Chicken pox and newborn

[MegBusset]

I am 41 weeks pg so (hopefully!) will have a new baby in the next few days. Have just been informed by DS's nursery that they have had an outbreak of chicken pox.

I had CP as a kid so should be immune, but is there any danger to the newborn if they come down with it? And is there anything I can do about it? Presumably as DS may have been exposed to it at nursery already, there's not much point keeping him home?

NB I will be breastfeeding the baby, will this pass on my immunity?

Hi, my dd possibly came into contact with CP when she was 2 months old so I asked the HV about this. She said that dd was "probably" passed on immunity through my breast milk. Luckily dd didn't get it but I'd keep your son away from nursery if possible, just to lower the risk. Sorry can't really help!

yes, no point keeping ds at home, like you say he's prob already been exposed.

it's highly unlikely that your new baby will get CP if it is breastfed. you'll pass on all the antibodies and stuff.
it CAN happen that a newborn gets it, but as I say, really unlikely. I wouldn't worry too much

Oh and another thing HV said was that the incubation period can be long...I think up to 10 days (hazy memory) so even if he seems ok in the next week or so he could still have caught it.

Thanks -- it's such crappy timing. As you say, there's no way of knowing if DS is already incubating it.

I would have a chat with your midwife or GP as I think chicken pox in very new babies can be not great. I'm not sure breast feeding means your baby will automatically be immune. However, as you say, there is no way of knowing if your ds will get it. My dd was exposed at critical periods at least 5 times before coming down with it.

I have got a MW appt in the morning so will have a chat with her about it then (assuming baby doesn't put in an appearance before then -- which doesn't seem likely!).

DS got chicken pox when DD was 4 weeks old. DD got it when she was 6 weeks old.

I was breastfeeding and have had chicken pox, but she still got it.

AFIAK if babies are born with chicken pox (ie mother gets it while pregnant) or they get it when they are very small it can be more risky.

The incubation period is I think up to 3 weeks so I would say that as DS has probably been exposed then he may or may not get it in the next few weeks and there's not anything you can do.

When DD got it, she was very spotty, but not ill, just got sleepier.

Hope your household does stay pox free

MegBusset: your baby will already have received protective maternal antibodies via the placenta, if you have had chickenpox some time in the past. These start to transfer across at around the 28-32 week of pregnancy, and are likely to attenuate the infection to give a mild disease, or even prevent it.

Obviously BF will help too.

The danger is to newborn babies whose mothers haven't had chickenpox before, where the mum develops a rash either seven days before or seven days after the birth.