Visiting Newborn Right After Coming from a Trip to Africa

Very good question! But you need to call your baby's pediatrician to ask it, not us.

My sister had thyroid cancer and had a 1 pill radiation treatment back in January done. I was 5 weeks pregnant and my son was 14.5 months old. I called he's Ped. (and my OB) to find out how long we needed to be away from her. The Ped. said my son was ok after a month after she had it done and my OB said I could see her after MY 1st trimester was over (due to possible birth defects).

So again, I would suggest calling in the experts on this question.

i went to africa and took a kabillion shots and came home sick (not contagious though).

if it were me i'd wait 4-6 weeks after you have the child just to make sure.

you just never know

and the other question is WHERE in africa? the back woods or city? think it can make a difference.

I was actually in the same situation as you. My husband is from S. Africa and some relatives from there wanted to visit around the time my third was born. It didn't end up happening but I was very concerned. Every well baby visit the doctor asks if we or any close relatives have been out of the country. They are asking this because of tuberculosis. My husband was actually treated for being "exposed" to TB sometime while he lived there or traveled. There are sooo...many sicknesses that one can get just being on an airplane. I would definetly wait at least a few weeks maybe longer. Your ped may say "oh, don't worry about it" but use your own judgement. I would be just as concerned if it were any other country.

Breastfeeding does help but let me tell you from experience that it doesn't protect against everything. My 8 week old son caught a bug and actually was hospitalized even though he was exclusively breastfed. I personally wouldn't rely on breastfeeding to keep your child free from sicknesses, although like I said nursing helps.

Talk to your doctor and see what he/she says. There may be a certain time frame that is recommended. Good luck to you and I thought I would respond since I have been in this situation before. SOme may think this suggestion is crazy but maybe she can wear a mask and limit her time around the baby?? Just an extra precaution if she can't wait to see the baby.?? Also, I see you also have 2 other children that could "catch" something and you could too. Having a new baby is stressful enough that the last thing you want to worry about is all 4 of you catching something...or she can even be a carrier of some diseases. I'm sure their is some sort of incubation period so ask your doc.

Sorry so long! Good luck and let us know what your doc says.

breastfeed your little one and she will be just as safe as anyone coming to handle your newborn...its not just "diseases" from Africa one needs to worry about with a newborn, we have plenty of scary ones here, but breastfeeding your child will keep them extra protected from all germs!

I would check with the Doctor and see what they say.

If it were me, I'd wait. (And of course, if I were the sister in law just returning from Africa, I'd totally understand too.)

I'd ask your doctor and make sure you have the following info: where in Africa she was, what shots/medications did she have, and what precautions were they urged to take and why. This will help your doctor help you make an informed decision. I'd think she would be quite understanding.

YS:

if you are breastfeeding you have nothing to worry about... your body will make antibodies to protect the baby from anything the baby is exposed to ...

enoy visiting with your sil and hearing all about her trip.

P., RLC, IBCLC
Breastfeeding and Parenting Solutions

Ask your doctor, they will be the only ones to know because they should be up to date with the diseases/shots that she received or could have been exposed to.