Can A Mother With Genital Herpes Infection(not Active) Pass The Infection To Baby Who Is Breast Feeded?
Can a mother, who is already infected with genital herpes, breast feed her 3 month old baby? Any chance of getting the baby infected through breast milk? She is not having an active outbreak right now.
My second question is in case she develops active infection during her lactation still can she breast feed? What precatuions should she take?
Any medical doctor to answer, please.
Tags: Active, Baby, Breast, Genital, Herpes...., Infection, Infectionnot, Mother, Pass, With
January 9th, 2010 at 2:33 pm
Jack, don’t worry. She can’t pass anything on through breast milk. And ignore the post about “dirty ways.” She obviously didn’t read the post and see that your wife has NOT passed on the disease and you are both trying to prevent that! I commend you for coming on here and asking.
The things you DO need to be careful about when your wife is active is any kind of contact with your baby’s skin. Washing hands very rigerously after going to the bathroom will take care of that and I always do the same before a diaper change. Also, no baths with the baby when she is active.
To the person who thought it was already passed on during birth – yes that is a high risk, and why ALL doctors are very careful about checking for an active breakout during labor. If they see any, you get a C section. Also, all people with GH go on suppression therapy at 34 weeks automatically, and NONE of us want to pass this on to our children however we originally got it.
Oh, and on your “dirty ways” comment. I am also a mother of one, but I do have GH, and my “ways” have never been “dirty.” My husband (of 6 years) caught it from a girlfriend way before me. I caught it from him after we were married. Comments like yours are inaccurate and offensive. Not every woman who has GH is promiscuous.
Now, Jack, if you are at all concerned about the risks, go to your wife’s OB with her. She could get on supression therapy which will help reduce the number of outbreaks. I took Valtrax and it is fine for breast feeding mothers. There is NO WAY your child can get herpes through any bodily fluid. It requires contact with the legions by either actually touching them (as through a delivery) or indirectly by her hands coming into contact with them and then to the baby (and that’s not 100% certain she will pass it on).
January 9th, 2010 at 9:04 pm
No.
January 10th, 2010 at 3:06 am
The baby most likley contracted this from the infected birth cannal…thats just sick and sad..poor child that had to deal with thier mothers nasty ways!
January 10th, 2010 at 9:22 am
Herpes is not passed via breast milk. End of discussion!
January 10th, 2010 at 2:02 pm
If you have genital herpes, you can keep breastfeeding as long as the sores are covered. Herpes is spread through contact with sores and can be dangerous to a newborn. If you have sores on your nipple or areola, the darker skin around the nipple, you should stop breastfeeding on that breast. Pump or hand express your milk from that breast until the sore clears. Pumping will help keep up your milk supply and prevent your breast from getting engorged or overly full. You can store your milk to give to your baby in a bottle at another feeding. If the parts of your breast pump that contact the milk also touch the sore(s) while pumping, you should throw the milk away. http://picturesofgenitalwarts.net/help-for-genital-warts/"