Herpes and pregnant

[Natalie2900]

Hi there.
I'm after some advice.
Embarrassingly I have herpes. Have had it before I was pregnant. Since I have been pregnant I have had around 6 outbreaks and I have had 3 since I hit 30 weeks!! I am
Now 36 + 2 and having her another outbreak.
My midwife spoke to a consultant who said they would not see me nor give me any anti virals because I didn't contract it during pregnancy!
Everything I read online tells me I should be taking something to suppress any more outbreaks.
Can I plead with midwife/consultant to just let me have a c section. How likely am I to get a planned c section is I beg them!? I feel that because I've had so many outbreaks the likely hood of another one close to due date is likely! It's worrying me so much. All I want it my baby born and healthy and no risks!!
Does anybody have any experience in c sections and herpes or pregnancy and herpes? I can't sleep at night at the thought of giving birth and my baby catching this awful virus from me!
Also, shedding? Will I still be shedding the virus between now and due date?

As you had herpes before getting pregnant the risk of passing it to your baby is very low even if you gave an outbreak at the time of delivery because your baby will have acquired some immunity from you. i think the risk is around 1-2%. I'm surprised they have refused antivirals though as they could reduce the risk to almost nil. Try and be positive and remember that even if you have an outbreak when delivering you have a 98% chance of not passing it on and you could ask for a section upon arrival at hospital if you were still worried and the staff on the ward might agree.

I keep reading such mixed reviews on different forums.
Some say if you have active lesions during delivery it's so dangerous for baby then others say it's ok.
I know the only way I will relax is if I can just have a planned c section. If I go into labour naturally and don't know if I'm having c section or
Not I'll be such an emotional mess and stressed. I just don't know how likely I am to get a consultant to let me have a planned c section 😩

I’m in oz and currently 40 weeks and have had 3 outbreaks in the last 3 weeks
They have me on a massive viral dosage now and will check me when I go into labour Lani have a legion it’s straight c section here
Although my doctor is also from the uk like me and she said they don’t do that in the uk re the c section as the risk is less than 1% but they refuse to take the risk in oz

You do need viral though she told me that even if I did not have an outbreak she would have given me low dose anti vitals for the last 5 weeksnof pregnancy as this is a likely time to break out

anybody else have any advice.??
I'm literally dreading going into labour now. I want to be excited about meeting my baby but instead I am so scared 😔

Don’t be scared this is my second baby and I never got an outbreak with my first at all
It’s really unlikely and that’s why you don’t hear much about it
The only thing I would do is demand /insist on a viral prescription. You should have one anyway if you have herpes. Just go to your gp. I have a constant repeat pregnant or not so I can just take when or if it occurs
You will have a lovely baby. Honestly don’t worry

But I'm having an outbreak right now and over 36'weeks plus few days 😩

Then please go to your gp and get a prescription it will clear up in a few days and get enough to take a tablet every day for the rest of the pregnancy like me
I have had a outbreak in week 38 and then 39 and now at 40 it’s just clearing up
Please try and relax it will be fine
Do you feel you are not been listened to by the doctors and midwife.

You can request to speak to someone else
That is your right

Have Pmd you (under a different username, just to be complicated)

Yep - I'm on 2nd pregnancy with herpes and had anti virals from 36 weeks in the first pregnancy. I will do this time as well - if you check the nice guidance it might be in there or google and other guidance comes up I think. My sense is they don't like doing c sections for active lesions as risk is so low... I would not be happy without anti virals...

Just in case you haven't read it
www.rcog.org.uk/globalassets/documents/guidelines/management-genital-herpes.pdf

It says you have the choice of c section or vaginal delivery if lesions are present and also advises that mothers can chose about taking anti virals as long as they are told the risk...

