To wonder why my daughter hasn't caught

[kappadelta]

Chicken pox. That's it really. My two oldest had chicken pox when I was pregnant with my daughter who is now 8. My two youngest 3 and 21 months have just had them. I have no idea why she didn't get them. Any ideas?

[Thechick]

My 14 yr old has never had it but my 1yr old catches everything so its only time before we see if ds1 is actually immune.

[800threadcount]

Glad to have come across this thread. We had a note home from after-school club to say CP had called by and the children had been exposed. Then, last weekend ds was listless, glassy-eyed and had a temp spike. On Sunday night a rash broke out. Here we go we, we thought, but nothing further happened, no pustules or anything. He was in great form, the rash subsided - its gone now. Was that CP? Dd has had it (aged 2.5 at the time) but the standard average variety ie easily identified. As it stands we don't know now if ds has had it or not.

[TheZeeTeam]

I took my younger two to every chicken pox party there was and nada. I ended up getting them immunized.

[summertimeandthelivingiseasy]

DH never got it as a child, although I suspect that was from his mother making sure he avoided it. He got it when DS had it as a toddler, along with newborn twins. Very inconvenient.

DD had it twice.

I never managed to catch mumps as a child, despite a lot of contact (did not lead the sheltered life of DH).

[SueDoku]

I'm in my sixties and went through my entire life convinced that I had never had CP as a child (including being worried about catching it from my DC when they had it). Then 5 years ago I got a funny rash at the top of one leg, went to the drs and was told that it was shingles, so I MUST have had CP at some stage...

Just goes to show that you can have it so mildly that you don't realise...!

[grabaspoon]

I got it aged 20 working as a nursery nurse

[IdRatherPlayHereWithAllTheMadM]

Mine was BF and caught it, and got it very bad.

Its a two week incubation period from them being exposed.

[SarahBumBarer]

It was 21 days precisely with DS. He had no contact with DD after the first day of her having spots because she was admitted to a sterile ward of hospital but 21 days later he broke out in blisters just as she was being dischaged from hospital!

Lots of people (especially children) do have CP without knowing it.

[LettertoHermioneGranger]

People can have it so mildly that they're left with the antibodies and never show symptoms, and will never catch it again.

It's a good idea to get a blood test and check if you're "immune" if you haven't had it by your late teens - get the vaccine if you need it. It's an awful thing to catch as an adult.

[StatisticallyChallenged]

I've never had it. There were huge outbreaks when I was a kid which I somehow skipped. Then dd got it and I figured I was done for but despite rubbing cream on her spots I still didn't get it

[Nocomet]

I didn't catch CP until I was in the middle of my final year university project and 22 years old. No one I knew at the time had CP and I didn't give them anyone (fortunately DH had had them as a child like any normal person).

This is despite my DM sending me to play with the DCs next door when they had CP (because nan was really ill getting them as an adult) and helping with brownies, as a six-former, who all climbed all over us in the swimming pool when their school had loads of CP cases.

DSIS (43) has never had CP

[Bluetonic123]

My dad has still never had chicken pox and my sister and I never had it as children despite being exposed to it many times. We both succumbed to the same bout, me at 26, her at 24. It was the illest I have ever been in my entire life.

[Bootoyou2]

Incubation period is up to 21 days I think so if exposed last week may still get it in a week or two,

[Groovee]

My friend's mum caught chicken pox when she was pregnant with her. My friend has never had chicken pox and is nearly 39 and a nursery manager and has never caught it despite us expecting her to every time there was an outbreak.

[kappadelta]

Whathaveit - that could be it I didn't know that it could happen that way ??

[MigGril]

The incubation period is long for chicken pox. DD had it while I was pregnant with DS, he's yet too have it despite several exposures. we will seriously.consider him being vaccinated off he doesn't have it before his teens. it can be very nasty to catch it later on.

[ClockWatchingLady]

Ditto my 7yo. No idea why he's not had it - he's been exposed loads of time, including sharing baths, drinks and lollies with his infected sister.

[Whathaveiforgottentoday]

You would have been exposed to it when you were pregnant so perhaps she's been exposed via you. It may have been enough for to develop the natural immunity.
Does the chicken pox virus cross the placenta?

[TheWitTank]

My 6 and 8 year olds haven't had it either, despite being exposed to it often at school and with friends.

[bobblewobble]

All 3 of my older siblings had chicken pox when I was a few months old. My friends also had it but I never caught it. That was until I was 17! It was horrendous. I rarely caught illnesses when I was young. Still don't. My two children have still not had chicken pox even though their friends have. They are 5 and 3. The youngest catches all coughs, colds and bugs but so far no chicken pox.

[DeWe]

My dsis had it when I was 3yo. My best friends had it. Several caught it from a party I was at. I went through epidemics at school that everyone else who hadn't had it seemed to get it...

I finally had it at 20, at university when no one else had it and I never worked out who I caught it from.

[mysteryfairy]

I didn't get it when my 3 siblings had it but then got it when I was 17. I assume i caught it from a boy in one of my lessons who had it a couple of weeks before. I was incredibly poorly so obviously no strong immunity or similar at that point.

[kappadelta]

She was breastfed but they all were so I don't think that it has helped her immunity?

[jamtoast12]

I never had chicken pox but I know I'm immune from a blood test previously so likely I had a silent infection as a child. Dd8 hasn't had it and never got it when dd6 had it so I guess she had a silent infection too.