The Pediatrician
Last week we met our future Pediatrician and the thought, "Oh my, we're about to have a baby" crept into my mind. If you compare the pregnancy to a 400 yard dash, we're rounding the corner and heading for the finish line. It's almost here.
We loved our pediatrician. He was knowledgeable, personable, and laid-back—yet confident. Pediatricians live by their pager, and he told us to call him any time for whatever reason. When raising a child, “there are no dumb questions,” he reminded us.
Helen and I both walked out of the office feeling good about him. One interesting point he made during our session was about maternal antibodies and how these are passed on to the baby. My wife wanted to bring this up because often when I teach at a nearby school (a.k.a. germ factory) I sometimes (okay—often!) end up catching a nasty cold or sickness. One of our questions was if I should stay away from baby (a sentence that equals our basement) when I have a bad virus.
During the last three months of pregnancy, antibodies from the mother are passed to the unborn baby through the placenta. The amount and type of antibodies passed to the baby depends on the mother's immunity. For example, if the mother has had chickenpox, she will have developed immunity against the disease, and some of the chickenpox antibodies will be passed to the baby. This is good for the about the first 8 months of the baby’s life. Essentially, the maternal antibodies are an evolutionary adaptation that allowed baby a greater chance to survive the first year. Long ago baby always was strapped to mom, often alongside when working in the fields or traveling great distances on foot by nomadic peoples.
Passive immunity to measles, mumps and rubella usually lasts for about a year, which is why the MMR jab is given just after your baby's first birthday.
So yes, I'm still allowed to get sick and still be around the baby. Lucky for me, because hanging out in the basement by myself gets awful boring. :)
We loved our pediatrician. He was knowledgeable, personable, and laid-back—yet confident. Pediatricians live by their pager, and he told us to call him any time for whatever reason. When raising a child, “there are no dumb questions,” he reminded us.
Helen and I both walked out of the office feeling good about him. One interesting point he made during our session was about maternal antibodies and how these are passed on to the baby. My wife wanted to bring this up because often when I teach at a nearby school (a.k.a. germ factory) I sometimes (okay—often!) end up catching a nasty cold or sickness. One of our questions was if I should stay away from baby (a sentence that equals our basement) when I have a bad virus.
During the last three months of pregnancy, antibodies from the mother are passed to the unborn baby through the placenta. The amount and type of antibodies passed to the baby depends on the mother's immunity. For example, if the mother has had chickenpox, she will have developed immunity against the disease, and some of the chickenpox antibodies will be passed to the baby. This is good for the about the first 8 months of the baby’s life. Essentially, the maternal antibodies are an evolutionary adaptation that allowed baby a greater chance to survive the first year. Long ago baby always was strapped to mom, often alongside when working in the fields or traveling great distances on foot by nomadic peoples.
Passive immunity to measles, mumps and rubella usually lasts for about a year, which is why the MMR jab is given just after your baby's first birthday.
So yes, I'm still allowed to get sick and still be around the baby. Lucky for me, because hanging out in the basement by myself gets awful boring. :)
posted by jjwoodee at
4:55 PM
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