Chicken Pox!

LetsGoToDisney

Lilli got the varicella vaccine with her one year shots and today she had a pox rash on her face and back. She seems to be fine otherwise, but I panicked. Apparently this happens and she is contagious. Why does this make me feel like a failure as a mom?

jennlin

you're not a failure. you did the right thing by having her vax'd. the breakout from the vax is much more mild than if she were to get it naturally.

mancila60

You are a good mom! You did the right thing. I agree with the other ladies it's much more mild compared to getting it normally. Hang in there.

sooner1981

The rash is a side effect of the vaccine--it occurs in about 3-5 percent of people who are vaccinated. It is not really a "true" chickenpox infection. For instance, the rash is thought to be much less infectious than the actual chicken pox virus. I just looked up the stats, and it said that there are only three documented cases of people getting chicken pox from a rash from a child who had been recently vaccinated--out of more than 20 million vaccinations (and 3-5 percent of those vaccinates kids having some type of rash). Also, it is much milder than the actual virus.

Even though it totally sucks, remember that you absolutely did the right thing!

SHAWNACPA

A got her shots on the 8th and she had a reaction to the shot on the 15th. It was three bumps right at the injection point and a high fever. The fever was off and on until Sunday. The nurse at our pedi's office acted like reactions to this shot were no big deal, but she also told us the reaction wouldn't occur for 7-10 days (which happened to be true in our case). She did say that A was not contagious unless the bumps were spreading. The three she had went away in about 36 hours. 

I felt awful that she had a reaction, but I still think it is better to vaccinate.

LetsGoToDisney

Thanks ladies! I just want to make it clear that I do not have any regrets about getting Lilli vaccinated, I just felt lousy because I can't protect her from everything. It was just a moment of motherly insecurity that I let fester. 

It does look like she only has a few bumps and they aren't spreading, so that's good.