To be absolutely livid about chicken pox!!!

[fairybeagle]

Trying to keep this short! Met a friend and took our babies swimming together. A few hours later got a message saying that her baby has chicken pox. Turns out she'd seen spots before taking her and still gone (she knew it could be chicken pox as both her other kids have just got over it).

I then bumped into her the day after, WITH THE BABY, at the shops. The baby would have been very contagious at this stage. She also kept trying to touch my baby. Wtaf!!!

What is wrong with people why are thy so lax (and acting like I'm overreacting). My baby isn't even 1 yet and I really don't want them to get it.

How contagious is it? They touched each other on the hands in the pool and shared food and I think toys in the pool.

There were lots of other young babies and pregnant women in the pool.

I just think it's so out of order and such a dick move!!

Not even prepared to be told I'm BU but interested to see if anyone else is this blasé about it

I had my baby vaccinated to avoid this stress. Money well spent

I would be absolutely fucking raging. You have my sympathy

I agree. It's very serious for unborn babies if a pregnant woman contracts it.

Very rude and dangerous of her. Also small babies can't be vaccinated yet (and even if they get chicken pox itself, don't necessarily get the lifetime immunity of older kids or adults afterwards). I'd mention it, because if she's so thoughtless she's going to keep endangering people until the spots are crusted over

I agree. What a selfish bint.
There is still a bit of a thing with uninformed people thinking chicken pox isn't that bad and that it's best to infect all and sundry.

It's very serious for unborn babies if a pregnant woman contracts it. only if she herself hasn’t had chicken pox and most people have.

YANBU though, very selfish of her.

Yanbu that is so selfish.

Did you say anything to her?

Very selfish but unfortunately you will now just have to wait and see.

Can I just point out though - chicken pox is only an issue for expectant mothers who have not had chicken pox themselves. I had this confirmed when my 2 had it when I was 8 months pregnant with my 3rd.

Said 3rd has been vaccinated.

While I can see it might be difficult not to pop out to the shops, going swimming is a whole other thing and completely unnecessary.

Very selfish woman.

15 minutes in the same room is enough to spread it. OPs baby is too young for the vaccination. Getting it under 1 means higher chance of childhood shingles

It's very contagious and in all likelihood your baby will likely get it (fingers crossed you will be lucky though). The incubation period can be three weeks.

If it reassures you at all most cases are relatively mild tho uncomfortable. Tepid baths with oat filled tights are soothing and fun. I've heard virasoothe works wonders and you will be able
To give calpol for any discomfort although maybe not piriton as they baby isn't one yet.

I didn't want my kids to get it but I suppose overall I'm glad it's done.

Vaccine not available until baby is 1 anyway as far as I know.

Good luck!

My kids had it at 3 and 9 weeks. The 3 year old had hundreds of spots and the 9 week old only ten!

It is contagious before the spots even come out so even if your child gets it, it may not be from this meet up.

When my SIL brought my niece and nephew round to meet my son when he was a few days old they turned up with chicken pox. BIL said they weren’t contagious as the spots had all supposedly scanned over but it still made me feel very uneasy and I thought it was selfish - they could have left it another week or too. People can be very selfish at times

• scabbed

Yes that was silly and selfish of her. Chickenpox can be a very nasty illness I wish some people wouldn’t be so blasé about it.

She was a fucking twat to take her baby swimming knowing it had spots considering it’s older siblings have just had it.

People really should avoid going out and about once their child is spotty but I get why it can’t always be avoided (having no other option but to nip out for nappies/milk because no one else is about for example). Mind you a friend of a friend of mine took her pox addled daughter out for lunch in a busy family pub about a week before Christmas “because we were so bored staying in”. And she’s a bloody nurse

I'm still waiting for my younger 3 to get chicken pox. But I assumed they would feel too poorly to go for a swim?!
When my boys had it, they were so itchy and uncomfortable. The chlorine would surely aggravate it more...
Anyway....YANBU, OP!

The fact she suspected it could be CP and still took baby to the pool makes her a bell end. It’s the knowing that’s the key dick thing here.

I know it’s not the point but after getting CP at 34 and feeling like I was hammered for a week and then shortly after finding out I was pg if you can, vaccinate.

Chickenpox can be a very nasty illness I wish some people wouldn’t be so blasé about it.

Totally agree. The whole 'everyone's already had it' line is old as well as untrue. I got it at 33 and it wiped me out for two weeks.

agree. It's very serious for unborn babies if a pregnant woman contracts it.

Is that not German Measles?

But that doesn't excuse her being so selfish as to take her baby out where other children can catch it. It can be very distressing, and sometimes leaves permanent scarring.

Is your baby vaccinated? There are many children who can't be inoculated because of medical problems. These poor little souls rely on "herd immunity" to protect them from contagious diseases - that and the common sense of other parents.

Your friend could be responsible for a child with a compromised immune system becoming very ill indeed!

I'd be furious with her - and I would have said something, too. (And for that a matter, I wouldn't have taken my baby out with hers until the incubation period was well passed, if I knew her other children had had it.)

Try not to stress though op. When my first dd had it she was in a nursery, and not one other child contracted it.

I am agog at the ridiculous overreaction of people on MN about chickenpox.

NHS guidelines: "Chickenpox is a mild and common childhood illness that most children catch at some point."

www.nhsinform.scot/illnesses-and-conditions/infections-and-poisoning/chickenpox

Calm down, everyone.