Chickenpox Vaccine pregnancy

[HJ82]

Has anyone gone through pregnancy without having had the vaccine or had the disease as a child?

Or contracted it whilst pregnant?!

I read on an NHS site that it is safe to have the vaccine whilst pregnant? I also read that there isn't a big threat to the baby even if i get it. So what's the drama?

Just wear a mask and avoid places where there are kids??

or don't worry at all and ignore fear mongers?

I has to get the vaccine when I was 16 weeks back in July as some had shingles in my work.

Hi OP, I had chicken pox whilst pregnant earlier this year. I caught it from ds1 and had to get the IgG shot. I was 12 weeks pregnant at the time and did catch a light version of chicken pox despite having the IgG - only 2 spots etc. It can cause developmental complications in the baby in the 1st trimester and I think in the 3rd trimester, the baby can get chicken pox. I was referred to fetal medicine and had to have about 4 extra growth scans. My DS2 is currently cuddling on me and all went well and he's fine.

However, if you have not had chicken pox and is pregnant - get the vaccine if it's safe. You will be surprised where you might get it from. It's not worth it, chances are your baby will fine but there is also a chance not. My GPs were freaked out with it tbh, the one even said she never had a pregnant patient who didn't have chicken pox before and caught it in her 20 years as GP. I was booked off work for 28 days (as opposed to the usual 'till they scab over' advice) and it was very stressful. Definitely all avoidable if possible.

Are you pregnant and not had chicken pox?

I had the chicken pox vaccine and all the advice suggested that, as it's a live vaccine, you should try and wait a month before TTC. This was January-March this year. There isn't a proven risk but a theoretical one around having the live vaccine in pregnancy. I'm surprised Mchb was allowed it! (immunoglobulins are different but do offer some protection if you've been exposed in pregnancy).

Some people are naturally immune or turn out to have had it as a very minor infection as a child. The neonatal varicella risk is around 1% for mothers who actually suffer chicken pox during pregnancy, so the flowchart of scenarios is quite specific, although the risk is high. Don't let the worry spoil your pregnancy but it's worth investigating whether you can be immunised while pregnant, and if not then being clear on what the local procedure would be if you were exposed to CP while pregnant.

It’s going to be very difficult to avoid children for 9 months - I was exposed by some idiots taking their clearly infectious child on a 4 hour flight! Fortunately when they tested me it turned out I had immunity as my local NHS trust had no stock of immunoglobulin to give me if I hadn’t been!
If you don’t think you are immune I’d get tested so you know for sure and then discuss the vaccine with your midwife.

@SweetheartNeckline thanks. I'm thinking, if I've managed to get to 36 without having Cp then I must have antibodies. They didn't introduce the vax in schools in Aus till 2000 so I'm sure I've not had the shot, but I must have had a mild case at some point. Although I don't remember anyone ever having this as a kid around me. I'm just going to relax. 🙂 will check with GP if I can ever get an appointment

@DrWhy I did ask my GP about it a few years back when we Started TTC but they didn't offer the vax then and I stupidly forgot to get in back home. Mask it is 😛

HJ82 my first 3 pregnancies were before I'd been vaccinated, HCPs just said to contact them if I'd been exposed, they do a test to see if you're immune (but only on a Friday in this area?!) and if not then you get the immunoglobulins. I got the jab before TTC this time. If you're in the UK it's £65 a dose privately (not routi ely on NHS). Defo discuss with MW but like you say you may be immune anyway.

@SweetheartNeckline yeah I should have gotten it privately here. It just went to the back of my mind after years of infertility now that I'm PG someone mentioned it. No idea how I'd know if I was exposed to it? I'm never around kids (yet). It's more travelling I'm concerned about, if a kids been exposed and I'm on plane with them, I'd not know until I broke out. But like you said I could get that shot then. Maybe it's all a bit less risky then they used to make out. Seems many women have had it whilst pregnant and baby is fine. I guess the scary thing would be to get it very late in pregnancy and have a new born with it!!

They still don’t offer it as a routine immunisation here, which is why you are still more likely to encounter children with it than in a country where they are vaccinated against it now. I’d just bring it up with your midwife and they can test for immunity - mine even managed to get it done with my booking in bloods without having to see me and take more, that might reassure you if you are immune.

@DrWhy I'm starting to think I need to go privately to get a midwife even lol. I'll probably be contacted by someone a week before I pop at this rate.