Chicken Pox for Mommy to Be

Most adults have had chicken pox as a child and happen to be so immune to it. However, there are about 3 in 1000 women who develop chicken pox in their adulthood. If you have chicken pox during your pregnancy, you are most likely to fully recover in a short period of time. However, serious complications may occur for mom and baby in a very few cases.

If you are not sure if you have had chicken pox in the past and happen to come in contact with someone who is currently having chicken pox or shingles, be sure to pay a visit to the doctor immediately. If you are not immune to it, you can be given some treatment to reduce the risks for you and your baby.

So, what is chicken pox?

Many of us know who gets chicken pox and at roughly what age, but do we know what it actually is? Chicken pox is an infection caused by the varicella-zoster virus. When you develop Chicken Pox, your body automatically makes proteins called antibodies that help fight this virus and then make lifelong protection against it, or in other words known as immunity.

Most people are immune from Chicken pox for the rest of their lives while others; whose bodies don’t develop enough antibodies may be at risk of catching this infection again.

It is important to know that after the first time of having Chicken pox, the virus remains in your body but it does not cause any harm. On very rare occasions, it appears again later on in life as rashes found on only one part of your body, known as Shingles.

Most people have had Chicken Pox as a child, however there are some people who have missed it as a child and then get it in adulthood. The symptoms and infection seem to be more severe for an adult and complications are much more common, particularly if you happen to be expecting a baby.

What does ‘Contact With Chicken Pox’ mean?

A person with chicken pox is very infectious. This infection is unfortunately contagious, even more so if you have not already had it in the past. There are higher risks of catching this infection if;

• You are in the same room as someone infected for more than 15 minutes
• You have a face-to-face conversation with an infected person

There is a 90 percent chance of getting infected with Chicken Pox if you surround yourself with an infected person. Of course, this is only if you have not had it yet.

What happens if I have been in contact with Chicken Pox?

If you have had Chicken Pox in the past, it is most likely that you are immune to it. You don’t need to worry about being at risk of getting infected, however you can have a discussion about it with your Gynecologist about it just to get the worry off of your mind.

If you have not had Chicken Pox in the past or cannot remember, and happen to come in contact with someone who is infected with Chicken Pox, see a doctor urgently. A blood test may be done to check on your antibodies to see if you are immune to it. Most of the time, about 1 in 10 women who have not had Chicken Pox in the past are not immune to it.

Why is it important to avoid Chicken Pox?

For the mother;

• Chicken pox is typically an unpleasant illness when you are pregnant, even without complications. The illness happens to be much more severe then when children get it
• About 1 in 10 women with chicken pox develop inflamed lungs, also known as Pneumonia. This is quite serious as some pregnant women die of this during their pregnancy
• Brain inflammation are uncommon but very serious complications

For the unborn baby;

• There is a small chance of the baby developing a condition called Fetal Varicella Syndrome. This can sometimes cause the baby to be born with very serious abnormalities like;
• Scarring of the skin
• Problem with the eyes
• Arms and legs which haven’t developed completely
• Problems with brain development

The chances of your baby getting Fetal Varicella Syndrome are as follows;

• There is a 1 in 200 chance if you have had Chicken Pox in the first 12 weeks of your pregnancy
• There is a 1 in 50 chance if you have had Chicken Pox in the 13th to 20th week of your pregnancy
• There is a very low chance if you have had Chicken Pox after the 20th week of your pregnancy

If you develop Chicken Pox seven days before or after delivery, your newborn baby may be at high risks of getting seriously infected. Some newborn babies can die if infected with Chicken Pox at this age. However, there is an immunization to stop this from happening.

If a pregnant woman develops Chicken Pox, there are chances of her unborn baby catching it even before being born. However, the baby may get infected with Shingles later on in life, this is sort of an activation of the virus they caught whilst in the mother’s womb.

Chicken Pox for children and adults may not be as dangerous as it is to pregnant women and newborn babies. So, if you happen to catch it during your pregnancy or right after your delivery, be sure to visit a doctor for consultation just to be on the safe side.