Toxo, Lambing and ttc??

[Merrz]

I realise i'm probably in the minority here but wondered if anyone could help?
My husband is a sheep farmer and lambing time is approaching, I know lambing ewes/new born lambs should be avoided during pregnancy because they carry the risk of Toxoplasmosis. I had hoped to be pregnant well before now so I definitley couldn't help with lambing and we would hire in help but since i'm not pregnant we don't want to hire in help unnecessarily. Should I stop ttc for now until lambing is over in case I do get bfp or are the risks minimal, any advise would be appreciated?

[Dolwar]

If your DH is a sheep farmer and you've been helping with lambing in the past you've probably already had toxo without realising, it's a mild cold-like illness in the vast majority of people. It only causes issue if you catch it for the first time when pregnant.

I would go to your GP, explain the situation and ask for testing for toxo immunoglobulins to see if you have already had it.

I am in a similar situation and I havve had cats almost my entire life so I'm 99% positive I'll have already had toxo although I will check with the gp at some point

[Brownbear84]

I work at a farming college and we all HAVE to work lambing Sunday and I will be around 10-11 weeks in gona get a note of the doctor to say I can't work it xx

[DailyMaileatmyshit]

I'm from a farming community. All the farmers wives I know avoid lambing when pregnant.

[Merrz]

Thanks for your replies.
Dolwar Ahh i didn't realise that, well I grew up on a farm and have helped with lambing for as long's i can remember and have also always had cats so there's a good chance i've already had it then. I'll speak to my GP, thanks.

[JDevon]

Hi Merrz
We will start lambing and calving in March, all being well I will be 10/11 weeks pregnant at the start, 16-18 weeks at the end.
My OH's father is poorly so we will have 2 flocks 30mins drive apart to lamb, so I will need to be around but we have decided that I will not help with any deliveries/mucking out/prolapses/newborns/anything gunky. But I will help with feeding, looking after the bottle lambs and keep an eye on the flock. I will have to call for help (friendly neighbours who have been trained) if OH is away at the other farm and we have an emergency or just be really careful!
We have set up hot hand washing in lambing barn and disinfecting for waterproofs and boots plus I am going to wear disposable gloves up there and regularly disinfect hurdles and door handles etc... and use Dettol laundry detergent to frequently wash our clothes.
Also I am going to get a toxo blood test before to know if I am immune but it is not just toxo but Chlamydia, Ecoli and Listeria that worry me.
Have thought long and hard about how much to get involved and the associated risks, think we can be careful. Read Tommy's.org website, really helpful. And there is another feed on Mumsnet from 2016 I found really helpful to inform my decision making: Lambing, Farmers, Pregnant.
Love to know what you decide... pretty certain we have made the right decision for our set up.

[Merrz]

JDevon Hi, thanks for your reply. That's good to know, i'm going to do the same re helping but not with actual deliveries etc. I'm not actually pregnant at the moment but we are trying so could be by lambing in 7 weeks time. I think as long's we're sensible, wear gloves and make sure to thoroughly wash hands before you eat/drink and keep any cuts etc covered and clean the risk should be pretty minimal. I'm going to wear waterproofs constantly to try and minimise contamination on my clothes then they can be easily disinfected. Thanks for the links, i'll have a look. Let me know what your bloods show.

[Scrowy]

I've been involved with lambing sheep every year for as long as I can remember, so when I got pregnant I was confident that I would have immunity already. I asked my midwife for the blood test and they were happy to give it to me.

Turned out I had no immunity. So don't be surprised if you don't.

If your husband's flock is routinely vaccinated for toxo then the likelihood of catching it from them is reduced.

The main risk is around the fluids, so as long as you exercise good hygiene practices you should be fine. We have a system where any outer clothes involved in lambing stay outside, and hands involved in lambing are washed outside before coming in (we have an outhouse specifically for decontamination before coming inside all year round anyway , it's the only way to keep the kitchen floor clean!) I'm going to be pregnant again this lambing time coming too.

[JDevon]

Hi Merrz,
Had my blood test results back and I have been exposed to toxo in the past, so I and foetus are immune. Still waiting on the results to see if it is an active infection, but I am pretty sure it is not. They can find it up to 3 months after contracting it.
Pregnancy still going well, except so sick and tired! Not sure how much help I will be at lambing in a few weeks but plan is to carry on as we planned. Going to try to avoid anything gunky but will be able to support my OH with checks, feeding etc... and strict de-contamination out in the yard before coming in the house. Just looking for some good over the elbow disposable gloves to protect my forearms and leave up in the yard.
All the best with your TTC, you can get the blood test for a bit of peace of mind anytime just phone your doctor to ask for it.