Cold sore-calm me down..

[DannyWallace]

I've already posted this elsewhere but got no responses so shamelessly posting here for traffic.

I had a feeling it would happen, and it has!!
I am prone to cold sores when I am overly tired/run down. We had a few complications after birth so ended up staying in hospital for 5 days.
Yesterday was our first full day at home. I had DD in her sling for a lot of it, so quite close to me.

Anyway, late afternoon I started to feel the "tingle". So far it's still absolutely tiny. I'm using Zovirax, im away to nip out for the little covers you can get for them and I'm washing my hands/using alcohol rub really regularly and not touching my face/kissing baby etc.
She's EBF really well.

I'm still just so so anxious though. Anyone else been in a similar position?

I might be wrong but I always thought the danger comes when the mother hasn't had the virus and therefore the baby has no immunity.

Ooh if that's true at all that would be amazing!
All I hear are horror stories, but I know a lot of people who are prone to them when they are run down so I can't be the only one who's had one postnatally....

I had one postnatally. I can't remember what I did but it was o issue. Both DC do get cold sores occasionally now but not as newborns. Ask the midwife or hv to double check but it's very common and won't be a huge issue. Like PP I thought it was more of an issue if the mother had never been exposed.

I get cold sores so I did some research into it and everything I read said as long as I had had the virus prior to having the baby then the baby would have immunity.

I have always been prone to cold sores, as was my DM, but my DD (now 38) has never had one.

As far as I'm aware, herpes virus can be extremely dangerous to your newborn if the outbreak is a primary one i.e. the first one in your life. Otherwise they will have your antibodies. Normal precautions still apply, of course.

I get where you are coming from, I got empitigo from hospital on my face when I gave birth to my ds.
I was given cream after asking 3 different drs what was on my face, and told to not kiss my baby.

I was horrified. And paranoid about passing it on.

So I was SO strict with hand washing, put cream on with cotton buds so had no hand contact with the sore at all (knowingly) and it cleared up quickly.

Just keep a logical head on, do what you know you need to do and it will be ok.

Just to add, both my partner and I get cold sores quite frequently, and our DS has ben absolutely fine so far.

I got one two days after giving birth. I have tablets from my GP that dries them from the inside and kills them instantly. Might be worth asking. You are doing everything right so far. As long as you are clean and not kissing you newborn, it will be fine. I've had a few since my son was born and it's just a case of making sure there is no contact.

Talk to your GP about the Acclovir tablets, not sure if you can take them when BF but they cut the time down with the cold sore massively. If I feel a tingle and take them it doesn’t even come out. Worth chatting to her GP.

I heard that it gets passed by kissing, or touch, so the second I had one was so careful to wash things ,cups never put on the side if I was infectious. No sharing what so ever .
Neither DH or 2DD ever got them....

If you normally get cold sores you will be ok. Obviously you don't want to give them to baby so precautions as you are doing. It's not life threatening unless you haven't had them yourself before as far as I'm aware but I would still take the same precautions and look out for any symptoms in baby

I gave birth last week, and had a cold sore. It is finally clearing up - and I have another developing! The last time I had a cold sore was when my last baby was born 18 months ago.

I am also super paranoid - although it is reassuring to read that as long as its not my first the worst case is unlikely - but I just don't kiss the baby, wash my hands after I've touched the sore/my mouth and generally try and keep it away from him

I got one while I was still in hospital after having dd, like you I was just exhausted and run down. I was frantically googling and remember reading that if you've had them before then you pass some immunity to your baby while they're in the womb so it's not as much of a risk. The midwives didn't seem overly concerned about it. I slapped on a lot of Zovirax and also bought those little clear cold sore plasters to keep it covered up, and was careful to try to not pass it on, and all was fine. Congratulations on your new baby!

Thank you all!
I'm so reassured after reading all your stories.
I did give her a few kisses before the tingle....but 100% not since the first tingle. But yes I have been prone to them for years so fingers crossed that means she is unlikely to be affected.
I'll stick with all the washing and things though until it's definitely gone

You will have passed on temporary hsv antibodies to your baby while pregnant. If you are breastfeeding your baby will still have these antibodies. I'm not sure when they disappear after birth if you are not breastfeeding. It is only after these temporary antibodies disappear that your baby will become vulnerable to acquiring the virus.