Have you heard of CMV?

Have you heard of the disabling virus? Well chances are your answer is no. Well neither had I until my precious foster baby was diagnosed with it at age 2 weeks.

When baby BB came to us, he was 2 days old and was thought to be a healthy newborn. Little did I know he was sick...really sick. It took me just a couple of days to figure out something wasn't right. He couldn't suck a bottle well. It would take him hours to drink 2-3 ozs....even with several holes in the nipple. By the time I got him fed, it was time to make him another bottle. His soft spot sunk in twice from dehydration. He was jaundiced...he still is. He had a really tiny head and a low birth weight for a baby born only 3 weeks early. His head was tiny but his tummy was huge. It looked like if you touched his tummy that it would pop...his liver & spleen were swollen and still are.  He had low blood levels. His blood platelets were off...they still are. He  started breaking out in hemangiomas and now has 50+ from head to toe. He had other strange body movements like rolling of eyes, shaking his head from side to side (over and over), not responding to noises, no eye contact, balling up his fists until they would turn purple, pulling his arms as far behind his back and holding them there, turning his neck as far backwards as possible (over and over), having a stiff body (when he should be curled up), etc

He is now 2 months old. 
Since coming to us he has been through lots of testing...

He has been in four hospitals.
He has seen numerous doctors.
He has been seen by the CDC.
He has had several sets of labs.
He has had 2 ultrasounds.
He has had a spinal tap.
He has had a CT scan.
He has been seen by an opthamologist, infectious disease doctor, GI doctor, a neurologist, and a audiologist.
He is being considered for an experimental drug.
Babies Can't Wait is on his team now along with 3 therapist
He is also on a waiting list for CMS.
....As I said, I've been one VERY busy foster mom:)

He is now waiting for his next trip to be approved by medicaid for an MRI of his brain and digestive system and an audio test of his hearing. These will be performed at Egleston Children's hospital in Atlanta.

This little guy has been through a lot. He has a long road ahead of him. We won't know until he is older just exactly how much damage may have been done.

If you are an expecting mom or a future expecting mom PLEASE learn all you can about CMV. Every expecting mom is at risk of this infection.  No OB/GYN will tell you about and they do not test you for it. However,it is the leading cause of childhood disability. Thousands of children are born with it every year and 1 in 5 will be permanently disabled. No child should EVER have to go through what our little guy and many other children have.

Please take the time to learn about it.
www.stopcmv.org
http://congenitalcmvfoundation.org/index.htm

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Trust in the LORD with all thine heart;and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him,and he will direct thy paths. ~Proverbs 3:5-6