Saturday, March 29, 2003
good info from New Zealand: this site seems to support going ahead with normal delivery, on balance.
Talk with your obstetrician or midwife. Make sure he or she knows you have genital herpes.
At the time of labour, check yourself for any symptoms in the genital area - sores, itching, tingling or tenderness. Your health care provider will also examine you with a strong light to detect any signs of an outbreak.
The choices regarding an active outbreak at the time of delivery should ideally be discussed with your obstetrician early in the pregnancy. The choices are to proceed with a vaginal delivery (avoiding use of instruments) or have caesarian section. There is currently insufficient information to clearly support one option or the other, however the risk of transmission with vaginal delivery is very low and must be weighed against the risks of caesarian section to the mother.
Ask your doctor not to break the bag of waters around the baby unless necessary. The bag of waters may help protect the baby against any virus in the birth canal.
Ask your doctor not to use foetal scalp monitor (scalp electrodes) during labour to monitor the baby's heart rate unless medically necessary. This instrument makes tiny punctures in the baby's scalp, which may allow herpes virus to enter. In most cases, an external monitor can be used instead.
Ask that a vacuum or forceps not be used during delivery unless medically necessary. These instruments can also cause breaks in the baby's scalp, allowing virus to enter.
After birth, watch the baby closely for about three weeks. Symptoms of neonatal herpes include blisters, fever, laziness, crankiness, or lack of appetite. While these symptoms can be mild initially, don't wait to see if your baby will get better. Take him or her to the pediatrician at once. Be sure to tell the pediatrician you have genital herpes.
Think positively! The odds are strongly in favour of you having a healthy baby.
Talk with your obstetrician or midwife. Make sure he or she knows you have genital herpes.
At the time of labour, check yourself for any symptoms in the genital area - sores, itching, tingling or tenderness. Your health care provider will also examine you with a strong light to detect any signs of an outbreak.
The choices regarding an active outbreak at the time of delivery should ideally be discussed with your obstetrician early in the pregnancy. The choices are to proceed with a vaginal delivery (avoiding use of instruments) or have caesarian section. There is currently insufficient information to clearly support one option or the other, however the risk of transmission with vaginal delivery is very low and must be weighed against the risks of caesarian section to the mother.
Ask your doctor not to break the bag of waters around the baby unless necessary. The bag of waters may help protect the baby against any virus in the birth canal.
Ask your doctor not to use foetal scalp monitor (scalp electrodes) during labour to monitor the baby's heart rate unless medically necessary. This instrument makes tiny punctures in the baby's scalp, which may allow herpes virus to enter. In most cases, an external monitor can be used instead.
Ask that a vacuum or forceps not be used during delivery unless medically necessary. These instruments can also cause breaks in the baby's scalp, allowing virus to enter.
After birth, watch the baby closely for about three weeks. Symptoms of neonatal herpes include blisters, fever, laziness, crankiness, or lack of appetite. While these symptoms can be mild initially, don't wait to see if your baby will get better. Take him or her to the pediatrician at once. Be sure to tell the pediatrician you have genital herpes.
Think positively! The odds are strongly in favour of you having a healthy baby.
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