Could you tell me my 4 year old has just
got chickenpox and I am 4 months pregnant
should I be worried!!
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MeganM
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 04 Apr 2006 Posts: 31 Location: Fort Benning GA
Posted: 04-06-06 08:21am
Have you had chicken px before, if so you
could get the adult form of it called
shingles. I am not sure if its harmful to
the baby
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tigresacanela24
Especially EHEALTHy
Joined: 11 Nov 2005 Posts: 5261 Location: Treat your children well, eventually they'll choose your nursing home.
Posted: 04-06-06 11:58am
meganm
wrote:
have you had chicken px
before, if so you could get the adult form
of it called shingles. I am not sure if
its harmful to the
baby
i thought that if you had chicken pox
before that you couldn't get it again...
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MeganM
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 04 Apr 2006 Posts: 31 Location: Fort Benning GA
Posted: 04-06-06 12:02pm
I was told that u can get it again as an
adult but it was much worse if u had it as
a child. Im not 100% sure though
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tigresacanela24
Especially EHEALTHy
Joined: 11 Nov 2005 Posts: 5261 Location: Treat your children well, eventually they'll choose your nursing home.
Posted: 04-06-06 14:37pm
I don't know if I believe that... I had
chicken pox when I was four and I have
baby sat all of my nieces and nephews when
they had the chicken pox and I didn't get
it again. But then again, maybe I was
just lucky. Who knows? I'll google it
for you....Brb....Okay, this is from
babycenter.
******************************************
*************
is it risky to be exposed to chicken pox
during pregnancy?
It depends. If you've had chicken pox
before, you're probably immune, so there's
no need to worry. Up to 95 percent of
adults in the united states are immune,
including many people who had chicken pox
and never even knew it. If you got the
chicken pox vaccine (available in the
united states since 1995), you're probably
immune — it works for more than 80
percent of those who get it.
If you're not sure whether you're immune,
a simple blood test can give you the
answer. If you're not immune and you do
happen to catch chicken pox while you're
pregnant, there's a chance that it will
affect your baby and that you could get
quite sick.
******************************************
**************
and this...
******************************************
**************
what can happen to my baby if I get
chicken pox while i'm pregnant?
Chances are good that no harm will come to
your baby, but timing is a factor. If
you get chicken pox during the first half
of pregnancy, there's a slight risk that
your baby will get something called
congenital varicella syndrome. This
condition is characterized by birth
defects, including skin scarring,
malformed limbs, an abnormally small head,
vision or hearing problems, and motor or
mental developmental disabilities. A baby
with congenital varicella syndrome may
also suffer poor growth in utero.
If you do contract chicken pox, you'll
have a detailed ultrasound at 18 to 20
weeks to look for signs of defects or
other problems and at least one follow-up
sonogram later to see how your baby is
doing. You may also choose to meet with a
genetic counselor to discuss the risks in
your particular case and decide how you
want to proceed.
If you get chicken pox in the second half
of pregnancy but more than five days
before giving birth, your baby will
probably be fine. Here's why: about five
days after coming down with chicken pox,
your body develops antibodies to the virus
and passes them to your baby through the
placenta, offering protection that his own
immature immune system can't provide.
If you develop chicken pox five to 21 days
before your baby is born, he might develop
chicken pox days after birth, but because
of the antibodies he received from you,
it's much less likely to be serious.
(some babies exposed to chicken pox in
utero, particularly those exposed five to
21 days before birth, develop a case of
shingles during infancy or early childhood
without having had chicken pox after
birth, but it's usually not serious.)
the most risky time to come down with
chicken pox is between five days before
giving birth and two days after delivery,
because then your baby is exposed to the
virus but doesn't have had time to receive
antibodies from you before birth. In this
case, he has a 30 to 40 percent chance of
developing what's called neonatal
varicella, or newborn chicken pox, which
can be serious and even life threatening,
especially if left untreated.
