Holden James Keenan was born on April 11, 2020, at 3:23 AM at 30 weeks and 4 days gestation. Holden passed away at 5:59 AM the same day. At my anatomy scan the doctor said my baby had fluid in his stomach and requested I get an amniocentesis, which unfortunately came back as positive for CMV. From this point on we had countless appointments: MRIs, blood work, sonograms, a procedure where a 22 gauge needle is placed into my uterus and his stomach to drain the fluid, all in hope his lungs would continue to develop. I also started taking Valganciclovir. I knew the odds were not in his favor when they found it mid pregnancy. My doctor said he had a 5% chance of survival in the womb and didn’t think he would survive delivery. At my 30 week appointment my doctor was shocked that he was still kicking, moving with normal heart beats. 4 days later he was born, then later passed. The doctors did all they could to save him but he was almost 100% reliant on oxygen. I know he is no longer in pain and at peace. I wish I knew about CMV and had testing so this could have been prevented and my son could have been here with me today.
-Amanda Keenan (Natick, MA)