Advice needed/SS

JmeJoLee83 · March 2014

Thought about posting this in the mother in law thread but I need help ASAP! My MIL is traveling to Costa Rica at the end of the month to have dental work. She will be coming back a day before my shower, which she will attend. I asked her if she plans on getting any vaccines before she goes and she replied no. I have been researching to see which vaccines travelers are advised to get. Looks like a hep A shot as well as a few others. I sent her a link with these recommendations and my DH asked her to get the shots, but I am not sure she will follow through. My question is..would you be worried to let her around a newborn after her travels? Let me also say that she is not the most "street smart" person and has never traveled outside of the country before. WWYD??

MrsCase1 · March 2014

Why of all places Costa Rica for dental work? I don't know much about Costa Rica to say if it a second or third world country, etc. but even in a first world country I am picky about who has access to my infant.

JmeJoLee83 · March 2014

MrsCase1 said:
Why of all places Costa Rica for dental work? I don't know much about Costa Rica to say if it a second or third world country, etc. but even in a first world country I am picky about who has access to my infant.

Agreed! And of all times she has to do it NOW! She says it's a lot cheaper there for the extent of work she needs. I'm convinced she's hell bent on stressing me out. I don't want to be concerned about being around her with the LO

zolastele · March 2014

I lived in CR for six months in 2006, and at least at that time I was told only Hep A as well, and I got the vaccine to be safe. As far as Central America goes it's the least likely place to pick something up, but you never know. If it were me, I'd tell her to get all the CDC recommended vaccines, otherwise I wouldn't let her near baby until baby has all his shots. Why risk it in my opinion, especially if she's having dental work... They have an extremely good and safe healthcare system from my experience, but it's still a developing country.

JmeJoLee83 · March 2014

caitykate said:
Maybe have a doctor check her out when she gets back if she refuses to have shots beforehand? Explain how important it is to you and her grand child's health that she does so?

Good advice! Thanks

problem is that some of the threatening infections show little or no symptoms right away..so potentially she could be symptomless and spread something! I have emailed my doctor for her advice as well. Wish I didn't have to deal
With this!

Unknown · March 2014

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ElTrain5 · March 2014

"How is hepatitis A spread?

Hepatitis A virus is found in the stool of persons with hepatitis A. The virus is usually spread from person to person by putting something in the mouth that has been contaminated with the stool of an infected person; for this reason, the virus is more easily spread under poor sanitary conditions, and when good personal hygiene is not observed."

From the cdc's site. Sounds like even if she got hep a it would be difficult to transmit. Id be more worried about pertussis.

cMichelle0423 · March 2014

If it bothers you this bad, tell her you won't let her around the baby until the baby is old enough to get this vaccine? Maybe that will encourage her to go seeing as how I think it's at the 1 year check up that they get that shot. Honestly it's your call on who you let around the baby. My SIL made everyone get a pertussis vaccine before my nephew was born. And I made sure everyone had their flu shot if they were going to be around DS before he was able to get his.

temursgirl · March 2014

@ElTrain5 unfortunately it's not that hard to get Hep A. It's actually pretty common in this area. My mom and godfather both had it in the 90's before the vaccine became standard practice. Non-hygienic food and water are the usual source. OP's MIL should get this vaccine before traveling for her own well being. As @joules235 mentioned maybe she's already had it?

celticbiohazard · March 2014

Babywear said:

I'd stick to my guns... IMO it's a little vaccine for an adult VS passing on something to a baby.
If adults can't step up and protect kids they should stay away.

I totally agree with this. We don't get vaccines because diseases are easy to get -- herd immunity has protected a lot of unvaccinated people from measles, for example, although we will see how long that lasts. We get them because we have the privileged position of protecting ourselves against illnesses that we actually don't need to get.

People in other parts of the world can be totally gobsmacked by the fact that these vaccines are readily available to us, yet some of us CHOOSE not to get them. For a stick in the arm and maybe a day or two of unpleasantness, we can be protected from diseases that are very common for them. And yet some of us don't do it, because death and disease aren't in our faces all the time to remind us.

But as you imply, a fragile baby is a reminder to anyone of just how much more we can do to keep ourselves healthy. I'm afraid Hep A really isn't that hard to pass on -- even good sanitation doesn't totally prevent it (an in-law of mine had it, and doesn't live a risky or unhygienic lifestyle).

But really. This is something she CAN do. It wouldn't be hard. I would be really upset if I was in your position. There are all sorts of reasons and excuses why it will probably be ok if she doesn't. What is upsetting to me, though, would be, WHY NOT. She can choose to ignore the risk for herself, but her grandchild?? Why split hairs about big risks versus small risks, when there is an easy and standard way to minimize risk?

[This obviously touches a nerve for me... I do medical research, and there are certain subjects that push my buttons...]

Good luck!

ElTrain5 · March 2014

Temurlang1 said:

@ElTrain5 unfortunately it's not that hard to get Hep A. It's actually pretty common in this area. My mom and godfather both had it in the 90's before the vaccine became standard practice. Non-hygienic food and water are the usual source. OP's MIL should get this vaccine before traveling for her own well being. As @joules235 mentioned maybe she's already had it?

@temurlang1, you're absolutely right, however I was just speaking to how it may be transmitted to her and/or her baby if MIL contracted it while abroad.

roundthree24 · March 2014

I'd be so frustrated to be in that situation! Why can't people just protect themselves with a quick little poke?? I did study abroad in Costa Rica and I'd be slightly less worried about that country vs some others, but STILL.

I will say that US dentists make big bucks on fixing work that people have done abroad. It might seem like a good idea at first but I'd caution her to do her research and make sure that's what she really wants to do. I've spent hours shadowing dentists (I'm attending dental school next year) and I always felt bad for the people who came in because they had tried to save money elsewhere. Just my 2 cents!

JmeJoLee83 · March 2014

My doctor has recommended she get the hep A and of course the TDAP shot. DH is supposed to call her today and tell her. I'm praying there's no drama and she just does it without me having to put on my b*itch boots!

amwangel · March 2014

I would also probably be most worried about TDap - BUT I am a lot less paranoid than most people about getting medical work done in developing nations. (I lived in Thailand and Malaysia in middle/high school and got braces and my wisdom teeth removed.)

It does disturb me what it means about the US's health care system, though, that people go on medical vacations! Crazy. But that's beside the point. I think just tell her what your doctor said and it's done. Make your husband enforce it, not you!

SandraPB1220 · March 2014

I agree with PPs. If she doesn't agree to get the vaccines, she doesn't see/hold LO until she does. If there's a time to get your bitch pants on, now's it. Your baby's health is way more important than your relationship with your MIL.

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