Wanting Vaginal Birth but Have Genital Herpes

The only thing I know is that an old work friend of mine had genital herpes and had a baby vaginally. The baby got it in her eyes. That's a horrible thing, but I don't know how often things like that actually happen. Also, I don't know if she had any symptoms at the time.

I, too, just took Acyclovir few weeks before my baby was born. I would have had a vaginal delivery but didn't due to other reasons.

I didn't want a vaginal delivery because I was worried about the herpes but there is a very low chance of the baby contracting herpes from you. Even a low chance is still scary though.

Hi Tiffany,

I, too, was in the same boat. My concern was that with the stress of delivery, I would have an outbreak anyway. And new studies show that people can transmit it even if there is no visible outbreak. I ended up having a C-Section due to my daughter being breech, which made it much easier not to have to decide. There is nothing wrong with having a C-Section to protect your baby. Just be aware that some people may ask why you did not have a regular delivery, since people seem to have boundary issues when it comes to other people's pregnancies!
Good luck!

Hi Tiffany -

Like so many others have written, you can relax. Focus on preparing for the birth of your child, vaginally. A vaginal birth is enough to prepare for; I encourage you to put worries about herpes out of your mind and focus your mind on how you want the birth of your baby to be. Fear and worry are sooo natural when we're pregnant.

Your dr's know how to take care of you, an elective c-section is not a good idea, and you can do so much now to help yourself live with herpes that doesn't involve daily medication. Do more research online, you'll find information and help, and can pick what works best for you.

I have genital herpes, and had my first child last year. My dr's said we were all clear for a vaginal birth, my having herpes was a almost a non-issue, but we had a c due to other reasons. What happens at delivery time may depend on when you contracted herpes - if you've had it for a couple years or more, the chance of having an outbreak then is much less.

During my pregnancy, I did everything I could to prevent an outbreak, and didn't have one. You can take lysine, which is an amino acid, not 'medication', although there are some things to think about with that. See http://tinyurl.com/qsep43 - ###-###-#### mg a day has always worked well for me, even stopped outbreaks in the past when I felt that familiar tingle and swelling.

Avoid foods that trigger outbreaks, and eat ones that may be preventative. See http://tinyurl.com/o52v33 You've probably already improved your diet for your preganacy, so you've likely incorporated some of this guidance into your diet now.

Hope this helps,

C. S.

I too have genital herpes and plan to deliver vaginally. My prenatal care provider has me taking daily Acyclovir to suppress the virus from now (36 wks) until the baby's born. She says I can deliver vaginally as long as I am not having an active outbreak at the time of delivery. If I am having an active outbreak, then I will have to have a c-section. Perhaps you can talk to your doctor about medication to suppress the virus. Good luck.

If you are having an outbreak at time of labor, then you'll probably have a C-section. I myself also have genital herpes and had a vaginal birth. If you feel an outbreak rearing it's ugly head anytime close to due date you can take medication that will help. I'd encourage you to keep the option of a vaginal birth very open as it is entirely possible for you without risk. Good luck making your decision.

Either way you go, my suggestion is to WAIT until you go into labor naturally. Don't schedule a C-section. Wait until you go into labor/water breaks and see if you have an outbreak. If you are not confident then go to the hospital and get your C-Section. The Dr won't like this b/c it may interfere with his golf game or ruin her plans. Dr's like to schedule so they can see more patients and plan their lives. Your baby's well-being is more important than their keeping a schedule. When your baby is ready you will go into labor and can have a C-Section then. Your baby's respiratory system will be mature enough and you may have a better chance breast-feeding too. That is my advice :-)

You can take Acyclovir before hand and durinf the delivery time and it should be totally fine to have a vaginal birth, unless you have an ourbreak.

Be open and honest with your OB. A vaginal birth can be perfectly fine if you are not experiencing an outbreak. You can be checked at the time of labor. If you have sores, then a c-section should be performed. Congratulations on your upcoming birth and good luck.

I also have vaginal herpes and I just delivered my first newborn...but as long as your taking your medicine to minioze any outbreaks and you will be able to deliver your baby vaginally

Hi Tiffany,

I have no experience with this but did want to offer some words of encouragement. I had to have a c-section for a completely different reason and really fought it the whole way. In the end, it was best for the baby to arrive this way. My suggestion is to listen to your gut...your mommy instincts will tell you what is best for you to do. I would also suggest that you speak with a Doula. I used one who was fabulous and very knowledgable about a lot of off the way pregnancy related complications and scenarios. I can give you her contact information if you would like. Just send me a message. It wouldn't hurt to just have a conversation with her about it. She might be able to advise you better and provide you with some real life examples fo similiar situations. Good Luck!

