Question:
Hi! I am new to this board and very happy to have found it! Everyone seems to be very supportive and informed on gh. I am also currently 30 weeks pregnant and have had gh for 6+ yrs. I am struggling so much with the decision to have a vaginal birth or c-section. I have done tons of online research and what I'm looking to know more about is asymptomatic shedding. I understand the risks to my baby are very small but I've found many stories of women who have infected their children while experiencing NO signs or symptoms! I'm looking for any additional info. from those who have experience or knowledge about Moms that have had long standing infections, take suppressive therapy in the last 4 weeks of pregnancy and still go on to pass gh to their babies through vaginal delivery. I need all the help I can get! I'm terrified of surgery but I'm feeling like it's the only way to put my mind at ease that my baby will be okay. And fyi... I have never been on any suppressive meds before and medicines typically have adverse reactions in my system and I have 3-4 obs per year. ANY advice is greatly appreciated!! Thank you.

Answer:
Hi Giselle.....

Congrats on the new baby. How exciting!

I know how scary it is to be pregnant and have herpes. You are right in that it is rare to pass this onto our infants (via vaginal birth) but also important to know the risks. There are many many MANY women who do have a vaginal birth with no problems/complication as far as passing on herpes. Generally, what the doctor will do before you have the baby is visually inspect you for any sores or lesions. If there ARE sores present, then csection is the only way.

You CAN take suppressives prior, but if you have a hard time with meds, this might not be the answer either (I , too, am very sensitive to antiviral meds....I was in perpetual prodomme state AND got weird hives/bumps around the mouth...so...no meds for me!)

Bottom line is this: Go with YOUR gut instinct and what works best for YOU. Don't let the last few weeks of your happy pregnancy be marred by worry. If you are truly afraid of passing it on to the infant, maybe csection is best for you....it is one less fear you have to worry about. Pregnancy and delivery are stressful enough. Do what YOU think is the best. Listen to you body, your mind and your heart.

I had a csection. A big part why I did was because I had a horrible labor/delivery with my older son. LONG LONG labor, we both almost died. (turns out there there is something wrong with my pelvic bone/hip...I should have never had my older son vaginally...grrr.... :x )

Years later, after I met the man I am with now, and we decided to have a baby, I told my doctor of my initial problems AND that I also have herpes, and was quite afraid to pass it onto my infant. He agreed with me that csection was the only route (again, more for the hip problems, but also because he could tell I was fretting about the herpes.....ADD to this that while I was pregnant, I was having CONSTANT outbreaks. ) So, while I was SO afraid of having surgery....I think it was the BEST thing in the world. Compared to the labor I had before...shhheeeeesh.....this was a piece of cake. The worst part: the epidural. yikes! But once they numb you up, they roll you into the O.R...and to be honest....we were all cracking jokes and talking about silly things...until my son's head was showing, then we got really emotional and forgot about everything other than that wonderful boy being born. It was pretty amazing.....

So that is my story...I don't know how much it helps. I hope some of the other mothers post to you too. Especially the ones who did deliver vaginally so they can share their story too and give you another perspective. Again, I say go with your heart. And don't let ANYBODY (no doctors, not relatives, nobody!) bully you!!! Do what YOU feel is right. It is YOUR body! Some people can be quite opinionated and nasty about decisions you make when it comes to your pregnancy/labor/delivery.

Do not fret and enjoy these last few weeks of being pregnant. Enjoy all the extra attention and pampering you get. GET LOTS OF SLEEP!!! hahahaha, you will need it. And please keep us all posted when the little one arrives!

Congrats! :D