Cold sore and newborn

[Ek3009]

Hi!

Just wondering if anyone has any advice.

I had my baby girl on Friday by section. I am prone to cold sores when I am run down and my god have they came with a vengeance. I have 5 on my top lip.

I’m so petrified of passing the virus on to my baby. Iv not kissed her since I felt the tingling sensation and I am washing my hands religiously and doing my best to keep my head away from her.

Does anyone have any experience and advice?

I have heard that if I had the virus prior to having her then she will have antibodies?

Can you ask for advice from your midwife or heath visitor? My granddaughter contracted Herpes simplex gingivostomatitis when she was 4 years old and had two weeks off school as she was quite unwell. My daughter probably passed it on to her as she has had cold sores on and off for years. I understand that it is serious for newborns to contract the simplex virus so I would definitely seek advice from the medics .

Hi, congrats on your baby girl!
I actually had a chat with my midwife about this on Friday as my husband suffers really badly with them too (same as you when he is round down etc). She said to do all the regular hand washing, different towels, no kissing etc
Definitely best to check in with her and if you notice any changes in baby, I would reccommemd getting baby checked out ASAP as it’s really dangerous for little ones xx

Are you treating them e.g. zovirax? If you are not touching your mouth, kissing her and washing hands before nappy then the risk is minimal. Stay away from touching her eyes, mouth and genitals.

For prevention, have you tried liquorice extract? You can buy in a lipsyl such as lipQ, or oil. I find it has helped and I don't get so many any more. There is evidence the amino acid lysine can help too, but I don't believe you should take it if breastfeeding.

The virus is only dangerous for very little ones. I called 111 when ds was 4 months because I kissed him on the head before I realised I had one. They weren't concerned due to his age and not touching the 3 areas.

As she gets older make sure to teach her to never kiss you on the lips in case one is coming up and hasn't been noticed yet. I don't believe getting them in pregnancy passes on resistance to the baby.

If you can afford it I really recommend the compeed coldsore patches in addition to the constant vigilance with hygiene. They completely cover the cold sore, so it adds an extra layer of protection and I've found they cut about 2 days off the healing time too. They are more expensive than zovirax though, and I go through about a pack and a half for each coldsore.

Congrats on your little girl! L-lyseine tablets from H&B are a godsend for reducing cold sore breakouts. I used to get at least one bad breakout a month and now only do when I'm really sick or have run out of tablets.

Unfortunately you'll be infectious until the sore heals so you're doing the right thing by washing your hands and not kissing her. Also agree with the PP about not sharing towels, cutlery etc. Cold sores can get into your system through any skin contact with a sore and the mother having them doesn't stop the child being affected. I got mine as a child from one of my parents.

I’ve had this after both my previous two which were emergency sections after long labours. I was so run down and knackered. I take lysine and also have aciclovir tablets from the dr. They help shorten The duration of an attack. Advice above from another poster about using the comped patches is a good idea too. Just been really vigilant about hand washing if you’ve touched your face and all should be fine.