When parents are told that their child has a congenital heart defect and become heart parents, this is a lot to take in.
You will have to process this information and the emotions that come with it for yourself, with your partner and as a family in order to be able to accept the new situation.
Remember that you and your partner are both experiencing the same emotional trauma, but people deal with this state of shock in different ways. While one parent might need and seek emotional support from their partner, their partner might not have the capacity to offer that support as they struggle themselves.
Everyone processes trauma differently – in different ways and at different times.
It is completely normal if one parent needs more time than the other. The time it takes to work through all the emotions and thoughts you have and to reach a stage of acceptance depends on your personality as well as circumstances, e.g. when the diagnosis was made (during pregnancy, after the birth or later), whether the baby needs surgery, treatment plans and prognosis. Both parents might also react differently based on their background, such as age, education and religion, or their personality. It is therefore impossible to predict how someone responds to and deals with a CHD diagnosis for their child.