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Bronwen Leary Case

Decent Essays

By Kyla-Jayne Rajah

Bronwen Leary is a special kind of Mum. She is the parent who would rather be a stay-at-home mum than send her child to just any childcare centre. Lucky for first son, Ryan, she loved Altona North Children’s Centre, believing it far surpassed some of the other ten centres she visited. In fact, this centre has been a boon for her family, but since the management will soon be outsourced, she has begun to worry the quality of care for her children might be reduced.

When Bronwen was 13 weeks pregnant with her second child, Sarah, she was advised she fell into the high risk category of having a baby with Down Syndrome. The family decided to forego further tests knowing they would continue the pregnancy regardless. However, concerns began to emerge at the 20weeks gestation ultrasound that the unborn baby could have a hole in its heart. The family were referred to a cardiologist and paediatrician for further investigation, but no obvious signs of Down Syndrome, or a hole, were confirmed. The family knew such advice held no guarantee, yet still were surprised to discover 6 weeks after Sarah’s birth she had a Complete Atrioventricular Septal Defect – a condition that requires surgical repair to the heart. …show more content…

She didn’t know when they’d be scheduled for Sarah’s heart repair, as this depended on the strength of the baby and the priority of emergencies at the Royal Children’s Hospital, but incredibly, her concerns were alleviated by the coordinator and her team. “They always found a place for Ryan,” she recalls, “to the point where the coordinator emailed parents to ask if they could notify her if their child was not attending that

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