13wks, just found out a spent a day with toddler with chicken pox. V worried

[Milkmade]

And have to wait till 9 till I can call my doctor - anyone got anything reassuring to say? DD (15 months) was there too, so chances are she'll catch it and then what do I do?

can you ring nhs direct for advice,fwiw i had shingles when i was pg with ds1 who,s now a big strapping 20 year old,hope you get sme reassurance soon.

Thanks bubbles. have just called the hospital directly, and the nurse is calling me back in 30 min. They said first step is I'll need to go for a blood test (presumably to check I haven't got the anitbodies, though mum seems quite certain I never had chickenpox) and they'll take it from there. I don't suppose anyone knows if dd can have the vacination after exposure - I just can't get my head around the idea that she might be ill and I won't be able to go near here.

Call your GP or midwife, they can take a blood test to see if you're immune to CP if you haven't had it already and if you're not immune you can get an immunoglobulin injection to stop you developing it. Your 15 month old will just have to take their chances though!! HTH.

sorry cant help with regards to dd and i know it is easy for me to say try not to worry as fretting will not help you or your unborn lo.

Thanks - it's not so much the idea of dd getting chickenpox that worries me per se, (I mean they all do at some time), it's just that surely if she does I will too? I guess I just need to wait till I've spoken to the doctor properly but am finding the wait really stressful.

Milkmade - I used to be a midwife - if you've had chicken pox as a child then you are immune and won't catch it or pass it onto your unborn baby.
Your 15 month old may get it though.
Hope that helps.

Milkmade - I used to be a midwife - if you've had chicken pox as a child then you are immune and won't catch it or pass it onto your unborn baby.
Your 15 month old may get it though.
Hope that helps.

Also you can have an antiviral drug to weaken the virus if there is clear need for it's use (ie - exposure to chicken pox and not immune) in pregnancy.

ta, still waiting for nurse to call back, and trying to stop reading nhs sites full of scary statistics. Furious with the boy's mother - she knew they'd had it at his creche, knew I was pg and didn't bother telling me'becasue she "assumed everyone had had it" Probably a topic for a whole AIBU to never to want to speak to this woman again thread...

Hey milkmaid,

So sorry to hear about what has happened. I really hope you will be fine. Can anyone come and take you DD out of your hands for a few days so to lessen your chances of exposure to the virus? You have every right to be furious with the mother... My DS is almost 10 months and a few weeks ago, there was a bit of an epidemic at the toddler group he goes to and I stayed off for a few weeks only because he 's so little and has just started recovering from what seems like an endless round of viruses including a nasty D&V one. When I finally took him back, there were a couple of little ones with still very visible signs of CP etc. I was a bit . I know they say it's 'safe' once the scabs are formed but it's not really. Have heard plenty of stories whereby people catch it from people who thought they were not infectious anymore! But these mothers probably operate on the everyone-has-had-it-or-want-their-little-ones-to-catch-it-while-young mentality and that is such a selfish assumption! I don't think YABU if you never speak to her again!

Ax

Thanks angel. I've just been to the hospital and had the blood test to see if I do have the anitbodies - they've been really nice and put priority on the test so that I can get the results today instead of having to wait, so now it's just a matter of holding on till I have more information this afternoon...

Dh called the mother this morning to confirm it is chicken pox and not just a rash or something - I don't trust myself to speak to her at the moment.

Are you sure you never had chicken pox?

No my mum said my brother had it when I was 7, my folks took us both to the doctors, and he said bro definitely did have it, me he'd normally say I hadn't got it, and the two spots I had were a rash from playing under the mulberry tree(which I was alergic to) and I was otherwise completely fine but under the circumstances (bro infected, we still shared a bedroom etc)he couldn't make a call either way. So wait and see I guess.

Milkmade I have never had hicken pox but I had to have the blood test due to exposure at the end of my last pregnany and I was immune. I can only think I may have had one spot or something as a child. I have been in ontact with it loads growing up but never actually caught it.

Ledodgy - that's what the midwife said too was that lots of people have had it and don't realise - just hoping that's me as well.

If your brother had it at 7 and you didn't catch it then,then there's a good chance you won't catch it this time. I have a mummy friend who's never had it. All 3 of her children have and she still didn't get it despite nursing them. Not sure if she is just immune maybe having picked up antibodies from her mother.

DS had CP under 1 and he wasn't too bad at all. Hope you get some good news re bloods soon.

Yes or maybe she(friend) had one spot or something and never knew what it was.

Hi - thanks everyone who's been on with advice and helpful comments - hospital just called me with the news that I do have chickenpox antibodies, so I must just have had it very mildly. I can now relax!

I feel so releived, it's been a horrible 24 hrs - thanks again.

Great to hear that Milkmade, you must have 'escaped' with just having 2 spots for CP while you were little. Lucky you!

Indeed - now just cross fingers dd gets off as lightly! but obviously the real worry is now gone.