Chicken Pox

[Emum]

I've just had a birthday party for my DS1 and as she was leaving with her child, one of the mums mentioned that her other child has got chicken pox (spots came out yesterday) and that the child who was at the party hasn't had it!

I am not sure whether I'm immune or not. My mum doesn't know whether I had it as a child (I did get ill at the same time as my siblings who had it, but didn't have a rash), though my two kids had it 3 years ago at the same time and I didn't catch it off them. Checking on the web it seems that if this child comes out in spots within the next 5 days, she will have been contagious while I was in contact with her. The web also suggests there's only a 1% chance of complications if I do get it, but those complications are potentially quite disabling to the baby.

What would you all do? Apart from smacking the mum who didn't think to mention to me in advance that her child could be brewing this, and could be infecting me and the other 15 children who were at the party...

 

[KikoDinoGirl]

Yeah that is rather bloody stupid.

I think firstly you are likely to have had chicken pox as a kid, but I know you can have a blood test to check immunity. If you are worried you can also talk to you midwife/G.P. Chances are I am sure you will be dandy, but understand it's difficult to worry

 

[purplepants]

My kids got chicken pox when i was pregnant with number 4 & although i had them as a kid myself i got some dubious looking spots on my tummy, i was told by the nurse at my doctors that its only a problem if your nearly due (they have to give you an injection so it does not pass to baby during delivery, as far as i can remember ) on a plus side thomas (baby No.4) has not caught chicken pox even though he has come into contact several times.

It may be wise to talk to your midwife, Gp or a nurse to put your mind at ease

 

[curlygurl]

You can ask your GP to do an urgent blood test to check whether you have the Varicella (chicken pox) antibodies. If you have - all well and good - your baby is also protected. If not, you can have an injection which will boost your immunity. You need to have it within 10 days of exposure. If your GP isn't familiar with what to do, then ask him for a referral to the Virology team at your local hospital. Likely you have got immunity, but no harm is checking and putting your mind at ease.

 

[trixipaws]

gosh thats reckless of that mum not telling u beforehand

hope u got lucky

 

[Emum]

Thanks everyone. I spoke to my friend who was a GP before she had kids, and she has advised me to see my GP first thing tomorrow for a bloodtest and to be given some antibodies if necessary. She said she was exposed to Chicken Pox at roughly the same stage when she was expecting her first, and that was what she thought was the best thing to do for herself at the time. There is a risk if it is contracted in the first 20 weeks that the baby could be born with significant eye defects, or abnormalities of the limbs, and a smaller risk of brain damage. As my second child has severe learning difficulties, I'm obviously quite anxious about that.

As for the mum, whilst I am still annoyed with her, to be fair she doesn't know I'm pregnant, so didn't deliberately expose me to this, though she was reckless as to the other kids at the party, and adults who haven't had this.

 

[curlygurl]

Yes - she should have called beforehand and let you all know what was going on. She probably didn't want to disappoint the child that didn't yet have the pox, but still.

It's all change since the 70's. When we were kids and one of us had an infectious disease, our Mums would be practically making us lick each other in order so we'd get it over and done with . I distinctly remember going to mumps party with all my cousins when I was about 6. The logic being we would all be ill at the same time, and the Mum's could share looking after us. And that it was better to get these illnesses out of the way when you were kids. Obviously all the Mum's were in on it together so they knew they weren't pregnant.

 

[Emum]

OK - what a day!

Woke up at 7.30 to get kids ready for school. Had phone call from school 1 - school shut due to snow. Phoned head of school 2. It's also shut. So have both kids at home with me all day. 5 inches of snow and the buses and tubes aren't running so DH has to walk 3 miles to work.

Phone surgery dead on 9.00 re chicken pox exposure. Get an appointment for 10.10. Have to tell kids why we're going (hadn't wanted to tell them before the scan just in case, but the cat's out of the bag as they have to come with me to GP. Get to GP. DD who has special needs takes a huge shine to him and decides to sit on his knee and give him a cuddle. He does very well, having consultation with 7 year old girl sitting on him. He has come across this once, when he was training 7 years ago but can't remember what the answer is. He phones the hospital - all the obstetric registrars are in surgery. Goes and asks all his colleagues and no one knows what to do. Tries to call the hospital again and gets an obstetric registrar who tells him chicken pox isn't infectious unless the spots have come out, so all is OK. He discounts this info as total bollox, and suggests to me that I phone the consultant who looked after me in last two pregnancies and who I'm booked to see next week for me first antenatal appointment. Then says he'll do a quick ante-natal check on me. DD jumps up and lies down on the couch and looks expectantly, so that gets abandoned!

Go home and phone consultant, who is very reassuring. Says I need to have my blood checked for anti-bodies and if none, then he can give me some by injection which will keep me protected for 3 weeks as if I were naturally immune. He needs to get them from D of Health apparently and they won't be released unless I've had a blood test and am not naturally immune. So me and two kids pile into a taxi. Roads haven't been gritted. Drive 10 miles through central London to hospital, where chaos reigns. DD getting very confused now. Wait for over an hour for blood test then sent off with a promise we'll be phoned with results in the morning. Try and get hold of phone number of mum of little girl to see if she's come out in spots yet, but they moved house a few weeks ago and none of our mutual friends have her new number. Then hear schools will be shut again tomorrow - so desperately hoping don't need to go back to hospital for antibodies with both kids in tow again.

So, end result is cat is out of the bag with kids, and two friends who I told the story too when trying to get hold of this woman's number, but hopefully baby will be OK whether or not chicken pox was at DS's party on Saturday.

Phew...

 

[KikoDinoGirl]

Gosh what a long day you have had.

Crossed fingers for tomorrow xxx

 

[fairybelle]

I had the exact same problem last weekend - I think I may be pregnant (irratic cycles) and also was in contact with my hubby-to-be's nephew who came out in chicken pox on wednesday of last week. I too didn't have the chickern pox rash when I was younger, so I went to my doctor's surgery and I got a blood test to check if I was immune to it- which I thankfully was! (getting married next week and if I wasn't immune, doctor said that spots would come out on wedding day! Nightmare!) He said that I had been in contact with someone who had it, but was lucky enough not to come out in spots.

I was fuming with my sister-in-law- who neglected to lift the phone and tell us - we only found out on the following saturday because my soon to be mum-in-law rang them! We also had to cancel flight home as my mum has had chemo during last 6 months and it was too risky!

Honestly, some people just don't think - so irresponsible! I really hope everything turns out ok - i'm sure you'll be grand.

xxxxx