Do I see my friend during Lambing?

[minkulus]

I am 7 weeks pregnant after ttc for nearly five years. We are over the moon and probably a bit precious about the pregnancy. My friend is a farmer and is surrounded by pregnant sheep and due to start with lambing any day now.
I am so scared of miscarrying but don't know how to broach the subject with her.
Help please?!

You can't go near the sheep or lambs, but so long as she has changed, you can still meet up.

Most farmers I know are pretty clued up about the risk topg women.

why are you worried about talking about it? do you think she doesn't understand risk?

I'm pretty sure my midwife advised me to stay away from newborn lambs. I've found this link which suggests the risk is low. So, so long as you don't help with the birth and your friend washes her hands afterwards, you'll be fine.

Try and relax. It is very easy to worry about everything in pregnancy.

Congratulations!

We're farmers and we would warn any pregnant friends to stay away during lambing time.

In fact as I am pregnant over April, I will be moving lock stock and barrel over to my parents - chlamydia in sheep (which is what the problem is) is a proven problem with pregnant women and the farmers will know that. Even though my husband will change out of his lambing overalls and wash his hands, we still wouldn't take the risk (and we have no chlamydia in our flock!)

They should know about it as we all get sent a barrage of info about it!

I would not go to the farm, and if you want to meet your friend, meet up somewhere completely different.

We have sheep too, when I was pregnant I stayed on the farm but avoided the sheep and lambs all together. They were in the field opposite our house. I made sure I washed my hands more frequently, didn't come into contact with them and when my husband came home he put his work clothes straight in the washing machine and had a shower.

Lambing in December??!!

You can get toxoplasmosis from lambs so I would certainly keep away from them, but I don't think toxoplasmosis can be passed from person to person.

Have you been tested for it yet? You may well find you have immunity to it anyway from a past exposure. Its part of the routine blood screening tests that are done.

Sheep-keeping farmer friends of ours are utterly obsessive about no overalls or outdoor shoes coming into the house for reasons like this - they know all about the risks. Tell her - she'll understand.

Tell your friend that is. Not mine.

Better to tell her that you're expecting and take advice from her (like my friends and tinylion, they'll know all about it) than to either take an unecessary risk in visiting, or offend her by not visiting without giving her a good reason, iyswim.

Thank you all for your sound advice. I guess I was worried if i blurted out that I couldn't come to see her she would think I was being a bit over protective?!
I am meeting with her tomorrow, somewhere neutral, so i will broach the subject then. I am very superstitious about the before 12 weeks thing, but i suppose my friendship will suffer too much if i keep giving vague reasons why i can't meet up. She has to know!
Thanks again wise women of MN.xx