Pediatrician Questions Herpes Zoster

Can chickenpox spread through breast milk?

I am a 31 year old woman and I have a baby who is 7 months old. I recently had a bout of the herpes zoster infection that left a patch on my back. The doctor asked me to completely stop breastfeeding. I have now recovered from the infection and would like to know if I should attempt feeding my son again?

1 Answer

Sounds like you had shingles instead of primary chickenpox which is much less infective only 5%. Where primary chickenpox is 95%. If the lesions were not on the breast it is ok to breast feed and your antibodies can help protect the baby