Hellobee Boards

I had this. It was weird because I actually had chickenpox as a child (with a couple scars to prove it) but they said my immunity just wasn't enough. I actually didn't find out until I was pregnant with #2. Not sure if they didn't test the first time around or if my results had somehow changed. I ended up losing that pregnancy and I didn't get the vaccine at that point because I wanted to try to get pregnant again quickly and apparently you need to wait several months after the vaccine to TTC. So I knew going into my next pregnancy that this was an issue for me. Honestly, it was fine as I never encountered anyone with chickenpox while I was pregnant either time, and most kids are vaccinated these days. They did end up giving me the vaccine literally right after I delivered LO2 in the hospital though.

@MrsBrewer: You won't get shingles, but you can get chicken pox from someone who has shingles if you have not yet had the chicken pox

I've had chicken pox but am not immune. I was a nanny with my first pregnancy so I just altered my family and we kept an eye out for any weird rashes. Everything was fine.

I also was told I wasn't immune after I was tested during pregnancy - and I've had both chicken pox AND shingles in my life. Jeez. Anyway, my doctor kind of just said it was weird and didn't tell me to take any special precautions as far as I can remember.

@mrsbrewer: my understanding is that chicken pox and shingles are caused by the same virus. Once you've had chicken pox, catching the virus again can give you shingles but you won't get chicken pox again. And if you haven't had chicken pox, you can get that from someone who has shingles.

My blood work showed I wasn't immune to rubella so I just got an MMR booster before leaving the hospital. I didn't do anything different, but rubella I suppose is less common.

My husband has shingles right before our newborn was born and something useful we learned - shingles is really not that contagious. While you could get chicken pox from someone who has shingles, you have to have contact with the rash while it's weeping or open. So in the end, it was not that big a deal for us, even with a new baby.