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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Pregnancy and chicken pox

13 replies

ChickenRacer · 19/04/2022 21:40

I’m 16 weeks pregnant, I’m do not know if I have ever had chicken pox (so do not know if I am immune to it). There is currently a lot of children in the local community with chicken pox.
Am I unreasonable to ask my elders daughters school to let me know if there are cases of chicken pox at her school so I can keep her home, so that she and then eventually I don’t catch it? And would it be unreasonably to keep her home if there were cases?

OP posts:

tealandteal · 19/04/2022 21:44

Surely they would let you know if there was a case in her class. My DS is 4 and we had an email before half term that there was a case in his class, I am also pregnant but do know have had it. I think you can have a test to see if you have immunity but I’m not sure how you access this.

Hospedia · 19/04/2022 21:45

I don't think keeping your daughter at home would be the best course of action, chickenpox can take up to two weeks to incubate and it's contagious around 24-48hrs before spots appear - how would you know if or when she was brewing it?

Speak to your GP and ask if they can test you for chickenpox immunity, it's a simple blood test. I had it done while pregnant as I've never had chickenpox, it showed I was immune meaning I'm either naturally immune or I had it at some point but was asymptomatic. If it shows you have no immunity then your doctor will eb able to advise you on what to do if you do come into contact with it (usually an immunoglobin injection to boost your immune system and lessen the effects of the virus).

GeneLovesJezebel · 19/04/2022 21:46

Would school permit the time off school ?
And I personally think it would be unreasonable to keep her out of education every time there is a case in school.

ZoyaTheDestroyer · 19/04/2022 21:46

Your GP can refer you for a simple blood test to check your immunity.

Froggyinthemiddle · 19/04/2022 21:49

Can you ask your midwife to check your chickenpox immunity? They can add it onto the routine bloods at your booking appointment.

It might be worth getting your daughter vaccinated, it’s about £100 and some pharmacies offer it.

The problem is, chickenpox is infectious before symptoms develop, then the incubation period is two weeks. You’d have to keep your daughter off school for weeks to be confident she wasn’t going to catch it, and even now she might be incubating it.

SaveWaterDrinkGin · 19/04/2022 21:50

I highly doubt they will tell you.

Also the incubation period for chicken pox is quite long, about two weeks I think. So by the time someone is spotty they have been infectious for a while.

Speak to your GP for advice.

AlitheAllosaurus · 19/04/2022 21:53

Ask your midwife to arrange a blood test to see if you are immune to chickenpox. Depending on how many weeks you are it can be done at the same time as routine bloods or separately, it’s something we do all the time. I’m a midwife and you’d be surprised at the number of people who are sure they’ve never had it and then come back with immunity and then no need to worry!

ThanksItHasPockets · 19/04/2022 21:59

It might be worth getting your daughter vaccinated, it’s about £100 and some pharmacies offer it.

I second this but for info it is £80-90 per dose and two doses are needed. It is also a live vaccine so has to be spaced from other live vaccines such as MMR. I have recent experience as I had an appointment booked for DS, who came out in spots three days beforehand… 🤦🏻‍♀️

toastofthetown · 19/04/2022 22:07

Could you at least get your daughter vaccinated? It would be £140 for both doses, around six weeks apart. Thy would serious reduce the risk of her bringing chickenpox into the home (and also the risk of her become seriously ill with it). I don’t know if the vaccine is suitable for pregnant women, I was advised not to TTC during my vaccine course last year.

DifficultBloodyWoman · 19/04/2022 22:42

@ZoyaTheDestroyer

Your GP can refer you for a simple blood test to check your immunity.

This.

It is a standard booking in test in most of the world although I don’t know if that is true on the NHS.

Thinkofsomethingoriginal · 19/04/2022 23:08

My toddler got chicken pox when I was 26 weeks pregnant with his sister. I knew I had never had chicken pox before. I called 111 and explained the situation, and was advised to go to urgent care, along with my son. They only agreed to test my immunity upon confirmation that my son did indeed have chicken pox. The plan was that if I turned out not to be immune, I could then be vaccinated. By the time the results were available, it was too late 🤦‍♀️. Baby was fine though. I was already being closely monitored but they kept a special eye out for any effects of my chicken pox.

HiJenny35 · 19/04/2022 23:35

They also won't allow your child to have the vaccination while you are pregnant (or at least they shouldn't as its against the guidelines)they also won't allow you to have the vaccine while you are pregnant, it's a live virus vaccine which seeds and therefore only slightly less dangerous than you being around someone who actually has chicken pox. If you are willing to keep your child away from your home for 2 weeks without contact with you they will let her have it. They also won't allow your child to have it if they will be around anyone undergoing chemo etc.

SaveWaterDrinkGin · 20/04/2022 07:18

@HiJenny35 that’s not true at all. My daughter was vaccinated whilst I was pregnant. Obviously it’s a live vaccine but it’s not against any guidelines at all. You need to be aware of the exposure but at least you’re aware of it, IYSWIM. An unvaccinated child could expose you without you even knowing.

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