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Pregnancy

Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

Slapped cheek

32 replies

CathyandHeathcliff · 26/03/2018 11:42

I'm around 11 weeks pregnant and I work in a school, my headteacher just informed me that there's slapped cheek at the school. Apparently it can be harmful. What do I need to do about this? She just said contact your midwife for advice.

OP posts:
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Lj8893 · 26/03/2018 11:44

Best to see your gp who can test you to see if you have immunity. Most adults do as they have had slapped cheek as a child (many don't even realise they ever had it).

CathyandHeathcliff · 26/03/2018 12:12

I can't get through to my GP right now. Is it ok for me to be at school until I get the test? Or do I need to go home?
I don't want to look like I'm making a fuss.

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KalaLaka · 26/03/2018 12:17

Children are contagious before the rash. 2 of my own had this when I was pregnant so I was tested, but it came back negative. Apparently most people have had it. Even if you do get it, it's a very low risk to the baby. If you can get a week off, take it, as it'll take that long to get tested and get results.

RaindropsOnRoses2 · 26/03/2018 14:24

I was always told if the child wasn't in my class then it was ok... just avoid them at lunch/break/assembly etc x

CathyandHeathcliff · 26/03/2018 16:30

So my bloods from the booking appointment are being sent off tomorrow, in the meantime I'd rather not be there but as the midwife has said I don't need to take time off work, I won't have any actual medical proof for needing the time off. I know it's my body and my baby etc but I don't want to cause problems with my employment either 😓 It's really tricky and I don't know what to do for the best!

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Winifredgoose10 · 26/03/2018 16:44

I think at your stage of pregnancy there is a real risk to the baby if you catch it. I am pregnant and my children had it. I wasnt immune according to blood tests, however i luckily didn't catch it(had follow up blood tests). If i were you, I would not go into school until I knew if I was immune or not. When I initially saw the gp, he looked for information on GP notepad. You can Google it.

appleblossomtree · 26/03/2018 16:46

I'd stay at home too I think. I was just reading that scarlet fever is at a all time high at the moment.

Bumblesnout · 26/03/2018 17:06

You definitely shouldn't be in work when there is a risk of you contracting/being exposed to slapped cheek. It would be potentially very serious for your baby if you did get it and major complications are the highest when contracted in the first trimester.

I work in a school and was exposed during my first trimester. I was told to stay off work until I'd had my blood test results back. Fortunately I was immune to slapped cheek so could return quickly to work. However a close friend of mine contracted it during her first trimester and she wasn't immune and her baby was still born at 6 months due to complications resulting from the slapped cheek. It's really not worth the risk.

CathyandHeathcliff · 26/03/2018 17:40

Ok thank you, I'm going to speak to my GP tomorrow morning before work and then speak to my headache just to confirm with them. I don't want to not have any medical back up as the midwife has already told me it's okay to go into work. So I'm paranoid the school will think I'm skiving or something.

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Flatwhite32 · 26/03/2018 17:42

@CathyandHeathcliff I'm a primary teacher (currently 23 weeks pregnant) and we had slapped cheek a while back. I had a blood test done at the GP which thankfully revealed I'm immune to it. Most people are. Ask for the blood test to out your mind at rest. X

Flatwhite32 · 26/03/2018 17:43

Sorry @CathyandHeathcliff just read they're going to use your bloods from your booking appointment. Most people are immune. X

CathyandHeathcliff · 26/03/2018 17:49

@Flatwhite32 Thanks, I just feel bad taking time off, I know I shouldn't, but all of us who teach in schools feel guilty for thinking of ourselves.

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Lj8893 · 26/03/2018 18:21

Are they definitely going to check for your slapped cheek immunity from your booking bloods?? Because your booking bloods don't routinely test for that, and I can't imagine they will be able to request they do at this stage.

Flatwhite32 · 26/03/2018 18:45

@CathyandHeathcliff being off while a teacher is always accompanied by so much guilt isn't it?! I didn't take time off, but the slapped cheek wasn't in my class, so I felt that the risk was low. I think it would probably have been a different story if the afflicted children had been in my class though.

RD15 · 26/03/2018 18:51

Hi there,

I’m also a teacher and in my first pregnancy I discovered I wasn’t immune. I’m now pregnant again and the midwife told me that slapped cheek is going around again. Your booking bloods are stored for quite a while - my midwife is testing mine to see if I’ve by some miracle contracted it and am now immune between having my daughter and this pregnancy. It’s highly unlikely. The risk is relatively low. In the event that you aren’t immune, you would first have to contract it, then there’s a 33% chance that you’ll pass it on and then there is a 3-10% chance of it causing complications. Of course there are some horror stories out there and they do happen, but according to the NHS the risk is low. Just practise good hygiene - I keep alcohol hand wash on my desk. I’m sure you’ll be fine op xxx

saison4 · 26/03/2018 19:17

I would stay away. my friend lost a baby at 17 weeks and it was due to slapped check (they did some tests on her and the baby) . they told her it is a rare complication so don't get unduly worried but get tested. chances are that you had it and that you are immune. My friend came from abroad and slapped cheek was something she had never heard off.

Ekphrasis · 26/03/2018 20:42

I'm sorry, I had all this in my first pregnancy.

There was better guidance then; the gp wouldn't let me go back to work. I think I had a blood test and was told it was pointless to go in as I could be infected after the test. I'm not sure if they tested booking bloods. Test came back about a week or so later and I wasn't immune.

