Will my baby get cold sores if I do?
The herpes simplex virus can be passed to a baby through a cold sore if a person has a cold sore and kisses the baby. The herpes virus can also be spread to your baby if you have a blister caused by herpes on your breast and you feed your baby with the affected breast or expressed breast milk from the affected breast.
What if my baby touches my cold sore?
For HSV-1, or oral herpes, infection typically happens through contact from an infected person’s lesion to a membrane area of the baby’s body, such as the eyes or mouth. This can happen if a person with a cold sore kisses the baby or, even more rarely, if the individual touches a cold sore and then touches the baby.
How long after a cold sore can you hold a baby?
Some medical experts say to err on the side of caution and not allow anyone who has had a cold sore in the previous week to kiss your baby. If you have a history of cold sores but not an active cold sore or one within the last week, you’re not contagious and it’s OK to kiss and care for a baby or toddler, says Morgan.
What to do if I have a cold sore and a newborn?
Experts recommend that you take your infant or child to see their doctor if:
- Your newborn develops blisters.
- This is your child’s first cold sore, especially if they have chronic skin conditions like eczema or have had problems fighting infections.
- There are blisters near your child’s eyes.
Can my cold sore hurt my newborn?
Cold sores pose the highest risk to infants during the first weeks of their lives. The herpes virus can cause severe problems at this stage and may even be fatal if it spreads to the organs, including the eyes, brain, or lungs.
Does breastfeeding protect baby from cold sore?
A mother may breastfeed her infant or express milk from the unaffected breast but should ensure that the lesions on the affected breast are completely covered to avoid transmission. Mothers should also follow appropriate hand hygiene practices to avoid transmission of herpes to her infant.
Can cold sores spread through breast milk?
No. Breast milk can be contaminated if it comes in contact with active herpetic lesions through touching the breast during hand expression or via the pump. Therefore, if a mother has herpetic lesions on her breast, she should discard expressed breast milk from the affected side until the lesions have healed.
How does a newborn get HSV?
Most HSV infections in newborns are caused by HSV-2 that the infant catches from the mother’s birth canal. Newborns can sometimes get HSV-1 from close contact with someone who is shedding HSV-1 virus in their saliva or has an active HSV-1 outbreak (cold sores).