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Kaleb's Story
"Hello. My son Kaleb was born April 22, 2011 @ 37 weeks and 2 days via c-section..."
I had a high risk pregnancy due to gestational diabetes and high blood pressure. There was nothing up to that point that prepared me for what was next.
I went to a scheduled fetal assesment appointment and they noticed that he was not moving as much and I had low fluid in the placenta surrounding the baby so they ended up keeping me to deliver. The doctors assumed that he was going to be a big baby due to my diagnosis and my previous son was 9.5 oz and the ultrasounds didn't indicate a problem beforehand. When he was born he was only 4.9 oz but they didn't notice right off the back that he had an infection until he was sent to the NICU due to the fact his glucose levels kept dropping. They checked his crp levels and it was a 8.9 which indicated he had some type of infection going on (normal crp is 0.1 or less).
A couple days later they told me his brain had shrinkage and 2 small cysts in his brain and he had a low platelet count and jaundice but he was still coming home because some people have that problem and don't know it and live all their life without knowing it.
The day I was supposed to bring Kaleb home the NICU contacted me and left a message that he wouldn't be able to because he needs to be started on some medication. I called back and they told me that he had a virus called CMV. I had never heard of it before and when I got off the phone all I could do was scream and cry and ask God why me? He was started on ganciclovir and is still currently on it with one week left.
Kaleb is now 8 pounds and seems to be doing fine other than his low platelets but I know we have a long road ahead of us. I hate this virus but I love my son no matter what. I am scared for what may lie ahead for him but I have the faith we will fight this together.
- Shared by his mother, Kimberly