Attending Family Party with Someone with Shingles

I would follow the pediatricians advice. Anything to miminize my child from sickness, especially a newborn!

Simple answer. The person with shingles....... as long as she or he are not the reason for the party should do the responsible thing and refrain from attending, or has no contact with the baby.

Have you had chicken pox? Was your baby born at term? If you have had chicken pox, you have immunity to chicken pox. At 32 weeks gestation the mother starts transferring increasing immunity to the fetus based on mother's history of disease or vaccines. This maternal immunity reaches a low point when the baby is 3 months old. At three weeks old your baby still has good protection from you. Shingles is reactivation of the chicken pox virus. The virus never completely leaves your system and it can be reactivated as shingles. This is common in the elderly. Your pediatrician is being very cautious. The decision is yours.

Just dont let that person hold the baby and it should be fine.

I was invited to a party when I had a case of the shingles. I checked to make sure that everyone there had been vaccinated and/or had chicken pox before going. I wouldn't have gone at all but the party was partly for me. My doctor told me the same thing though - if all of the areas are dry and scabbed and the course of medication is finished then they are not contagious anymore. My doctor also told me that there has to be direct contact with the area in order for it to be transmitted so I covered my up with a gauze pad. My case was relatively mild though - one small area on my side.

I wouldnt go! I hope there are no pregnant people attending either. But Im a freak like that..

I am thinking that you should avoid the party. Your baby is so young. I had shingles less than a month ago. I am 32 years old and I have a 4 year old. Luckily, I only got a small amount of shingles on my right side of my body. But even then, I was so careful that my child wasn't allowed to hug me. I was wearing two shirts tucked in for 3 weeks in a row. She wasnt allowed to sleep in our bed. I made sure that my used shirts were going directly to the wash and getting washed in hot water. She also got the vaccine a year before I got shingles and even that is not a guarantee to protect her from getting chicken pox. And your baby is 3 weeks old, why chance it?

3 weeks is VERY young to expose - even at a lower risk - to a known painful virus. I'd not allow her to hold or get too close (droplets from exhaling) to the baby... but then you'd also have all those other ppl who had been exposed to your family member who may be carrying the virus too, but not showing symptoms.

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I must say, I wouldn't go against your PED advice, even though initially, I viewed it to be okay. The baby is much too young.

keep your baby at home. not worth the chance.

I'd follow your pediatrician advice and not go. The hosts will understand as the health of your baby needs to come first.

I personally developed shingles 3 days after I gave birth to my son (what fun). And I was nursing, and the spots were directly under my breast. I took the medication, covered and wrapped myself like crazy. He never got it, nor did my husband. Hubby had chicken pox, and son, of course never had. Baby should be fine.

I got shingles 2 weeks before I delivered my daughter. I took the medicine and they were completely dried up and scabbed over. I had them on my left breast, and my doctor and the pediatrician said it was okay to breast feed as I wasn't contagious. I did breast feed and she never got sick. I would go and probably keep the baby away from this person, but you have to do what you feel comfortable with. If you are not going to have a good time and be worried the whole time, don't go.

I have not gone to parties with my babies because of a sick person. I would follow Your Pediatricians advice. Either keep your baby home or do not go. I got lots of grief because of my decision from family members. I do not really care, my kids come first.

Why would you question going after your pediatrician advised you not to? If you don't trust your doctor, get a new one. Aside from that, listen to him/her. As for the person who suggested that the responsible thing was for the person with shingles should stay home, you have to be kidding. You don't know who the party is for (if anyone), the relationships among the various people etc. I would guess that he/she will remember the party while the 3 week old baby won't and is young enough to catch almost anything, colds included.

It's fine. As long as it's under control and she is taking her meds. Make sure her shingles are covered. I would attend the party. :)

My daughter gets shingles, she had 9 casese of it before we had a long term treatment that we think has stopped them, thank goodness. As long as the lesions are dired and/or copletely covered, and the person has washed their hands after touching them to cover them, your baby and all others without chicken pox immunity will be fine. Would I let this person hold the baby? Maybe not, just to be safe. It takes direct contact to contract chicken pox, but it really sounds like the person with the shingles is passed the time that they could spread the virus.

We would keep our daughter home from school when ever the lesions were many, or difficult to cover, or she was (of course) in enough pain to need narcotic medication. The anti virals are taken for 10 days, and really do a good job. The spots may still be there, but are more like scars once they are healed over. If this person feels well enought to attened, I would say, it is unlikely that they are still contagous.

M.

I'm pretty certain the afflicted family member is no longer contagious and your baby will most likely be fine. If you feel scared to go tho dont go. Read up on it on the web and educate yourself a little more. My husband had it a few years ago and the doc told him just to stay away from pregnant women but that when the legions were no longer blistered he would not be contagious and could conduct business as usual with no worries.

I was just informed last evening that my grandma has them. I looked online and found the following info: People cannot get shingles directly from someone else with shingles. However, if an individual has not had chickenpox, they can get chickenpox from close contact with open blisters of someone with shingles. Consequently, these individuals may get shingles at a later time in life. Covering the rash that occurs with shingles with a dressing or clothing helps decrease the risk of spreading the infection to others.

It is possible for a person with shingles can pass the varicella-zoster virus to your baby, so make sure you wash your hands before you have contact with your baby and hopefully the person with the shingles does not pick up the baby.....