Amber,

Congratulations on the birth of your daughter.  Don’t let her CAH overshadow this wonderful time.  Enjoy your daughter as much as you can.  Like with any birth you will be exhausted at first so that will only make you feel more overwhelmed.  I’ve said many times that God only gives us what we can handle and I really believe that.  I have a son who is now 9 with CAH  He was diagnosed at 4 days old and it was very overwhelming at first.  The meds made him want to eat all the time and I felt like I had no time to myself.  But once you get through the early stages it really does get easier.  My son lives a very normal life and does everything that all kids his age do.  I also have an older daughter who is non-CAH and we don’t treat them any differently.  I think the best piece of advice is to trust your instincts and stay calm.  My husband and I have always said that we would try hard to stay focused and not overreact to everything because this is our life now.  Sometimes I have to talk myself through staying grounded and not worrying more than I might otherwise if he didn’t have this condition.  But at the end of the day he really is okay.  He’s not missing a limb, blind or deaf.  So he has to take meds everyday, big deal.  Just learn all you can so that you can be your daughters best advocate and you will do fine.  Don’t try to do it all alone either.  Let others help you if they offer.

Good luck and keep us posted

Judy