16 weeks Pregnant & no chicken pox antibodies

[FTMneedsadvice]

I am FTM, 16 weeks pregnant who has had awful morning sickness , followed by a bad two weeks of Covid. I haven’t had the best pregnancy but am grateful that my baby appears healthy and measuring correctly.

My niece has been told that there are some chicken pox cases at nursery, and I didn’t believe that I’d had chicken pox before. I’ve had a blood test done confirming that I do not have the antibodies ☹️

I am now scared to leave the house, let alone see the kids in my family. I am due to fly on Tuesday also but am thinking of not going.

Has anyone been in a similar situation? Do I need to isolate before 20 weeks so is it good enough to avoid contact with active cases?

I can’t decided if I’m being over cautious or not but I’d never forgive myself if I put my baby at risk at all

When was the last time you saw your niece?

If you think there's a chance you've been exposed speak to your midwife first thing in the morning. there's things they can do to reduce the risk if. most of all don't panic. and don't feel guilty. chickenpox is so common everywhere and you can't totally avoid risk even in pregnancy.

The incubation period (the time from exposure to the virus until the symptoms appear) for chickenpox is 10-21 days. if you haven't seen you niece for 2 weeks and you're well/no spots you should be okay. if you know there's chickenpox at nursery avoid contact. with her and those in the household as much as possible until she/nursery are in the clear.

if you have been exposed to chicken pox via your niece then isolation won't effect anything with your health. If you think you might be infected it's reasonable to keep away from other vulnerable people ( eg don't attend any pregnancy groups, tell the hospital staff before attending appointments, don't go to visit any newborns etc)

Don't panic, just get on to your midwife int he morning who I'm sure will be able to help/reassure you :)

I know it's scary and of course protect yourself but think about all the mums one second children, whose kids come home from school with chicken pox while they're pregnant. They can't really get away from them and they tend to be fine! As previous poster said, if you feel you e come into contact with someone with chicken pox then let your doctor know so they can help you. But with a little bit of caution I think you'll be just fine. It's a stressful time being pregnant x