Chicken Pox vaccine and step daughter

[HairsprayBabe]

I am first trimester with second pregnancy first ended in a miscarriage. I have never had chicken pox.

I have a nearly 8 year old stepdaughter who we have ever other weekend, she has never had chicken pox. She has a 4 year old sister who also has never had chicken pox.

Should DH have a discussion with her mum about getting her the chicken pox vaccine I didn't realise you can't have it once you are already pregnant and I am worried she will bring it back from school, possibly catch it off her sister etc. I didn't realise how dangerous it is in pregnancy I have my first midwife appointment tomorrow and I will ask her if she thinks it is worth it. I am worried that step daughters mother will say no if she doesn't think it is nessassary.

Any thoughts or experiences would be really helpful thank you.

Are you offering to pay for it?

Yes sorry of course we would pay for it!

You’ll have to take the risk for this pg, and get yourself vaccinated after. Totally unreasonable to ask them to do it because you didn’t think of it beforehand.

Have you had a blood test to confirm that you don’t have immunity? Some people never show symptoms.

But if my husband wants his daughter vaccinated regardless of reason shouldn't he get a say in it? He is her father after all...

Fwiw my husband thinks she should get vaccinated.

You can have it when you're pregnant - I was exposed, a blood test showed I had no immunity so I had the vaccination.

Do it, if for no other reason than the fact that chicken pox sucks, some DC get really poorly with it, some die or are left disabled from complications. Small risk, but why would you take it?

I read literally today on the NHS website that you can't have it pregnant - I will speak to the midwife about it because if I can just have it then it solves everything. Thanks

It's not advised to get it in pregnancy. NHS says this:

If people in 'at-risk' groups cannot have the vaccine, what treatments are available if they're exposed tochickenpox?

People with weakened immune systems and pregnant women without immunity who are exposed to chickenpox can be givena medication called varicella zoster i mmunoglobulin (VZIG).

VZIG contains chickenpox virus-fighting antibodies, and can reducechickenpoxsymptoms and lower the risk of complications for those exposed to the infection.

(I wonder if this is what the PP had rather than the chicken pox vaccine)

You're right Hairspray - I believe the NHS would give you a VZIG injection rather than the chickenpox vaccine if you were exposed (this would also cover you if you had come into close contact with anyone with shingles so bear that in mind).

The only thing that you can do is for your husband to speak to his ex-partner and present the benefits for the girls (I would avoid mentioning you want this for you and your baby). According to the NHS "it's been shown that 9 out of 10 children vaccinated with a single dose will develop immunity against chickenpox. Having 2 doses is recommended, as this gives an even better immune response.

The vaccination is not quite as effective after childhood. It's estimated that three-quarters of teenagers and adults who are vaccinated will become immune to chickenpox." So if the girls haven't had pox yet, she may agree to have them vaccinated.

Yes obviously I don't want the girls to get chicken pox either, it can be horrible in some children and DSD has asthma and eczema already - not sure about her sister as I don't have any contact with her.

I do love my stepdaughter a lot, I don't want to just force a Vaxx on her for my own convenience, if she was my child I wouldn't think twice about getting it done.

This was a surprise pregnancy, as was my first (but nearly 10 years ago) if we had planned it I would have had the jab before trying.

Can you get a test to see if you already have chickenpox antibodies?

It is quite rare to reach adulthood without having been exposed. Some people have only a very mild version of the disease which parents can miss.

Yes will have the test to make sure - I am confident that I have never had it though not even mildly my brother got it when I was about 9 but me and my sister never caught it.

My father never caught it as a child either but ended up with it badly as a young man. Don't know if this is relevant.