Due to give birth anytime now and have a cold sore

[eachpeachpea]

Been really run down over the past week and have just developed a cold sore on my nose (the bit between both nostrils), this always happens when I'm run down and loaded with cold because of the constant blowing. I do have aciclovir tablets and the cream which I'm using but it was fully developed when I woke up yesterday so wasn't able to take it at the first signs so not sure how much help they are.

I'm 39 weeks tomorrow and if baby comes in the next few days (first DS was already born spontaneously by this point) I'm worried about passing it over to them. Is there anything I should be doing/any advice for someone who has given birth/had a newborn while having a cold sore? Not sure if it makes any difference that it's on my nose and not my mouth?

Bump

Get a lysine balm and ask your gp if you're able to take lysine supplants.

Eat a low Argentine diet in the mean time.
So no nuts, berries, chocolate.

There are also cold sore 'machines' you can buy to stimulate healing.

So long as you don't touch it and baby you should be fine but lysine is a game change with herpes virus. You've still time!

Good luck. 🤞

Holland and Barrett have lysine balm and tablets - I normally take extra but wouldn't when pregnant without GP advice.

Topical balm is good.

I find patches that cover good for work but actually damage the scab and prolong outbreaks.

Get a box of disposable gloves for any time you're applying balm too!

Second the lysine tablets and balm, I took the tablets while pregnant pretty regularly. Also take the recommended dose of aciclovir. I think you can also get aciclovir cream too. Try those patches if it's still there when baby comes just to prevent accidentally touching it. Cut out the chocolate and nuts/nut butter as these are high in arginine.
Hopefully by the time baby comes it will have healed over but if not, just avoid kissing baby which I know will be hard but won't be for long given that it's already fully established now!

Hi OP,
I’d go see your GP it sounds like it could be impetigo. Very similar to cold sore but it’s bacteria rather than virus so cold sore creams won’t help if that’s what it is. Usually occurs after cold when constantly blowing nose, small tears in skin get infected.

I took aclovir when pregnant, you could ask for some of that?

My friend gets cold sores and hers are triggered by stress amongst other things, so she had one when each of her babies was born and she didn't pass it on to them so it's not a given. Hope everything goes smoothly for you with your new arrival.

I had a mouth full of cold sores after delivering my first. She was in the NICU for 9 days so was definitely a combination of that and stress from labour. It didn’t help that it was during Covid so I had a face mask on 24/7 in the hospital too 🙈 I just kept up with the cold sore cream, washed my hands after every cream application and kept my mouth away from baby. It didn’t pass over to her.

Best of luck with your little one’s safe arrival.