Meet Pippa

• Baby Saves

• 01.20.20

“When I was 20 weeks pregnant, we were told that our baby’s brain was not developing normally. We did an amniocentesis and were told that the baby was infected with Cytomegalovirus (CMV). CMV is a common virus and is usually harmless in the general population, but if a pregnant woman catches the virus and passes it onto the unborn child, the effects can be severe. We were told our child could be born perfectly healthy, or could have a host of complications and permanent disability.

We pursued CMV treatment during the pregnancy at the University of Minnesota, where we traveled to get the treatments. During the treatments I had to be admitted to the hospital for observation. When I was 34 weeks pregnant we were in the hospital getting treatment when I started having difficulty getting my daily kick count done. I was worried and even hesitated calling for the nurse because it was the middle of the night. I ended up calling the nurse and the doctor came to check on the baby. The baby “failed” her non-stress test. The doctor told us that she was concerned and that we should consider delivering immediately. We agreed. When Pippa was born via Cesarean section shortly after, she had a true knot in her umbilical cord.

Pippa is 4 now, and we cannot imagine life without her. She is so sweet, and funny. She loves to go for walks outside. We try to tell everyone we meet about the importance of CMV and kick counting! Pippa has permanent disabilities from CMV, but kick-counting saved her life.” -Amanda D., Pippa’s mom