[lindyloo03]

My friend is currently 38 weeks pregnant and just found out she was exposed to chicken pox on Friday. She has neither been immunised or ever had chicken pox.

Can this harm the baby? What does she do?

she has gone up the hospital as they told her to and then got in trouble for going up there while maybe infectious. She said they are going to innoculate her for measles as supposedly you have 72 hours after exposure that you can be immunised.

does anyone know if this is the right thing to do?

Linda

[fairymagic]

Not sure why they are immunising her for measles when its Chicken Pox she has been exposed to? Just because she has been exposed doesn't necessarily mean that she will catch it. Being in her last trimester and getting chicken pox is probably better than catching it in her first trimester but to be honest, Im not sure of the risks it poses to either an unborn baby at 38 weeks or one born and contracting it just after birth.

FWIW my daughter when attending childcare was under the age of being able to be immunised against chickenpox. Her childcare centre had an epidemic of chicken pox over the course of about a month (more than 12 cases reported). She undoubtedly would have been exposed and never contracted it. She has since been immunised. Hopefully the same will happen with your friend. It is also dependent upon at what stage the person was at when she was exposed and to what extend she was exposed.

Hope your friend is ok.

[lindyloo03]

Sorry my typo they want to onnoculate her for chicken pox.

I was reading on some google that if 38-40 weeks it can affect the baby by actually being passed onto the baby.

And if she has the baby in the next week then the baby could catch it from her.

will have to see what happens.