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Reese's Story
"As a mother who knew I'd had CMV in the first trimester, and later knew it had been transmitted to my growing baby, I scoured the internet for any and all information about this virus I'd never heard of..."
What I found was terrifying. I'm here to share a positive story, in the hopes that one day we will test women for their CMV status and have a possible treatment for this common virus.
I started feeling sick about 10 or 11 weeks into my pregnancy. Everything could have been brushed off as typical symptoms of pregnancy (exhaustion, mild nausea, etc.), however I also had fevers and night sweats. I told my OB/GYN about the fevers, who then talked to a maternal fetal medicine specialist regarding what needed to be done, if anything. We are very blessed that conversation took place, and are convinced that it is why my story is different than others posted here.
Since I also had an 18 month-old in daycare at the time, the doctor suggested testing me for CMV and parvovirus, which are apparently quite rampant in daycare settings. The test came back positive for CMV, of course. They then decided to run an "avidity" test, to see if this was a recent infection, and that test indicated that it was not only recent, but also a primary infection. If you've read anything at all about CMV in pregnant women, you know this was the scariest news we could have received. I not only had CMV in the first trimester, but it was my first time having had it.
My team of doctors sprang into action with research and planning that I'm convinced saved my baby's life. Within a week of diagnosis I was receiving CMV specific IVIG infusions, which I would continue to receive every month until delivery. When amniocentesis showed that little Reese had indeed contracted the virus from me, the dosage went up. I also had ultrasounds every two weeks and a fetal echocardiogram to make sure everything looked normal.
Reese was born on August 4, 2010 with plenty of planning in place to handle whatever problems she had. With no obvious symptoms, she was tested again and was indeed positive for congenital CMV infection. In the first week of her life, she had bloodwork, hearing exams, eye exams, and a head CT scan. Everything was normal. She will continue to have regular hearing and eye exams for several years to make sure no antiviral treatment is needed.
We cannot, of course, be sure that the infusions helped her fight the virus, but certainly more research is needed. Reese is today a thriving 3 month old with no signs of illness. We understand that we are not out of the woods yet, but we feel incredibly blessed each day that she continues to develop normally.
- Shared by her mother, Lee