A mum who was told her daughter would never walk or talk after catching a cold while pregnant has shared her joy after the brave child waved to her for the first time.
Minnie-Mae Farnell’s proud mother, Courtney, 23, said she was left “so emotional” after the baby looked at her from her bed and held out her arms to greet her.
Courtney even managed to capture the adorable moment on video, adding that it was a “milestone” for the bubbly three-year-old.
She said: “Minnie just said hi to me when I was three years old, she just said hi to me for the very first time. I’m so emotional.
“This is a big milestone for Minnie, the girl I was told would never move and have no quality of life.”
Courtney caught the common cytomegalovirus (CMV) – a virus that causes cold symptoms – eight weeks into her pregnancy, which was then passed on to Minnie-Mae.
The virus, which is transmitted through saliva, tears and urine, is usually harmless but can be fatal to unborn babies. Courtney believes she contracted the disease while caring for vulnerable people.
Courtney said she was told to have an abortion by doctors, but decided to continue with the pregnancy. Minnie-Mae was born in September 2019.
While Minnie-Mae suffers from anemia, stiffness, muscle weakness, epilepsy and severe brain damage, Courtney said she doesn’t regret her decision to keep her.
And after years of hospital visits, she said it was amazing to see her “smiling” and able to communicate with her mother in such a “happy” way.
(Courtney Farnell/SWNS)
Courtney said: ‘The baby they told me would never move was walking right in front of my eyes. I was told she would be blind, deaf, never walk or talk.
Look at it now. She is always smiling. She is still so happy. Minnie-Mae makes me proud in every way. »
Courtney, from Leeds, West Yorkshire, became pregnant in January 2019 and suffered early bleeding but was discharged as usual.
And a scan at 12 weeks revealed her unborn baby had fluid in her brain – a sign of CMV – but it quickly disappeared.
However, her next scan at 20 weeks revealed that “all was not right”, with little Minnie-Mae having severe brain damage and liver and kidney problems due to CMV.
The virus is responsible for cold sores and chickenpox, but only around 1 in 1,000 babies born in the UK each year will have permanent disability as a result.
(Courtney Farnell/SWNS)
But if a mother first catches it during her pregnancy, it can be transferred to the unborn baby and cause birth defects.
The only way to prevent CMV is to take hygiene precautions like washing your hands with soap and not sharing cutlery or cups with children.
Courtney said she faced an incredibly difficult dilemma when she found out the virus had passed to her baby but then decided to go ahead with the pregnancy.
She said: “They told me she would never breathe on her own. It was like, bang, something just hit my heart.
“They told me to terminate the pregnancy, that I was very young and would be her lifelong caregiver – but I was still a caregiver as a job, so I didn’t want to give up.
“Everyone was supportive of my decision to continue, but because none of them could ever understand the pain I felt, I think they felt embarrassed about what they could do.”
(Courtney Farnell/SWNS)
Courtney was induced at 34 weeks due to reduced movement, and Minnie-Mae was born on September 3, 2019 at 11:58 p.m., weighing just 2 pounds 4 ounces.
After nine hours she was taken off life support at St James University Hospital in Leeds and defied the odds to breathe on her own.
Since then, she has attended hundreds of hospital appointments with Minnie-Mae while working to spread awareness about CMV, especially to pregnant women.
Courtney said: ‘If you catch CMV in the first stage of pregnancy it can have horrific results.
“You can catch the virus from changing nappies and bottles, which I did regularly as a carer for children and adults, as well as not washing your hands.
“You don’t even notice it if you’re not pregnant, but nobody ever told me about it.
“I was mortified when I found out I could have caught the virus through my care work.”
0 Comments