Aciclovir during pregnancy is safe, I was prescribed it. Even if you have an outbreak I think the baby should have anti bodies from you but that might not be true, just something I read somewhere. Anyway they should give you aciclovir just for the discomfort! Ffs

I'm really surprised at that, even with the risk being lower having contracted it pre pregnancy my consultant said that when I went into labour the midwives had to check for sores and if any were present I'd be sent for an Emergency c section. I didn't get any flare ups at all in pregnancy, so am even more.surprised they won't give you antivirals especially with how uncomfortable the flare ups are.

Thanks for all your replies.
Is this anti viral safe to take. Again, everything I read online has mixed reviews. I need to tell my midwife tomorrow I'm having an outbreak and hopefully then they will listen and let me take something. Myoutbreaks are always higher
Up than my actual vagina if that makes sense so I'm hoping this makes some difference to the safety of my baby being delivered safely.

A doctor is giving me the suppression today!! Still not convinced about giving birth and they said they would not offer me a c section 😩 But I guess I'll have to accept it. They will look for outbreak when I'm in labour.. not great when my mother in law is going to be there!!!! Imagine explaining that I'll need a c section because i have herpes during labour. I HATE HERPES!

Could you try your GP instead?

Just hoping this current outbreak clears up before I give birth. I have read and I think somebody said in here that if you give birth within two weeks of an outbreak you should have c section. I said this to the doctor who said only if it's a primary infection.
Im assuming in ALL causes if you've have herpes before you 100% have anti bodies. My next worry is even though I had first outbreak two years ago January I don't have enough anti bodies to protect baby!

Hi Op, I had a reoccurrence about a month before giving birth, I went to the doctors they gave me the antibiotics ( glad to see you have those now) but I was told there was absolutely no risk to giving birth naturally. When I went into labour I had only had a few days where I could be pretty sure it had cleared up but it was no more than a week. I told the midwifes at the hospital the situation and they were also happy for me to carry on with a natural birth ..... so hours of being on induction drip and pushing but ended up I needed a section as my cervix wouldn’t open fully. Get down to ward and head midwife looks at my notes and seems very concerned about herpes she calls paediatrician department and they have to put my baby on a drip so a cannula in his veins for 5 days just in case he has caught the infection whist my waters had broken as they midwives had also put a monitor on his head during labour. I didn’t have an active infection and I didn’t give birth naturally but because the infection had been around so close to birth they couldn’t take the risk with how long it had been since my waters broke. I would be insisting your midwife/ doctors speak to the hospital paediatrics and get their thoughts as they are the ones who really make the final decision. My DC never had the infection but we had to watch him go through days of needles just because the surgery doctors didn’t take it more seriously and told me it wasn’t a problem. Please insist on a section x

Omg! This has terrified me! Every time I speak to s doctor they re assure me it's all fine. Then I found out something and worry all over again 😩.
I will have to ring my midwife tomorrow and see if she can speak to paediatrics. And I may push that they phone me personally so I can hear it from the horses mouth!! I don't feel like anybody takes it seriously unless it's your primary outbreak.
Today a doctor said to me that they would
Not give me a section because of herpes!!
I wish I could just have a section scheduled and I could relax.. it just seems a lot easier than going into labour and then my waters break and baby takes to long an I have to a section anyway. Doctor today did say they wouldn't do anything to baby that would risk cutting his scalp during labour?
Why can't I just book the section!! Aghhhhh

I'm
Going to push for a c section tomorrow first
Thing! Can anybody give me any advice on how to actually get a c section?? They seem
To be very stubborn on it. I'm not willing to take the risk of my baby catching neonatal herpes because of me!!!!!

Sorry I didn’t mean to worry you but I guess I wish I’d known then what I do now
I think the pedestrians will hopefully be with your side that it’s safer for a section, if I were you I would insist on one! ... I felt so guilty after and really mad that I’d been misled / not given the full facts on the risks, I’m keeping my fingers crossed for you that they listen, maybe tell them what happened in my case and pretend I’m some friend rather than Mumsnet