Advice needed - wife giving birth next week but our first born had chickenpox

[leo1979]

Hi all, I hope this post finds you all well. I could do with some advice really from anyone out there who may have had a similar situation.

Our second daughter is due to be born on Tuesday next week, wife and I will be going to the hospital where she'll be having a c-section, however, we've just discovered today (as the rash has started to appear) that our first born (4 1/2 year old) has chickenpox and I'm not sure what to do as I understand that chickenpox is very dangerous for newborn babies. Any advice anyone has would be most helpful. thank you.

Hi, has your wife had chicken pox on the past? I'm sure the mum passes on immunity to the baby that decreases in time.

Here's a link to the NHS website

https://www.nhs.uk/common-health-questions/childrens-health/how-long-do-babies-carry-their-mothers-immunity/

Hope your eldest feels better soon.

Tell her to call her midwife team and tell them, and ask for advice.

Chickenpox tends to crust over in 5-7 days and at that point they are no longer contagious.

Hopefully they follow the normal course of chickenpox spots and crust over quickly

The midwives will be able to advise- I think if there's a need, like if your wife falls very ill with it, then there's drugs they can give her before birth (anti virals...?) But there may be no need if your wife is immune etc. Also breastfeeding can help protect the baby.

Is it not more of a worry about the older child being in contact with the newborn rather than the mum catching it? Hopefully the spots will crust over quickly. Do they stay in for long these days after a c-section?

I have a similar age gap. There is 4 years 2.5 months between my pfb and 2nd DD.

Outbreak at school. Dd1 got it fairly mildly but dd2 was just 16 weeks at the time. Entirely breastfed. Breast milk didn’t give her any immunity to it. She was covered. Dd2 recovered but stopped putting on weight still grew in length but became very skinny.

Missed some milestone at 7 months and was referred to paediatric outpatient. We then spent a year going to hospital every few weeks . There was needless concern her head bones had fused prematurely. X ray of skull. Eventually hospital realised with the exception of DH we are a family with small heads.

The low weight was stressful and I wanted to give up breast feeding at 6 months but was pressured to continue. Switched to formula at 11 months and she started to gain weight. Wish I had gone with my gut feeling sooner.

Eventually DD2 was diagnosed with Global Developmental Delay. She is now an adult with intellectual disabilities without autism.

We will never know whether chicken pox had a lasting affect or whether she would have had some difficulties anyway.

Is there any way you could have time off work to look after 4 year old whilst your wife is somewhere else, parents home for example?

The absolutely most vital question is whether mum has definitely had chicken pox, as that will protect the baby. If she has not, or is not sure, then needs to contact maternity. The danger is if mum has not had chicken pox, and catches it in this late stage of pregnancy, passing it on to the newborn with zero immunity. That can be treated, before the baby gets sick, but only if the medical team know about it.

Her midwife can do a special blood test to check if she has the chicken pox antibodies. I've had this checked in both pregnancies (had never had the disease so negative for first pregnancy, then I had the vaccine between pregnancies so I'm protected for this one).

I was in this situation.
My midwife could check my file and see that blood tests in early pregnancy showed I had immunity from chicken pox.
She had crusted over before I got home from the hospital so no risk of passing it to a newborn.

I would keep your eldest away from Mum and baby until crusted over.

Dr can do an urgent blood test for immunity. I was exposed when pregnant and Dr rushed through a blood test for me and I was immune.
so I’d keep mum away from older child as much as possible and by the time the baby is born there shouldn’t be any contagiousness

Chances are things will be absolutely fine. But it would be sensible to quarantine if possible - could your wife stay elsewhere for a few days?

dc1 developed chickenpox the day after meeting newborn dc2 in hospital . Two weeks later dc2 and I spent a week back in hospital with him on drips etc. not an experience I would like to repeat. Doctors were very dismissive of my concerns and questions from the outset, and it was only when we were rushed in that they started taking it seriously.

yes in the majority of cases if the mother has had chickenpox (which I had) immunity will be passed, but I feel that we should have been advised to take more precautions from day 1.

You need to talk to the hospital / midwife as they might also want to keep her away from other mums and babies if she's been in close contact with chicken pox.

Hi, thank you, yes she has.