Shingles During Pregnancy

I had shingles while pregnant with my son.
There are varying degrees and at 24 weeks, hopefully she will be over them by the time her baby arrives.
Shingles is caused by the same virus that causes chicken pox, but shingles is far, far more painful.
I had it so bad, I'm in a medical journal somewhere. I was hospitalized most of my pregnancy with it.
The good news is that doctors know what they can and can't give you to help you get over it without causing any harm to your baby. I was so worried about that part.
My son was born perfectly healthy. He turned 15 on June 28 and is healthy as a horse.
They can give your friend things to manage the pain. She should wear loose fitting clothing, get air to the blisters to help them dry as much as possible, wash her hands often. All my laundry was washed separately in hot water, just to be safe.
Shingles is awful. There are varying degrees of severity. Help your friend as much as you can with little chores and things so she can get her rest.
As long as the baby is in her womb, the baby is safe from all the external stuff.
I'll say a special prayer for her to recover quickly.

Best wishes!

I had it 2 weeks before I delivered and everything was fine with the baby. My doctor put me on Valtrex, which worked great. In less than 2 weeks I completely scabbed over so I wasn't contagious anymore. I had it on my breast and was still able to breast feed since it wasn't contagious. It was pretty bad pain though and I was put on Vicadin for the pain.

i had them when i was about four months pregnant with my first child. i can tell you this it was exhausting i remember feeling so tired and just run down by it. there is a list of approved meds while pregnant and the medication i took was on it (hi cant remember what it was now) it was about three years ago. my daughter was born perfectly healthy so is now still and beautiful smart little girl with no side effects from the meds or shingles.

Hi,

I had shingles when I was about 5 months pregnant. The OB said to let it run it's course (they were not painful) but it spread so she put me on Valtrex. Then it went away. I had a perfectly healthy baby. But she did get Chicken Pox at 3 months. One of my pediatricians said there is no coincidence. The other one said there could be.

Your friend shouldn't worry. Shingles can come on due to weak immune systems and stress. Let's face it - pregnancy causes both. I'm sure your friend will be just fine.

Shingles are caused by the same virus as chicken pox. At some point, your friend had chicken pox, or was exposed to the virus and made antibodies. The virus hid out in her nervous system. It can come out in times of stress, I guess pregnancy stresses the body to a point where it will come out. She could pass it on to someone if they contact the blisters directly. Normally, it's important to contain the outbreak so that there is no permanent nerve damage, which can be very debilitating. Two weeks is about the time it took to resolve my husband's case once he was on meds and he has no lasting effects. He got the meds within a day of the rash breaking out. The sooner the better. I do not know how safe they are for pregnant women. I hope she can get treated!

HI Beata,

Shingles can only be contracted if the immune system is weak. Obviously her prenatal vitamins are not working efficiently. The vitamins I take are guaranteed to absorb and I have had two acquaintances with shingles that I have recommended them to and their's were gone within a week or so....

Please PM me and I can get some information to you about them for your friend. I know that every case is different when pregnant but there is not reason to take any chances.

God bless,

M.

Normally shingles come about if you didn't have the chicken pox or a very small amt. I would have your friend question her Obstetrician about getting something so it doesn't spread. She is in kind of mid term so I don't think any meds' that they may give her would harm the little one. If so they wouldn't give it out. She has to definetly get something though so it is gone by the time she is going into delivery. Pls. tell your friend to either speak with her Family Physician or Obstetrician to get a script of meds'.

I am 5 months pregnant and just found out that i have the shingles also. I was told that it would not harm my baby unless I still had it at time of delivery, is that true? They did not give me any medication as I've already had it for a week and didn't realize what it was as it is on my back. I'm just nervous for the baby. I have an 8 year old and 2 year old that have not have the chicken pox yet that I am concerned about also. I know people that have had the shingles for several months and I am worried it will still be here when I deliver. I have been washing my clothes in hot water to be on the safe side also. I am very worn out and very sore, any suggestions?