Posted on 02/03/2003 11:45:25 AM PST by Aggie Mama
As some of you know, I'm due with #3 in June.
My son picked up Fifth's Disease (a virus) from school over Christmas. Although it causes a rash and tummy upset for older children, for pregnant women it can be dangerous to the unborn baby.
Well, I managed to contract the virus and I have to go for weekly ultrasounds to make sure the baby doesn't become anemic.
At last Friday's ultrasound all of the physical body properties look good; however, the doctor said that the baby definitely shows signs that he has had the virus.
There was no swelling around the heart and the heart itself looked fine, but when he measured the bloodflow in the brain, it was elevated. Apparently, that is a sign that something is going on with the bone marrow, which is what the parvovirus affects. I asked him if this could cause brain damage to the baby, and he said absolutely not. What happens is, if the anemia is left untreated it causes the baby to go into heart/kidney failure. So, it was a positive sign that the baby's heart & kidneys looked good, but that we have to be very cautious b/c the baby is showing signs of having the virus attack his bone marrow.
He told us that his gut feeling was that the baby was coming off the infection and that we had seen the worst of it, but so much depends upon when exactly I was infected with the virus. I go back to see him next Wednesday, and that will give us a better picture if the baby is getting over the infection or heading into the worst of it.
If the baby begins heart failure, then we do a blood transfusion. The specialist said he did one just yesterday, so I guess it's a bit more common than what I thought. He didn't think that this was headed in that direction, but he's concerned enough to have me come back next week for another ultrasound.
Please keep the baby in your prayers. I go through periods where I am really at peace and okay, and then I get kind of panicky -- there's nothing I can do except pray.
Aggie Mama
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