A MUM has warned soon-to-be parents of a ‘common cold’ she caught while pregnant which left her daughter with severe brain damage.
Full-time carer Courtney Farnell, now 23, gave birth to her daughter after contracting common cytomegalovirus (CMV).
SWNSCourtney and her daughter Minnie-Mae[/caption]
SWNSDoctors said Minnie-Mae would have “no quality of life”[/caption]
SWNSMinnie-Mae, now three, has waved for the very first time[/caption]
The Leeds mum said “nobody” warned about the dangers of CMV – or how easy it is to catch.
The bug causes cold-like symptoms in kids and adults.
It’s usually harmless, but can be fatal to unborn babies, and Courtney unwittingly caught it when she was eight weeks pregnant.
Two to three babies every single day are born with the disease – and it’s one of the main causes of childhood disability and a leading cause of hearing loss.
Doctors suggested the mum abort the pregnancy as the baby would “never move or have any quality of life”.
“I was told she would be blind, deaf, never walk or talk,” the mum explained.
But Courtney decided to keep the baby and gave birth to Minnie-Mae prematurely on the September 3 2019 – when she weighed just 2lbs 4oz.
After nine hours, she was taken off life support in St James’s University Hospital, Leeds, and defied the odds to breathe on her own.
Minnie-Mae – now three – suffers from anaemia, stiffness, muscle weakness, epilepsy and severe brain damage – but Courtney said she doesn’t regret her decision to keep her.
And after years of hospital visits, the tot has begun to wave on her own, which Courtney said is a “massive milestone”.
She said it is incredible to see her “smiling” and able to communicate with her mum in such a “happy” way.
Despite the good news, the mum-of-one is warning other mums-to-be take precautions to protect themselves whilst they’re pregnant.
“If you catch the CMV in the first stage of pregnancy it can have horrific outcomes.
“You can catch the virus through changing nappies and bottles, that I was doing regularly as a carer for both kids and adults, as well as just not washing your hands.
“You don’t even notice it if you’re not pregnant, but nobody ever warned me about it.”
How to prevent catching a cold
A person with a cold can start spreading it from a few days before their symptoms begin until the symptoms have finished. The best ways to avoid catching a cold are:
washing your hands with warm water and soap
not sharing towels or household items (like cups) with someone who has a cold
not touching your eyes or nose in case you have come into contact with the virus – it can infect the body this way
staying fit and healthy
Source: NHS