QuestionI am 32 years old and I am expecting my first child. I am 33 1/2 weeks pregnant.
My nephew had a case of the chicken pox 12 days ago. My mother (with own I live with) will be taking care of him because he is not feeling well due to another illness not the chicken pox.
I have had the chicken pox when I was a child. When my mother returns home, am I am risk of getting the chicken pox as well as my baby?
AnswerIf you had chicken pox as a child, you are not at risk for developing it again, nor is your baby at risk. Furthermore, the only risk of chicken pox is if a pregnant woman contracts it before her 20th week of pregnancy or within 3 days of delivery. If she gets it at the time of delivery, the baby can develop varicella pneumonia and she must be treated with Varicella-Zoster Immune Globulin (VZIG). However, since you already had chicken pox and are 33 weeks already, you have nothing to worry about. In addition, unless your mother contracted chicken pox from your nephey, she could not pass it along to you, in any event. Don't worry.
