At nine months, Leo was still acting like a newborn. The truth broke his mum's heart.

After an uncomplicated pregnancy, Sara was loving her newborn bubble with her second child, Leo. But as months passed, the expected babble and milestones never came.

At nine months old, Leo was still acting like a newborn.

"He was still just like a potato," Sara told Mamamia. "He wasn't crawling, wasn't trying to stand up, wasn't sitting, so all those typical milestones that you would see in a typical child were just severely delayed."

When Sara raised her concerns, loved ones dismissed them as "boys are a bit slower".

But she knew in her gut something was wrong.

Healthcare professionals agreed. Sara began working with specialists and Leo was diagnosed with cerebral palsy. But genetic testing and MRI scans both came back inconclusive.

Finally, almost two years after Leo was born, a newborn blood panel revealed the cause: congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV).

Sara with Leo and his siblings. Image: Supplied.

CMV is the virus no one talks about. A member of the common herpes virus family, it is generally harmless to healthy individuals. But if a pregnant woman contracts it, especially in the first trimester, her unborn baby risks lifelong disabilities or even death.

Sara thought she'd done everything right during pregnancy.

"Don't drink and be careful with your cheese and don't eat this… but don't worry about this," she said.

But no one ever warned her about CMV.

It's 30 times more common than listeria. It affects over 2,000 Australian babies each year, leaving one in five with lifelong disabilities including cerebral palsy, deafness, or death.

Yet only 14 per cent of women aged 20-40 are aware of it, according to a 2023 national survey.

Just one in 10 maternal staff routinely discuss it with pregnant mothers.

For Sara, that's not good enough.

"If I had of known when I was pregnant with Leo, I definitely would've been educated and been able to put precautions in place, especially with a kid at daycare," she said.

A young Leo. Image: Supplied.

Stopping the spread.

CMV is spread by close contact with bodily fluids, explained University of Sydney obstetrician Dr Antonia Shand.

"Most commonly, it's when you might get somebody's saliva in your mouth, particularly small children," she told Mamamia.

"They often catch it from each other from their body fluids at child care and then their mums or dads catch it from them by sharing drink bottles or sharing food or sharing cutlery or kissing on the lips and so the children's saliva gets in the mum's mouth."

For more on CMV in pregnancy, listen to The Kick. Post continues below.

According to Dr Shand, about one in three children in NSW childcare centres have the virus. Most people won't even know they're infected.

"If you just happen to get it in the first part of the pregnancy, that's when it's a problem," she said.

"You've got a one in three chance of transmitting it to your unborn baby. And of those unborn babies, about one in three will have a problem from the infection.

"Babies can get really, really sick both in utero and after birth with the infection, so it's quite serious."

Leo is progressing daily thanks to therapies he receives through Cerebral Palsy Alliance. Image: Supplied.

Today, Leo lives with cerebral palsy, profound hearing loss in one ear, and developmental delays. He took his first steps at 23 months and is progressing daily thanks to the therapies he receives through the Cerebral Palsy Alliance.

Sara considers him one of the lucky ones.

"There are so many other families and children impacted so severely that it's crazy how it's not talked about," she said.

Dr Shand's advice for pregnant women, especially in the first trimester, is simple: don't share.

"When you're in the first three months of pregnancy, you shouldn't be sharing food, drink bottles, cutlery, dummies with small children," she said.

Wash your hands. Be careful when kissing children. Opt for forehead kisses instead of on the lips.

Sara's message to other parents is clear: educate yourselves as soon as you know you're pregnant.

"It's not hard to put an extra three letters on those pregnancy handouts," she said.

For Sara, Leo's story proves children with CMV can still live happy, fulfilled lives — but prevention starts with awareness.

"Why didn't anyone tell me?" shouldn't be a question any parent has to ask.

For more information on CMV, visit Cerebral Palsy Alliance: cerebralpalsy.org.au.

Feature image: Supplied.