Listen to Kristy’s first birth interview in episode 323 here.

“We got diagnosed at our 20-week scan that she had something called TGA, which meant that we got told she had to have open heart surgery within the first week of her life. So in terms of pregnancy, it’s just been an absolute whirlwind of a different story to Kylo all together,” Kristy shares.

The pregnancy journey was emotionally challenging, particularly after their earlier loss. “I think it was hard because you hear it so often when people say it’s an early miscarriage… but I think it’s still hard because, in my mind, I was like, Kylo will be this age like this is where we will be in life. You already processed the milestones.”

Their care was transferred to the public system at King Edward Hospital to ensure specialised care for Ren’s condition. Kristy describes TGA as having two closed circuits in the heart: “Deoxygenated blood is consistently going to the body, and the oxygenated blood is consistently just going through the lungs. So she’s never actually getting oxygen to her organs.”

The birth itself was dramatically different from her first experience. While Kylo’s birth involved an effective epidural, Ren’s birth became intensely challenging when the epidural failed to provide relief. “I felt within about 30 seconds, the pain that I felt, it was zero to 100 so quickly… it felt like a rod was going through my pelvic bone and out through my spine.”

Despite the intense pain and complications with medical interventions, Kristy found strength in the experience: “It was so empowering in a way, even though again, I was in my pain bubble. I just knew what I had to do. And it was such a different experience to Kylo. And even though Kylo’s was easier, I think I would do Ren’s birth again because I just felt like I knew what I was doing.”

After her birth, Ren was immediately taken to the NICU before being transferred to Perth Children’s Hospital by ambulance. “They even shut down the NICU ward at Perth Children’s Hospital for Ren to come in and have a procedure… they put a balloon into her heart and they opened a hole in her heart to allow more blood circulation.”

Now three months old, Ren is thriving despite the challenges of her early weeks. “She’s doing, honestly, amazingly. We were in hospital for a month… you wouldn’t even know she has a heart issue apart from obviously her little scar. She’s such a happy chilled baby.”

The journey has been transformative for Kristy as a mother: “With with Ren, I was so nervous… but honestly, since coming home I think she’s just blown me away with how much she’s gone through and dealt with. I think it’s just made me feel like well, she can do this, I can do this, we can do this together.”

Their story is a powerful reminder of maternal resilience and the strength of modern medical interventions in supporting babies with congenital heart conditions. Despite the emotional and physical challenges of pregnancy after loss, a challenging birth, and navigating their baby’s heart surgery, Kristy and her family have emerged stronger, celebrating their daughter’s progress while managing ongoing medical care with grace and gratitude.