Help! Just brought newborn home and now DD has chicken pox!

[TiredMama05]

I’m just looking to see if anyone can offer some comfort and advice as I am making myself feel sick with worry!

My DS was born 16/06/2022 and we came home from hospital 17/06/2022.

Yesterday (so 22nd) we realised DD has chicken pox!! Unfortunately our newborn is already fully exposed as she has been touching him and kissing him since we got home! I spoke to the midwives who don’t seem overly concerned - they just say to keep an eye on his temperature and call the doctor if it starts to creep up. They keep reassuring me that if he does come down with it - which they say is likely - it will probably be mild. I am also BF and I have had chicken pox in the past as a child so hopefully this helps.

has anyone else experienced something similar? Can you offer any advice to help me stop panicking?

Congratulations on the new baby! Don’t panic. As you have had chicken pox, your newborn will have been treated to transmission of antibodies via the placenta before birth. This immunity is now being topped up by you breastfeeding. So it is unlikely your baby will catch chicken pox and even if they do, the natural immunities from you usually mean it would be very mild case. So try and keep calm and keep breastfeeding and keeping an eye on both your DC.

Congratulations on your baby. If baby catches it, it’s likely to be very mild and since you bf baby will have extra protection. On plus side you get to keep both your babies at home and be a family without having to worry about nursery/school/playgroups. Just enjoy them xx

Thank you so much for the quick reply! I didn’t realise immunity for chicken pox would come from the placenta too but of course that makes sense. My DD’s chicken pox seems reasonably mild in comparison to how I have been catastrophising it in my imagination since yesterday… although I’m expecting it to get a little worse before it gets better.

If DS did come down with it, how long do you think it would be until the spots showed? I can’t imagine it would be the full 3 weeks incubation, would it? Here I go again, worrying! I need to keep in mind your comments and keep calm :)

DS1 had CP when DS2 was 4 weeks old. He didn't catch it then. And has never caught it since. No idea why not but he seems to be completely immune.

Don't worry too much. Your antibodies will either completely protect or cause an extremely mild reaction.
My second aged 12 weeks caught CP from his 2 year old sister. He had about 5 spots on his neck and wasn't physically ill.
He got Shingles aged 2 and gave my 3rd child, who was 6 months old. CP. Which meant that the three children shared the exact same CP virus over a 4 year gap and youngest wasn't even conceived when the oldest had it! Just an anecdote.
Try not to worry too much OP.

My nephew caught chicken pox when he was 6 weeks old, was quite poorly but made a full recovery. Still has a little scar on his face where he caught one of spots.
Hope your little one escapes it.

DS had cp about two months ago, when DD was three months old. She didn't catch it, in spite of their being very close, even after he had spots. Try not to worry, though I know that's easier said than done!

Congratulations on your newborn 😊

Your antibodies will protect your baby. My Mum said my younger brother had a super mild case of everything we older siblings took home from school when he was a baby. Much better to get the childhood diseases when a baby, I'd be more concerned about any adults who haven't aren't immune.

DD had chickenpox at just under 2 years old when DS was only a couple of weeks old. DD was pickled in spots, DS had a couple of spots, but was absolutely fine and has never had it again since. He's 22 now.

If it's any consolation the same thing happened to me 25 years ago - brought my newborn home and the same week the 2 year old AND the 3 year old both broke out in chicken pox. GP airily informed me that 'baby will have your immunity' from breastfeeding. I pointed out that I hadn't HAD chicken pox or any childhood diseases, but despite spotty, itchy toddlers cuddling me, and getting into my bed every night neither me nor baby caught it.

I suspect I must have had it so mildly as a child no one realised - or have some kind of immunity to it. Interestingly when DC4 got it as a toddler neither I nor DC3 (who was then 10) caught it either, so we are both somehow ok.

Best of luck!

I was in hospital having ds when dp told me the other dc had chicken pox ( in for a few days being induced )
The paediatrician advised not taking my newborn home
So I took him to my mothers for a week

This exactly happened to me. DS (toddler) wasn't too badly ill with it and DD (baby) did catch it but very mildly. The MW said she had immunity from me and through BF. They also told me that because DD was under 1, she'll probably catch it again at some point. She's been exposed several times now (she's 7) and nothing yet!

Hope your baby is ok.

Please TRY not to worry. Just try to enjoy them both in your little bubble x

Yes, this happened to my sister and I. I was in hospital after having ds2 and my sister visited with her 5 week old and was showing me some red marks on his skin. When she undressed her 2 year old that night she was covered in spots. The next day my ds1 had come down with it. They took a blood sample to check my immunity before I took ds2 home. My sisters baby had it very mildly and my ds2 didn’t get it. Strangely, he has still never had it despite ds3 catching it at nursery.

Congratulations on your lovely baby.

My son caught chicken pox from his sister when he was 6 weeks old. We had no idea he'd caught it - must have only had one or two tiny spots - until he had shingles at 5 months old. Apparently that can happen when they get a very mild case of chicken pox at a young age

Oh my word - thank you so much everyone for your stories/comments! It is comforting to feel like ‘it’s not just me’ and this same thing has happened to others and it all worked out fine.

I’m definitely still a raging ball of hormones - I feel like crying that you’ve taken the time to reply! Roll on getting these hormone levels back to normal 😅💗