Staph! UGH!

[Momtotwo2004]

A neighbor girl came over to play today. She was only in my house to pass through to the back yard, both when she got here and when she was leaving. She played with my two little girls in our back yard for about 2 hours. They swam in the little kiddie pool. She didn't have a bathing suit so she swam in just her underwear.

When her dad came to pick her up, he told me she had been diagnosed that morning with a staph infection! It's an open wound. And it wasn't covered. She used one of our towels but the girls each had their own towels so they didn't share.

I drained the pool and I washed her towel in hot water. My girls have no open wounds although my YDD has excema and has some "hot spots" right now. They're raw and red but not open.

Should I be concerned about my homebirth and safety? I'm 36 weeks right now and I don't need this extra stress right now. I'm pretty frustrated that they let her come over without telling me FIRST.

[PoppyMama]

I'd be flaming pissed. You might want to try to boost their immunity as much as possible. If you have any mupirocen/bactroban you can put some on her hotspots. I cant believe they sent her without telling you.

[AmaraMonillas]

That is really frustrating that they didn't tell you ahead of time.

I really wouldn't worry at all about your hb. Staph is all over the place - 30% of people are carriers (on unbroken skin or in the nasal cavity where it isn't causing infection) so as long as you weren't planning on using that pool (without thorough disinfecting) for birthing I wouldn't even say there is higher risk than if she hadn't come over.

I wish you a wonderful, peaceful birth.

[Momtotwo2004]

Thanks for responding, guys. I was really starting to freak out.

The pool is just for the kids. Although they won't be using it until DH can get out there this weekend to bleach it.

I just keep telling myself that they've probably come in contact with staph several times over their lifetime. Heck, we were just at a public pool the other night and there were ALOT of people there. I would imagine at least one person there had a staph infection. At least they didn't play in the house today.

I'm going to try to not worry about it. I did wipe DD's excema spots with some antiseptic wipes. I'll do it a few time a day for the next few days to cover my bases.

[forumyonly1]

if i were you i wouldnt worry about your home birth. My husband and my 1st son both had bad staph infections.. thier outbreaks lasted almost 2 years.. and i can tell you.. it is extremely contageous..... that being said.. I have never had a staph infection and niether have my two younger sons.. though i know we are all carriers. Not every one is affected by staph.. if you are genuinely worried about it go buy some hibiclense and wash everyone in your family with it. you can also ask your GP doctor for the anti biotic ointment they give to people with staph infections and you can put it inside all of your nostrils.. that may sound wierd but that is where staph colonizes. Our doc gave us enough for our extended family in case they were worried about it. Other than that.. there's not a lot you can do at this point! I wish you all the best with your home birth!

[Momtotwo2004]

Thanks, Amanda. I will call tomorrow and speak to the ped's office to see what they say. I also emailed my midwife.

On a side note, I have a Lucy who just turned 3 this week. And I'm due with another just about a week before you!

[forumyonly1]

Aww i love the name Lucy (obviously)! Congrats on your new LO! I'm getting really excited about ours!!