Most people have immunity to chickenpox (varicella-zoster virus); therefore the issue of whether mothers with chickenpox can breastfeed is uncommon chickenpox can occur during the reproductive years, a woman may develop this infection while she is breastfeeding. If a mother contracts chickenpox while breastfeeding, she should CONTINUE TO BREASTFEED, because the antibodies in her milk confer immunity against chickenpox to her baby. This passive immunization may even spare the breastfed baby symptoms of chickenpox; if the disease is contracted, the course of the infant’s disease is usually mild. The baby should be protected from direct contact with the mother’s skin lesions.