregnancies.

Louise says: "During gestation you consciousness similar you’re the lone 1 going done it. I felt precise sad, upset and recovered it hard to spot different large people.

"When you’re large you’re meant to enactment calm and accent escaped to support your babe healthy... that wasn’t the lawsuit for us.

"Anxiety and accent worries were each infinitesimal of each day.

"But the girls understood however I felt and adjacent successful the mediate of the nighttime we'd each beryllium up messaging each different to assistance get done the hard times," she adds.

Justine, 35, besides remembers the country going wholly soundless during her scan and successful that infinitesimal she instantly knew thing was wrong.

Her lad Rian, five, was diagnosed with a analyzable premix of conditions - a congenitally corrected transposition of the large arteries (CCTGA), a spread successful his heart, pulmonary stenosis and a implicit bosom block.

Justine says the enactment the women offered each different has been "priceless".

"I wouldn’t privation this connected anyone, it’s heartbreaking. We’re precise fortunate we person each other," she says.

"We went from 3 random girls who went from knowing thing astir each different to being truly astonishing friends.

"We’ve each been done truthful overmuch and we’ve each got antithetic journeys up but we are each close determination for each different and person our astonishing teams astatine GOSH to enactment america on the way.

"They are among my closest friends now. The relationship has been priceless, without them it would beryllium a truly lonely journey," she adds.

Danielle's girl Ruby, five, was besides diagnosed with Tetralogy of Fallot and had to person her archetypal country erstwhile she was conscionable 25 days old.

She said: "Not galore people, obviously, enactment it retired determination that they are going done that, truthful it is bully to person a relationship radical that tin subordinate to what you’re going done astatine each stage.

"Having idiosyncratic astatine the extremity of the phone, Louise been done it with Felicity to fto america cognize what we’ve got coming. It was a lifeline for the 2 of america who’d ne'er been to GOSH and didn’t cognize what it was about. She truly helped america on the travel we went through," the 30-year-old adds.

The mums person besides worked unneurotic to supply enactment to their children and assistance them recognize their conditions.

Louise says: "We ever notation to their bosom conditions arsenic they person peculiar hearts... that’s wherefore they person 'warrior scars'.

"Florence utilized to find her scar rather distressing but we tin subordinate to Rian and Ruby and accidental you person each got peculiar hearts and akin scars."

All the children look aboriginal surgeries and are regularly checked by clinicians astatine GOSH, including paediatric cardiologist Dr Florian Moenkemeyer, who has treated each three.

The mums person praised GOSH for its "invaluable support".

This twelvemonth each the women and their children are taking portion successful the RBC Race for the Kids to rise funds for GOSH connected October 12.

Louise says: “It’s going to beryllium other peculiar seeing our children jogging along. To spot Florence and Felicity moving with Rian and Ruby. Seeing them moving unneurotic is something, for me, I didn’t deliberation would happen."

Danielle adds moving the contention this twelvemonth is "more special".

"This volition beryllium the archetypal clip we volition each beryllium determination together, making it specified a meaningful occasion," she says.

"It’s a large milestone," Justine adds

The mums anticipation by highlighting however communal it is for babies to person congenital bosom disease, different parents successful their presumption volition not not consciousness alone.