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Find bereavement help and support from other Mumsnetters.

Find bereavement help and support from other Mumsnetters.

Bereavement

friend's baby lost at 20 weeks - slapped cheek

21 replies

hana · 02/12/2006 01:04

just found out some autopsy results from a friend who lost her first baby at 20 weeks - she had come itno contack with someone who had 5th disease - slapped cheek syndrome. this was back in the summer, but i still can't stop thinkikng about her and her hubby.
she's a teacher so was prob one of her students
feel so sad still, baby was due this month

OP posts:

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HunkerTheInternetPhenomenon · 02/12/2006 01:07

Oh, poor, poor thing It's such a devastating thing when the wrong person gets it, Fifths Caused crippling arthritis for me for two years - but that's as nothing compared to your friend. Thinking of her, and for the baby who should have been born this month.

merrylissiemas · 02/12/2006 01:10

so so sorry,

xmasmummy · 02/12/2006 14:40

what is fifth disease?

cupcakes · 02/12/2006 14:49

I came into contact with it earlier this year- just as I conceived. Was diagnosed with a missed miscarriage 12 weeks later.

HonorMAGIpoeia · 02/12/2006 15:19

As a teacher who is hoping to try for another in the new year, this petrifies me but unfortunately, by the time the rash appears they've already passed through their most contagious stage. Short of giving up work I don't know what to do. I'm so, so sorry for your friend

xmasmummy · 02/12/2006 17:16

can anyone tell me what it is please?

Twiglett · 02/12/2006 17:18

its a mild viral illness that makes kids feel poorly, hot and have red cheeks (looking like slapped cheeks) for a couple of days

but is obviously dangerous for unborn children

LIZS · 02/12/2006 17:23

However most adults would have already come into contact with it at some point and probably not realised, perhaps having "a touch of flu", which should make them immune. Not sure if you can be tested for this though.

Very for your friend Hana, how tragic.

arsenelupin · 03/12/2006 11:06

Sorry for your friend, Hana. I'm 90 percent sure my mc at 11 weeks was caused by my DD's slapped cheek. Sadly my rubbish NHS authority lost my blood test and never bothered to chase it up (despite 2 requests - I got the feeling I was put into a 'hysterical woman wants to know too much about her body' category). Sheer bad luck.

hana · 03/12/2006 11:07

i know, thanks everyone. think its one of those things you really can't do anything about i mean in tersm of shutting yourself away for 9 months.
sorry cupcake for your m/c
hope thye are ready to try agian soon

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xmasmummy · 03/12/2006 19:04

i dont think i have ever seen this slapped cheek thingy

AbbyLou · 03/12/2006 19:21

I'm a teacher and currently 17 weeks pregnant with my 2nd child. I worry about this a lot and di worry with my first too. I hope it's true that you get immune if you've had it though. I had it about 3 years ago and it was horrible. I had Human Parvo Virus from it - I've never lived down the time I had 'dog's disease'!! It also caused reactive athritis and I was out of action for ages. It is a harmless virus in children but can be serious in adults, especially pregnant ones.

Glassofwine · 03/12/2006 19:24

When my dd was in her previous school she got it, I looked i up on the net and promptly told the school that it was a danger to pg women. A couple of days went by without one of those warning letters or notices, so I asked the teacher who said that the Head said it wasn't important. I went mad, one of my friends had just had a miscarriage, phoned the head and they still didn't bother to inform parents.

HunkerTheInternetPhenomenon · 03/12/2006 19:36

AbbyLou, I had the same. I was crippled by it - literally - for two years.

hana · 04/12/2006 08:08

glass of wine, how awful
sim thing with my sister in law - she informed head that she wawas preg v early on as she had lot sof problmes conceiving and wanted to be v carefuol around childnre ( she's alsp a primary teacher) weeks go by and another teacher told her about slapped cheek going aroudn the schhol - there were 12 students in her class alone affected!! but head didn't inform sil ( she worked part time) so lucky that she was ok.
My friend said she was immune now, fingers crossed for nex titme

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hana · 04/12/2006 08:08

2 years hunker - thats' awful as well

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brimfull · 04/12/2006 08:17

gosh I didn't realise that slapped cheek caused miscarriages
I'm sure I'm not the only one unaware,should be more publilc awareness about this I think,if the consequences are so aswful.

ProfYaffle · 04/12/2006 08:26

I had no idea it was so serious! It was going round dd's nursery around the time I had my m/c earlier this year. I'm 27 weeks now and thankfully they've not had a case for months and months.

Marina · 05/12/2006 11:08

It only affects people up to 20 weeks I am told, and only if you have not already had it.
I had an unexplained stillbirth at 21 weeks and slapped cheek was one of the things checked for in our post mortem (it wasn't this).
Unfortunately I was not checked for immunity myself as part of the follow-ups...and then when pregnant again, came into contact with it at 19 weeks
so was screened. My bloods showed immunity thank goodness - my consultant at the time said it was usual for people born and raised in the UK to be immune through having had it as a child. But not always, as hunker's experiences show
I really think all pregnant women should be checked for this at their first bloods, frankly. Surely it is more of an actual risk than undagnosed syphilis, for which you are routinely screened?
And then if found not to be immune, given careful advice about how to proceed.
Babies don't necessarily die from exposure to this illness in the womb, but they have to be carefully monitored, and may possibly need treatment before birth in some cases.
I am so very sorry for your friend hana, this is an avoidable cause of late miscarriage and stillbirth

hoxtonchick · 05/12/2006 11:34

sorry for your friend, hana.

ds had suspected slapped cheek when i was 19 weeks pregnant with dd. he & i both had to have blood tests & it turned out he didn't have it, but i wasn't immune. tbh, i was quite impressed with the gp's reaction, i thought she'd think i was a hysterical pg woman. i think it's a problem if you catch it before 20 weeks of pregnancy.

ProfYaffle · 06/12/2006 11:22

Well I took dd to nursery this morning - guess what's going round? I'm really glad i saw this thread though, at least I know I'm safe at almost 28 weeks and if I had been earlier on i would have known the implications and kept dd off for a while.

Thanks for sharing your friend's story Hana.

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