Csection in 7 days - husband has shingles

[Jess1336]

Hi everyone,

I am due to have a C-section one week today. My partner has just been to the GPs to be told he has shingles on his stomach.
I have had chicken pox as a child so am not concerned about myself, just the baby once she arrives.

I haven't been able to get in touch with the midwife yet as mine is on long term sick but I am so worried about the baby catching chicken pox once she is born (I know they cant get shingles from shingles etc), worried about my partner not being allowed at the birth (?) or to be frightened to hold her once she is here.

Has anyone been in a similar situation or know if he will be able to be at the birth of the shingles are covered with a dressing or something? I'm so worried. Thanks!

presumably he asked his doc all these questions?!

Oh no. What bad timing 😪

An old friend of mine's other children had chicken pox when she had her baby. She was kept in hospital and not allowed home until the children were deemed not infectious.

I'm not sure what they would do now, but you need to contact the maternity unit ASAP.

Argh, what a nightmare. I think you would be best to call in another birth partner, given how vulnerable a newborn is (and how very ill shingles can make someone feel).

id be very anxious about your partner being in a hospital let alone a maternity ward op

plus all the other parients

Hi - can only speak from my experience, please do ask midwife/dr. I got shingles when my baby was about 18m old. Passing on the virus requires contact with the fluid in the blisters (rather than skin contact/air transmission etc) so I was on the antivirals (aciclovir) and physically covered up the patch with a super large sticky bandage which I changed daily. Mine was actually on my arm and hand, so really inconvenient! No one caught the virus from me. I would have thought if your partner could do the same it would be fine, but as I say please do ask GP urgently

I had chickenpox as a child and had shingles twice as an adult. Chickenpox does not give you immunity to shingles.

Quite the reverse you only get shingles if you had chickenpox. The virus hides in your body and reappears as shingles when you are older when you are stressed or run down.

There will be an agreed protocol for this, so you need to ask your midwife asap so you can plan ahead.

www.coventryrugbygpgateway.nhs.uk/pages/pregnant-women-exposed-to-chicken-pox-or-shingles-advice/

You can catch chickenpox from people with shingles, which is what OP is concerned about. You can’t catch shingles at all.

Thanks for the updates everyone. Still waiting on midwife to call back. GP said baby would have some immunity from me for a while and that as long as she didn't come into contact with blister's fluid she should be okay but that is just so risky to me.

Hopefully midwife will have some further advice. I have been crying for 2 hours straight now. 😔

I'm well aware that I'm not the only patient thank you. @whichmag

It's fine, an obstetrician friend of mine had shingles on her stomach and she was told fine to go to work as long as it could be covered, I would just get him to cover it and not tell anyone.

Head midwife has spoken with infection control, they are happy for him to be there in a weeks time as long as rash is covered with wound dressing. I have also spoken with the hospital and they are happy to go with infection control.

Must say bit disappointed by some responses on here, coming across rather judgy for a first time mum, extremely nervous after having multiple losses. I am aware that there are other patients and have been worried sick about this.

Thank you to those that genuinely tried to offer support and guidance, roll on the birth of my baby girl. ❤️

As the OP has said that's nonsense, HCPs with shingles that can be covered don't need to stay home so why would a parent?

I’m a midwife and when I had shingles occupational health told me to go to work as long as the rash was covered. The dr said I could only give someone CP by rubbing fluid from the blisters on them 🤷🏻‍♀️

so going by that he should be fine

@Jess1336

What relief for you. Hope every those well and also that DH feels better soon.

PS - Do ignore the loon that is hounding you on this thread.

@whichmag good that you recognise yourself