is contagious by droplets.  The actual lesions are merely an indicator of the stage of the infection, and thus of the amount of virus likely to be present in the droplets (which are produced by coughing, breathing, etc.).  It is not easy to contract chickenpox through direct contact with skin lesions, but a breastfed baby is right in the line of fire for droplet contact, so to speak, lying below mother's respiratory openings.
According to the guidelines we use, this baby is not at risk.  If mother breaks out in lesions less than 5 days before birth or less than one week afterwards, we give the baby gamma globulin.  Otherwise we just do nothing, assuming mother is BF.
Rachel Myr

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