chickenpox

Saralee4

There is chickenpox going round in my toddlers creche.

I was in the local shop too and overheard a mother talking about how her son who was with her had it.

I'm a bit freaked out, at 25 weeks pregnant and I never had it as a child.

I looked up on the Internet and it said that you should contact your gp if you have been in the same room for 15 mins with someone who has it. I know googling is the worst and I don't want to a hypercondriac ringing the doctor when nothing has happened and I feel perfectly fine. Just wondering if anyone knows of any precautions I should take to protect myself, my unborn baby and my toddler?

Nead21

Saralee4 wrote: »

There is chickenpox going round in my toddlers creche.

I was in the local shop too and overheard a mother talking about how her son who was with her had it.

I'm a bit freaked out, at 25 weeks pregnant and I never had it as a child.

I looked up on the Internet and it said that you should contact your gp if you have been in the same room for 15 mins with someone who has it. I know googling is the worst and I don't want to a hypercondriac ringing the doctor when nothing has happened and I feel perfectly fine. Just wondering if anyone knows of any precautions I should take to protect myself, my unborn baby and my toddler?

I'd definitely be contacting my GP to let them that you may been exposed to it. There's a vaccine you can get but not sure if it's offered during pregnancy.

I wouldnt worry about sounding like a hypochondriac. It's better than worrying yourself silly at home. I'd be interested to hear what they say.

Saralee4

Nead21 wrote: »

I'd definitely be contacting my GP to let them that you may been exposed to it. There's a vaccine you can get but not sure if it's offered during pregnancy.

I wouldnt worry about sounding like a hypochondriac. It's better than worrying yourself silly at home. I'd be interested to hear what they say.

Yea i think I will give him a call tomorrow! Better safe than sorry. He might recommend I take my toddler out of the creche for a couple of weeks or something like that or get the vaccine for myself and toddler! I'll let ye know what they say.

2xj3hplqgsbkym

If you never had chicken pox your gp or hospital can do a test to see if you are immune. If your immune it's not a problem , if you aren't i think you can get the vaccine.

Saralee4

thanks rosebush

yea I just read about it there and there is something you can get immunoglobin antibodies or something like that injected when pregnant to prevent it but you must get it I think within four days of contact.

they don't do the test to see if you are immune in the current hospital im having my baby in but when i had my first child, they did and they confirmed to me that i was not immune and i know my parents have always said that i never had it despite being exposed to it by other children as a child.

I called my gp this morning so im just waiting to hear back from him. Hopefully i can get some kind of preventative injection and get my toddler vaccinated too.

Saralee4

spoke to doctor today and unfortunately he said that I cant have anything done to prevent it at this stage so I just have to hope for the best.

after this pregnancy im definitely going to get vaccinated!

I forgot to ask about a vaccine for my toddler but someone else mentioned that they sometimes get sick after the vaccine so that probably wouldn't be an option either and by the time I arranged to have the vaccine done, the outbreak at the crèche would probably be done.

Sligo1

Saralee4 wrote: »

spoke to doctor today and unfortunately he said that I cant have anything done to prevent it at this stage so I just have to hope for the best.

after this pregnancy im definitely going to get vaccinated!

I forgot to ask about a vaccine for my toddler but someone else mentioned that they sometimes get sick after the vaccine so that probably wouldn't be an option either and by the time I arranged to have the vaccine done, the outbreak at the crèche would probably be done.

Saralee you might want to double check why that doctor said. Was he/she an obstetrician? The obstetricians I know would administer immunoglobulin to a pregnant woman who came into contact with the chicken pox virus and was not immune to same.

Saralee4

Sligo1 wrote: »

Saralee you might want to double check why that doctor said. Was he/she an obstetrician? The obstetricians I know would administer immunoglobulin to a pregnant woman who came into contact with the chicken pox virus and was not immune to same.

I know Sligo, that's what I read on the internet but he said that at this time in my pregnancy that there wasn't anything that could be done! So maybe it has something to do with administering it now at 25 weeks, I don't know.

I rang my hospital first and they told me to contact him and that's what he said.

Sligo1

Saralee4 wrote: »

I know Sligo, that's what I read on the internet but he said that at this time in my pregnancy that there wasn't anything that could be done! So maybe it has something to do with administering it now at 25 weeks, I don't know.

I rang my hospital first and they told me to contact him and that's what he said.

Ok maybe the gestation time does have something to do with it. If you want to double check tho you could always ring a different hospital and ask what their policy is. Like holles St or the Coombe etc.

Saralee4

good thinking Sligo!

Jerrica

I second Sligo1 - it's also possible to take antiviral drugs during pregnancy, I had to for about ten weeks - it's not ideal, but it's necessary if you've potentially been exposed to a virus that can cause congenital difficulties. My obstetrician was great to talk to about it. Not sure if it's applicable to cp but definitely worth putting in the call

Saralee4

Called another hospital and they said what they would do is bring me back in for another test to see if I have become immune since my last test.

So got onto my own hospital and they said they will arrange that but no talk of any preventative action.

One thing I'm confused about is one said that when I was in the shop and the boy with chicken pox was there, because he knew he had it that it wasn't contagious (i thought it was contagious until the last blister was gone completely)

then they said that I don't need to be treated because my toddler doesn't have it. That means I'd have to wait until I knew she had it which would mean she would have been contagious before i knew she had it. Doesnt make sense to me. So I'd have already been exposed and possibly infected before taking preventative action. It's confusing.

I've done all I can and although some of the advice is conflicting, none of them are recommending any treatment so i suppose thats the norm. Fingers crossed I have become immune to it in the last couple of years (even though I didn't have any contact or catch it in that time).

Sligo1

Tbh it's very strange your hospital didn't do a blood titre check for chicken pox virus when you Had your pregnancy bloods done. Very unusual if I'm honest...

Nead21

My sister in law just told me her daughter has it. My son was playing with her Sunday and Monday. Now I'm really hoping he doesn't get it. I'm 26 weeks pregnant and did have it when I was 23. Do you I still need to check if I have immunity? I feel a bit stupid but I can't help but worrying.

2xj3hplqgsbkym

No once you had it yourself it is fine.

Jerrica

Nead21 wrote: »

My sister in law just told me her daughter has it. My son was playing with her Sunday and Monday. Now I'm really hoping he doesn't get it. I'm 26 weeks pregnant and did have it when I was 23. Do you I still need to check if I have immunity? I feel a bit stupid but I can't help but worrying.

You should be absolutely fine once you've had it but ring the hospital and they'll tell you if you have immunity, as far as I know it's tested for routinely in all pregnant women.

Saralee4

Jerrica wrote: »

You should be absolutely fine once you've had it but ring the hospital and they'll tell you if you have immunity, as far as I know it's tested for routinely in all pregnant women.

its definitely not tested in the hospital that i'm with now routinely. it was tested in the hospital that I was in with my first child in Dublin though so its probably routine in Dublin.

The 20 week scan isn't even routine in a lot of hospitals outside Dublin.

Nead21

Contacted my GP surgery this morning and the nurse said hospitals routinely check for it when they do the bloods at the booking appointment. She told me to ring the hospital to check the results. I finally got through to a midwife and she said they actually don't check anymore. It's only checked for if there is a specific request at the booking appointment. Anyway she is making contact with immunology (I think) to thaw out my blood sample and do a check. If I ring back tomorrow I should have the results.

Nead21

The midwife rang me back this morning and I am immune. Phew.