TDAP and Flu Shots?

VolGirl07 · November 2016

My OB-GYN team seems adamant that ANYONE who is going to be around the baby have these two shots. I can't seem to convince certain family members to get the Flu Shot despite my best efforts and how does one go about convincing friends and telling drop-ins that they can't see the baby without shots? My docs recommend doing this but is this really necessary or overkill? I feel a bit like a paranoid FTM telling every single visitor that they have to have shots to see my baby, not to mention that I plan to take her out in public from time to time and many strangers won't have them in stores, etc.

meggyme · November 2016

You can only control so much, but you can control the situation. Depending on how strongly you feel about the matter, you might need to tell people they need to wash hands or not hold the baby, but you can't control whether they get the vaccine or not. You'll hone your mom instinct to be able to pick your battles. You'll learn that you can't always follow doctor's advice to the letter all the time.

And in public most people won't be touching your baby, so I wouldn't worry too much.

DrillSergeantCat · November 2016

I had family get the flu and Tdap last year, but everyone else I just asked to wash hands before they held the baby and to stay away if they weren't feeling well.

delujm0 · November 2016

We asked relatives that were planning to be around the baby a lot and/or stay with us for a while (so basically my in-laws, my mom, and my sister) to get the T-DAP (DD was born in June, so flu shots weren't available at the time). For drop-ins, we just had large bottles of hand sanitizer all over the house and asked that they use it before holding the baby.

Wishilivedinflorida · November 2016

I'm not due until March, but we will ask all grandparents and anyone else who will provide childcare for us to get both. DH will also get both. Other visitors can just use hand hygeine.

SnarkasaurusRex · November 2016

Your doctor is probably being extra cautious since you're due during flu season. DS was born in July, so we didn't need to worry about the flu, but we did ask all immediate family to get the TDAP shot (except for my mom, who is allergic to it, but she got a different one that covers whooping cough).

I don't think that it would be unreasonable to ask you immediate family members to get the shot if they're comfortable with it, but I wouldn't forbid them from seeing baby either. Just make sure people are washing their hands (I am very anti-hand sanitizer antibacterial soap because it helps create antibiotic-resistant bacteria) and that people who don't feel well are staying away. I agree with PP that people out in public won't be touching your baby, and you can always babywear or cover the stroller with one of those carseat canopy things to provide more of a barrier from airborne germs.

Edited because I'm a dummy and my microbio professors would be so disappointed in me.

DrillSergeantCat · November 2016

SnarkasaurusRex said:

Your doctor is probably being extra cautious since you're due during flu season. DS was born in July, so we didn't need to worry about the flu, but we did ask all immediate family to get the TDAP shot (except for my mom, who is allergic to it, but she got a different one that covers whooping cough).

I don't think that it would be unreasonable to ask you immediate family members to get the shot if they're comfortable with it, but I wouldn't forbid them from seeing baby either. Just make sure people are washing their hands (I am very anti-hand sanitizer because it helps create antibiotic-resistant bacteria) and that people who don't feel well are staying away. I agree with PP that people out in public won't be touching your baby, and you can always babywear or cover the stroller with one of those carseat canopy things to provide more of a barrier from airborne germs.

Hand sanitizer that is alcohol based does not cause antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

SnarkasaurusRex · November 2016

DrillSergeantCat said:

SnarkasaurusRex said:

Your doctor is probably being extra cautious since you're due during flu season. DS was born in July, so we didn't need to worry about the flu, but we did ask all immediate family to get the TDAP shot (except for my mom, who is allergic to it, but she got a different one that covers whooping cough).

I don't think that it would be unreasonable to ask you immediate family members to get the shot if they're comfortable with it, but I wouldn't forbid them from seeing baby either. Just make sure people are washing their hands (I am very anti-hand sanitizer because it helps create antibiotic-resistant bacteria) and that people who don't feel well are staying away. I agree with PP that people out in public won't be touching your baby, and you can always babywear or cover the stroller with one of those carseat canopy things to provide more of a barrier from airborne germs.

Hand sanitizer that is alcohol based does not cause antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

UGH, pregnancy brain. I meant antibiotic hand soap.

DrillSergeantCat · November 2016

SnarkasaurusRex said:

DrillSergeantCat said:

Hand sanitizer that is alcohol based does not cause antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

UGH, pregnancy brain. I meant antibiotic hand soap.

Lol. Okay. Yeah. Do not use anything with triclosan in it. It's bad shiz.

Linsbins · November 2016

I did. Family and friends who would see her more than once had to send me pics of their shot records. Especially if your doc said to do it I would. It helped to have my BFF hand over her record dramatically in front of my ILs so that they knew the rules were the same for everyone. Taking her out in public is totally different- no one is holding her or breathing in her directly, and I don't let her touch germy surfaces.

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