I think I had a second test to test recent exposure or had to wait a while for it to brew and then test. Wasn't allowed back for 4 weeks till no new cases reported. Day before I did, a new case was reported amongst my children. Another month off (though had some unrelated pregnancy complications during that time so was signed off for that.)

Until I actually developed a physical illness, plans were made for me to work near by away from children on various tasks.

Finally went back at 21 weeks.

It was a ducking nightmare due to the guilt and stress - the gps were very supportive and recognised this. And so were quite firm.

In a way anxiety is more if an issue to you than the slapped cheek at the moment.

Handwashing may help a bit but unfortunately it's passed the same way as chicken pox iirc; 20 mins in a room with infected person (who doesn't always show symptoms).

Sorry you're going through this again rd15.

Ekphrasis · 26/03/2018 21:08

The health protection agency used to advise staying away until you know you were immune.

I've just checked both patient.co.uk and the replacement for the HPA and it just says contact your health care providers.

It's annoying as it's very anxiety provoking. My mw was dismissive of it all but the gp took it seriously.

I'd self certify for now and go see your GP. You could legitimately say you are extremely anxious about contact. Antenatal anxiety is a very real and horrid thing - I developed it in my first pregnancy due to this. I seem to remember my union being supportive.

It's worth remembering that the worst case scenario is catching it from your own children at home - this is more likely. However, I'd been teaching over 10 years with Sen children (lots of close contact) and never caught it.

Nice guidelines now say this:

*"Advise the woman to avoid contact with other pregnant women and people at risk of complications, until she is known to be uninfected, immune to infection, or no longer potentially infectious.

The infectious period is 7–10 days before the rash (if any) develops, until one day after the rash appears.

If there is any uncertainty on the recommendations on isolation from other at-risk people, contact the local virology, microbiology, or infectious diseases department for further advice."*

It's avoiding the previous advice to stay away till you know you're immune however tells the pregnant woman to stay away from other pregnant women she could infect till she knows if she's immune or not. Which kind of indicates by omission that the children she teaches could be potentially infectious.

cks.nice.org.uk/parvovirus-b19-infection#!scenario:1

CathyandHeathcliff · 26/03/2018 21:13

Thanks everyone.

It's all so confusing 😓
I'm going to contact my GP tomorrow and to be honest, I'm thinking I won't go in for the rest of the week until I get the results. I break up for Easter on Thursday anyway (off for two weeks).

I feel terrible because I've recently had lots of time off for bad anxiety and stress (before I fell pregnant) unrelated of course, but I feel bad for letting my pupils and staff members down all the time.
I know I need to think about myself though.
The issue is, its probably been in the school for a while and I may well have contracted it before the head told me.,

Can anyone tell me what the potential risks are to the unborn baby?

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RD15 · 26/03/2018 21:23

Thanks @ekphrasis.

@CathyandHeathcliff I hope you get more guidance from your GP. I agree, the anxiety is awful. The problem is, until the rash appears you wouldn’t know they had it so it’s difficult to ‘plan ahead’. I’ve worked in schools for 13 years and have never caught it. I’m more at risk from DD and I can’t quarantine her every time she gets a sniffle in case it turns out to be slap cheek. Im just trying to stay positive xxx

Ekphrasis · 26/03/2018 21:25

I think it's a good idea. Only 3 days to go!

You'll know more during the holiday - I'm not sure if they should be testing you now not booking bloods actually. I know they didn't with me.

In reality the risks are very low; higher if your own child had it but still low. It's a complicated list of % chances - I remember trying to work it all out and sending my self mad. Try not to do this!

This is a pregnancy related issue so you should be ok regarding the time off - id talk to the gp about your worries about that too incase a note is needed.

My head said I had to follow the GPs advice. You could tell head you're seeking urgent GP advice and won't be in till they say it's ok to do so. Ask the surgery for an urgent appt or a gp on call phone back - I remember doing that the first time I was told from School. The gp did some reading and got back to me. I'd emphasise your anxiety to the gp though, who will probably tell you to self certify.

RD15 · 26/03/2018 21:28

You know, I was so anxious in my last pregnancy worrying about every scenario. I’d blissfully forgotten how god awful it was, and I’m already virtually back there. Sometimes there’s almost too much information xx

Ekphrasis · 26/03/2018 21:38

Thanks RD15

I do agree with you - it would have been better not to know the issues. But as soon as you do, I found I needed to know if I was being unreasonable or not.

The previous HPA guidance was reassuring as it said to consider non contact till immunity was established.

It was such a strange situation. My level of physical contact was more than a mainstream contact, due to the nature of the setting.

A friend was pregnant this time last year and exposed at school. Talking it through with her completely triggered all my anxiety, I was flung back to that awful time. She stayed away for a month.

This time round I heard of a case in the nursery who mix in with my child's reception class but was able to talk myself round there wasn't a risk. When baby showed a fat tummy at the first scan I had back of the mind worries for a bit (in my naive mind I thought foetal hydrops).

I know I would have found it extremely hard had any cases been found at my school this time.

RD15 · 26/03/2018 21:43

I can completely relate. As soon as I was aware of something I read every scrap of information I could find!

Thankfully, no reported cases in my school yet. I’m more worried about DD’s nursery but hey ho! As OP said, it’s the Easter hols soon and I’m hopelessly hoping that this current outbreak will die out when the kids aren’t all together spreading it! Xx

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