# Too sick to visit new baby? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 18, 2009, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/too-sick-to-visit-new-baby/510618 "2009-09-18T17:38:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2009, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/too-sick-to-visit-new-baby/510618/1 "2009-09-18T17:38:10Z")
I’ve been feeling rotten lately, but I am pretty sure it’s all been because of allergies. Stuffy nose, mainly. A friend was visiting last week and he was sick. My roommate went on a weekend trip and he is sick too. Both seem(ed) to have just some stuffiness issues - since they’re boys who don’t get allergy symptoms I wonder if they didn’t overact a wee bit. I don’t swap juices with either of those guys…the roommate, I barely lay eyes on and he is pretty much confined to the basement. I am one of those people who suffers every day with allergies, so I never know when I am contagious sick or just feeling rotten because of a high pollen or mold count. Now, I’m sneezing more and have a sore throat. But I did mow the lawn the other day (bad for allergies). The crux of the matter is that my brother has a 4-day old infant and of course I need to visit her. I visited her the other day (when I felt much better) in the hospital (another source of germy folks), and being that I am The Auntie I am very much obliged to hang out with her again ASAP. If I’ve got just allergy symptoms, no harm, right? If I’ve got a cold, then what? Am I going to kill the baby with my presence? How do I know the difference? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Hamster\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8edcca/32.png) [@The\_Hamster\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Hamster_King)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2009, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/too-sick-to-visit-new-baby/510618/2 "2009-09-18T17:58:54Z")
You won’t kill your niece, but colds are \*absolutely miserable \*for little babies. Being a new parent is hard enough without having to cope with a sick newborn. If if were me, I’d tell my brother that I was worried that I might be coming down with something, so I was going to stay away for a while to be on the safe side. If you still are feeling crummy after a week goes by, tell him that you think it might be allergies – and \*ask \*if it be okay if you came over anyway. You’re going to be an aunt for a long time. Staying away for a few days right now is a small price to pay to save your brother’s family a lot of hassle. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2009, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/too-sick-to-visit-new-baby/510618/3 "2009-09-18T18:52:19Z")
My alcoholic MIL showed up at the hospital the day after my son was born and gave him a hellacious cold. Thanks a lot, bitch! May not be the sole cause, but the kid has had respiratory issues ever since. Better safe than sorry. Believe me, the parents will appreciate your considration, and will be able to survive with you not seeing the kid until you feel well. ---
**Author:** ![Caffeine.addict](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f475e1/32.png) [@Caffeine.addict](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caffeine.addict)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2009, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/too-sick-to-visit-new-baby/510618/4 "2009-09-18T19:10:54Z")
My son got his first cold at three months and it was miserable for him and for us. Newborns breathe through their nose, so being stuffy for them is absolutely wretched. He didn’t sleep well which meant that we didn’t sleep well. Tell your brother that you have a cold and will visit when the cold has passed. He will appreciate the consideration. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2009, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/too-sick-to-visit-new-baby/510618/5 "2009-09-18T19:16:13Z")
> [@](#): > > Tell your brother that you have **might** a cold and will visit when the cold has passed. He will appreciate the consideration. +1 with underlined addition. Do explain, but don’t take any chances. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2009, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/too-sick-to-visit-new-baby/510618/6 "2009-09-18T19:29:09Z")
> [@TruCelt](#): > > +1 with underlined addition. Do explain, but don’t take any chances. No, that makes it sound like an excuse. Unless the op has a certificate indicating the symptoms are not the H1N1 virus then that’s all anyone needs to know. The only information the op needs to convey is a desperate need for photographs while she recouperates. ---
**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2009, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/too-sick-to-visit-new-baby/510618/7 "2009-09-18T19:40:57Z")
Newborns don’t have a full compliment of antibodies that the rest of us have. They get temporary immunity from the first breast milk called colostrum. If the babe is breast fed, she will be better equipped to handle being around simple illnesses. That said, any illness in an infant, is much more serious than it is in an adult. I would err on the side of safety. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2009, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/too-sick-to-visit-new-baby/510618/8 "2009-09-18T20:02:21Z")
Thanks for the advice, all. I actually got invited to a party this weekend too, where my friend will have her 8-week-old. She didn’t seem too concerned about me coming as long as I stay away from the sprout (my idea). But it will also be outdoors, and he’s older, and breast fed. Kind of sucks because it’s sinking me deeper into that “childless by choice so she probably hates our babies” stereotype, but hopefully everyone understands that it’s for their own good! ---
**Author:** ![Caffeine.addict](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f475e1/32.png) [@Caffeine.addict](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caffeine.addict)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2009, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/too-sick-to-visit-new-baby/510618/9 "2009-09-18T20:26:18Z")
I would just mention to your friend that you can’t hold the baby because you have a cold.