Fortunately, your baby's risk of a severe
case can be greatly reduced if he gets a
shot of varicella zoster immune globulin
(vzig), a blood product that contains
chicken pox antibodies. He'll be given
the shot soon after birth if your chicken
pox showed up within five days of delivery
or as soon as you discover your rash if
it's within two days after delivery.
If your baby shows any sign of developing
the infection — such as coming down with
a fever or showing a rash of even a few
spots — he'll be treated intravenously
with the antiviral drug acyclovir.
Joined: 11 Nov 2005 Posts: 5261 Location: Treat your children well, eventually they'll choose your nursing home.
Posted: 04-07-06 08:05am
sandralynn
wrote:
depending on how severe you
got it when you were a child, is what
determines if you get it as an adult.
When I got it, I only had maybe like, 10
spots on my body. I havent been around
anyone with it since then, so I dunno if
i'll get it again. (i hope not.. It
sucks..)
i never heard that before. If that's
truly the case then why do people get
vaccines? Vaccines supposedly work by
introducing a severely weakened form of
the actual disease into your body so you
can produce antibodies for it and thereby
become immune. So if what you say is
true, what is the point of getting a
vaccine then? Not being argumentative,
just genuinely trying to make sense of
what you're saying.
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Lalee
Active User, Really EHEALTHy
Joined: 26 Jan 2006 Posts: 991 Location: South Carolina
Posted: 04-07-06 18:26pm
I don't think you can get it again once
you've had it. And I don't think shingles
is connected to chicken pox. My
grandmother had shingles several years
ago, and she had not been near anyone with
chicken pox... And she'd had them when
she was a child.
I'm not saying I know anything for sure,
but i've always been told it's a one-time
deal... That's why moms and dads will
often (as was the case with me and my
brother) make sure all children get
chicken pox if one of them gets it.
My bf just said it's possible to get it
again but that there's a very, very slim
chance, as you are usually immune once you
get it the first time.
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georgia1980
Experienced User , Rather EHEALTHy
Joined: 02 Dec 2005 Posts: 102 Location: UK
Posted: 04-08-06 02:40am
If you have had chicken pox the chances
are you won't get it again but.....I have
had chicken pox twice and shingles
once!!!
My doctor says that my body obviously
didn't make enough immunity the first
time. Lucky me eh!!!! Lol
I've heard that you can get the chicken
pox twice, it's rare but possible.
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HcoBrunette06
Especially EHEALTHy
Joined: 06 Dec 2005 Posts: 8004 Location: Missouri, United States
Thanks: 0
Thanked:1
Posted: 04-08-06 15:40pm
My moms friend was pregnant, and her step
daughter got the chicken pox and they went
to a drs appointment and the baby had
died, and the doctor told her it was
because her step daughter had chicken pox
and it somehow killed the baby. I don't
know the details, but I guess it can harm
the baby.
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jaime_elms
Experienced User , Rather EHEALTHy
Joined: 12 Mar 2006 Posts: 498 Location: newcastle
Posted: 04-09-06 04:15am
It is yes, u need see doctor!!!! Jus
incase. Im sure it is risky. I mean if u
have had it before u might be okay, but I
have had it twice.
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justacanadiangirl
Extremely EHEALTHy
Joined: 19 Nov 2004 Posts: 1803
Posted: 04-09-06 04:32am
Well when my gramma was pregnant with my
mom one of my mom's brother's had the
chicken pox and passed it onto my gramma.
And my mom is fine. And she is now 48 and
has never had the chicken pox even though
she's been exposed to it many times.
As for getting it more than once, it can
happen. My cousin got the chicken pox 4
or 5 times when she was a kid. I felt
really bad for her.
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Expecting_Two
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 04 Mar 2006 Posts: 18 Location: Colorado
Posted: 04-09-06 09:37am
Also most ob/gyn's do a blood test on preg
women between 15 - 18 weeks to find out
what you are immune to so you know what to
avoid...Ie chicken pox, fifths disease,
hepatitis a & b, mmr, etc. I would
ask your ob and see if it has been done.
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