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Original poster

does breastfeeding protect against chickenpox?

18 replies

ruty · 20/07/2005 09:21

me and my 10 month old were waiting in a queue in boots yesterday for about five minutes until i realised the delightful screaming child behind us was covered in chickenpox. Will my ds get it? He is partially breast fed and i had chickenpox. would really rather he didn't get it till he was over a year. Rather worried.

OP posts:
hercules · 20/07/2005 09:22

dh got chicken pox when ds was 2 weeks and ds never got it then.

Twiglett · 20/07/2005 09:23

was the child's pox scabbed over? in which case he wasn't contagious

I think your antibodies only definitely protect for first 6 months when fully breastfed

please don't worry about it though .. if he does get it he'll get it mildly because babies seem to sail through it .. and DS was exposed 4 times before he finally caught it aged 4

Original poster
ruty · 20/07/2005 09:25

i'm afraid i didn't look to see if she was scabbed over, i just legged it when i saw her! [over protective neurotic mother - moi?] thanks for the info tho.

OP posts:
hoxtonchick · 20/07/2005 09:41

my ds was just recovering from chicken pox when dd was born 3 weeks ago (i'm breastfeeding). she hasn't got it. however, my friends exclusively breast-fed 4 month old dd caught it from her brother despite the mum being immune. but the baby was in very prolonged contact. so breastfeeding doesn't always provide immunity, but i reckon you'll be ok from such a brief exposure (& the child probably wouldn't be out if still contagious...). oh, & the 4 month old baby i mentioned had a really bad case but recovered really well.

Twiglett · 20/07/2005 09:44

chicken pox is scary until you go through it and then it really is nothing and you sit on the other side of the fence laughing at people who are just as neurotic as you used to be

(if that makes sense )

fqueenzebra · 20/07/2005 09:46

DD was fully breastfed & got CP at about... 3 months old? Her spot-laden big toddler brother was unable to keep his hands off his adored baby sis, though. DD's case was very mild, though, she's now coming up to 4yo & I am trying to expose her again in case she's not immune; get it over with before she starts preschool in the autumn.

fqueenzebra · 20/07/2005 09:47

Ruty's child reacted bad to his jabs, though, I think ruty is worried his immune system may not be as strong as most children's.

Original poster
ruty · 20/07/2005 09:50

i don't know if they get a fever at all ,and i thought i heard it was better to get it over one, but i must be wrong from what you say.

OP posts:
Original poster
ruty · 20/07/2005 09:52

actually fqueenzebra he hasn't been immunised yet because of concerns about his immune system - he has had multiple food allergies and gut probs, but yes, i am worried about his immune system. please don't have a go about jabs!

OP posts:
nicmum2boys · 20/07/2005 09:54

My 5 month old DS2 caught it from his older brother, and he was exclusively BF. As hoxtonchick says though, he had very prolonged contact, which you can't really help if they live together. I had a range of conflicting advice, from "he definately won't catch it" to "he definately will". I thought he had got away with it, but the spots came out 3 weeks after DS1s had started, which apparently is just at the end of incubation period. Was 2 days before Christmas aswell, so piccies of poor DS2s first Christmas he is absolutely covered (and I mean covered, he had it much worse than his brother) in spots.
Anyway, what I actually meant to say is, yes he could get it, but with such a brief exposure the likelihood is he wont.I think quite close prolonged contact is needed to get it.

suzywong · 20/07/2005 10:02

No

fqueenzebra · 20/07/2005 10:08

I'm generally "pro-jabs", ruty, but I remember reading your son's history & I think I wouldn't get jabs either in your case.

CPox is very common, though, and at least it's about as low risk as any of the common infectious diseases can be.... I think I'd grit my teeth & just accept it's inevitable, really, you can only try to delay it until he's a bit older... would be better to get as a child than as an adult, though.

fisil · 20/07/2005 10:16

ds2 hasn't got it yet, although ds1 has spots everywhere! I had assumed it was because he was breastfed (and cursed myself for not having changed to the bottle earlier!) ds1 has, in true generous toddler style, totally cuddled, sneezed over, poked and prodded ds2, but no spots!

We're about to go into town. ds2 still has spots, but is no longer infectious.

Original poster
ruty · 20/07/2005 10:17

thanks for that fqueenzebra

OP posts:
nell12 · 20/07/2005 10:29

ds had the pox at easter, dd (then 5m)was v poorly at the time, just recovering from a meningitis scare. She had prolonged contact with ds and still didn't catch chicken pox. Maybe it was because she is b-fed, maybe its because c-pox is a lottery...

Original poster
ruty · 20/07/2005 11:59

does seem to be a lottery from what people say here..

OP posts:
chipmonkey · 20/07/2005 12:49

I was still bf ds2 at 11 months when there was an outbreak of chickenpox at his nursery. Every other child caughtit except him!

chipmonkey · 20/07/2005 12:49

btw, my niece got chicken pox at 2 weeks and was fine!

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