When my youngest daughter was just 2 months old, I got a primary herpes infection.  At that time I had been married 10 years and my husband had suffered with this for at least 15 years.  I was quite ill, but thought at first that it was a bladder infection or some delayed complication of childbirth.  When the diagnosis was made, the doctor was most interested in how we had avoided transmission so long.  No mention was made of not  breastfeeding.  
  Several years later when studying for the IBCLE I was shocked to find out that this was noted as a true contraindication to breastfeeding.  I checked several sources and all agreed.  
  My daughter has never shown any signs of the disease-not even a cold sore-and is now almost 6 years old.  I have wondered many times what I would have done if anyone had given me the advise to wean.  As it was, my OB never mentioned breastfeeding or the baby, except that it was a good thing for her that the infection didn't strike right around her birth.  I truely feel that I benefitted from my physicians lack of interest in breastfeeding.  He did not think it worthy of mention or investigation.  My daughter nursed for over 3 years. 
tracy throckmorton rn ibclc
portland oregon [log in to unmask]