J.

hey -- i have had 2 vaginal births with no problems. do some research. there is very little chance of infection. also did not do the acyclovar in the ninth month, which some practitioners recommend. the biggest risk is women who CONTRACT herpes during pregnancy -- very dangerous. please email me with any ?s

I have a friend who is was in the same situation. She was given Valtrex to take everyday the last two months or so of her pregnancy which helped prevent outbreaks. she said the doctor said it was safe to take and she was able to deliver naturally. No issues...

Hello Tiffany,

I do not have herpes, however I read the other postings and everyone says a C-section is horrible. I had a c-section with Twins. Not planned after 26 hours of labor and they were not coming I decided to go for a C-section. To be honest I was happy since I was so scared of delivering naturally. Anyways before I gave birth people told me their stories of bad recoveries.
I wanted to tell you my story. I had no problem at all. I had a c-section on a Tuesday and was walking around the next day and taking care of the twin in the hosptial on Thursday. I was released a day early and the next day at home I was doing laundry. I had a great recovery and if I had another child I would do a c-section again. Of course everyone is different but I wanted you to hear a positive recovery outcome.

I have herpes & delivered both our boys vaginally. It had been many years since I'd had an outbreak or symptoms but I still voiced the same concern to my OB both times & she we'd just have to cross that bridge if & when we came to it. So, I say, plan on the vaginal birth & c-section only if your OB recommends. I agree w/the woman who said to not plan your c-section but go into labor naturally & then opt for the c-section if needed. Best of luck!

I agree with Stephany and Cherie. BEST OF LUCK! <3

Hi Tiffany,

I have genital herpes and I delivered my daughter vaginally. I have never had a bad outbreak or noticeable symptoms. I only found out I had it when I passed it on to my (now) husband, who was a virgin when we met. He was not so lucky and has had several outbreaks. In any case we were both still very concerned about the safety of vaginal birth and our doula and doctor both made me feel very confident that a vaginal birth would be safe for us as long as I did not have an outbreak. Luckily I did not, and was thrilled because bringing my baby into the world is without a doubt my most amazing accomplishment.

Good luck!

I have genital herpes. My first child we planned to go vaginally but had other complications and had an unplanned C-section.
Never plan a c-section unless it is your last option. I could not hold my baby because of the pain, for any length of time. I needed more help to take care of her. C-sections are awful!
Our second baby was born VBAC and is perfectly healthy. So I have the experience of both ways and I would always say vaginal unless no other option.
Neither of my pregnancies did I have an outbreak.

Talk to your Doc about all of your options and decide what is best for your baby.
Good luck :)

I don't have any experience with std's but I have a 10 month old baby girl who I delivered by a planned csection. (I had back surgery the year before so since my back was still healing, I did not have a choice to allow the baby to come down my 'canal' which could cause another back surgery if it would have been more then my back could handle)
SO I made the choice ahead of time & it came down to doing what was best for the baby. It was a hard choice, at first, because I too wanted to deliver 'naturally' BUT when it came down to it, especially @ the end when I was feeling huge & very uncomfortable, I just wanted her out of me & how she got out I didn't care...haha
After I made the decision, during pregnancy to do the csection, I decided that I had nothing to prove to anyone, I needed to do what was best for my own body & the baby so that when she got here I could be the best Mom that I could be to her.
Just with what you said above, I wouldn't chance it-how horrible would you feel if you did give it to her & then a naturally crying newborn-as all of them do-would turn into a painfully crying newborn & you wouldn't be able to help those crys...& for me any crying was hard, in the beginning, it is hard to get used to the fact that newborns cry often & as a new parent there is a learning period until you know what works to help your baby stop crying...BTW: the dvd the happiest baby on the block' saved my husband & I...it really teaches new parents techniques that help calm your baby from crying-I wish I had watched it before she arrived & then when she was here rather then just when she was here & a month in we were breaking down from the sleep deprivation & crying....
anyhow just wanted to share that I too, had to make the decision & I did what was 'best' for both of us & it worked out fine. Either delivery has it's good & bad. Labor & vaginal delivery is horrible pain but csection is stomach surgery-6 layers so recovery is difficult more so then the delivery...if you want to know more about my csection-send me a message...but regardless of all of this, congratulations! A baby is truly one of life's best gifts. I wouldn't trade my little angel for the world. It is the hardest 24/7 job that I have ever had & the 'singular' life will never be had again, but watching her grow & become her own each day is priceless. The love I feel for her is incomparable & indescribable... Enjoy

Jen M. is right on. Have your dr give you acyclovir /valtrex/zovirax (all work)to suppress any outbreak of symptoms starting at about 36 weeks and there is no problem with delivering vaginally. There is abslutely no reason to have a c-section due to herpes unless you are having an active outbreak. C-section is major surgery to recover from. You will have enough on your plate dealing with a newborn. Having a c-section will also predispose you to HAVING to have a c-section with every child, even if you change your mind and want a vaginal birth. Many hospitals will not do VBACS and many drs will not do them either. Please don't stress over this - thousands of healthy children are born to mothers with herpes all over the world. We have the medicine (which is ok to take in pregnancy I might add)to easily overcome this health issue -use it. Best of luck. Enjoy your baby!

Have a vaginal birth. Your doctor will be able to see if you have any sores. You can take acyclovir during the last 2 months of your pregnancy to prevent an outbreak. A c-section should lways be the last resort. I have never had a problem at all during my pregnancies or births. At the end of your pregnancy you see your doctor or midwife so frequently that if there is any doubt, you can get confirmation right away and then explore the possibility of a c-section if necessary.

Hi Tiffany,

Just like many of the others here I took medication, Zovirax, two week before the birth of my son and he is fine. Speak with your MD and see what they think. Good Luck!

I have had herpes for 20 yrs and had my first and hopefully my 2nd at home with a midwife- and I did have the itchy symptom a week before delivery. My experience with things like Valtrex is it can sometimes make things worse ie. your immune system low and the whole point of it is to suppress the herpes. I have found that a good diet, exercise, and red marine algae are much more effective. Good luck to you.

Tiffany, I think you are over exaggerating the risk. I had genital herpes once in 1976, and didn't test positive for it during my pregnancy in 1982, and I delivered vaginally without any trouble for my son. A c-section is major surgery. I would advise you to try to deliver vaginally unless you have symptoms during childbirth. Only have a c-section if it is medically indicated.

My youngest godchild was born naturally, in spite of her mom's herpes. She's fine.

I think it's a pretty common thing to do.

Does your doctor have any statistics for you that would help you make a decision?

Hello,

I had a friend back in high school who had genital herpes and gave vaginal birth to a health baby girl. I still talk to her now and then. Her baby seems to be fine. I asked her about her symptoms and she said that her daughter did not contract anything from birth.

Always check with your OB for their suggestion and advice. But, everything is utimately up to you to decide.

I had vaginal birth with my first child and it was the best experience of my life. C-section is good only if you have to do it.

Congratulations on your pregnancy and good luck!!!!

I was afraid of having vaginal birth also. If you are in good communication with your doctor, maybe you can just plan for vaginal and then if you have an outbreak (and it's due date time) schedule the C-section. I didnt have an outbreak (for either of my children) and both are fine! No C section!

I worked at a birth center and we had many, many moms who delivered vaginally with herpes. Obviously if they had an outbreak, they would have to have a section, but none of them did. Even those who would treat their outbreaks with "natural remedies" (when non-pregnant) were willing to go on Acyclovir at 36 weeks until delivery to prevent an outbreak.

You would not believe the number of people with herpes who deliver vaginally. It's not exactly rare. It all comes down to if you are having an outbreak or not, and with Acyclovir your chances are very good you can have your vaginal birth.

Those with herpes sores on their faces have to be even more vigilant as they must be careful not to transmit while they care for their babies.

Obviously, if you decide to have a c-section, that is your choice, but I wanted to assure you that there are ways to eliminate transmitting to your child (like taking Acyclovir)

I have genital herpes( with frequent episodes) and delivered both my children naturally.With my second I took Zovirax or acyclovir for the last period, may be last the 2-3 weeks just to be sure. You can do all the things to lesson the chance of out break and then add extra resistance with acyclovir if needed. I personally don't use drugs or mediaction of any kind,but found it worth it to do this.....my births were incredibly beautiful empowering experiences which both my babies and I enjoyed, and I would not want to have missed them. Write if you have any more questions. Women dread birth in this culture, but birth can be wonderful.
P..

Your Dr. can give you medication to prevent symptoms from coming near the end of your pregnancy. I believe it is Valtrax and is safe to take. Talk to your Dr. about it. Good luck and have a vaginal birth if you don't have an outbreak, it is a wonderful experience and should be safe for your baby. Good luck!