Hey everyone!! I am FTM and I am not trying to ruffle anyone's tail feathers or offend anyone but I am just doing my research and would like to see where everyone stands on getting their babies and children vaccinated? We live in Texas and it is all we are hearing about and reading about so I have some cause for concerns on both sides of the fence. Just curious as to see where everyone stands and why?
We absolutely vaccinate! For us there's no real scientific evidence for us not to. I know there was a huge thing that said vaccines cause autism (it doesn't!) but I would 150% rather have a child with autism than watch them die from a horrible disease that could have been prevented.
H got pertussis before our 1st was born. It was so scary watching him cough and gag. He was an adult!!!!!! Two of my boys were hospitalized for a week while I was pregnant with #4. They had RSV and pneumonia. Honestly I'm still traumatized from seeing my babies laying in that hospital, retracting, and unable to breath completely on their own. I couldn't imagine how bad it could have been if they had contracted pertussis instead. Nope. Not worth it.
I also have friends that have kids, and have had family that are immunocompromised and I feel like we have a duty to them to provide that herd immunity.
I'm not against a delayed schedule but you should really talk to your doctor about the pros and cons of that.
Wife. Boy mom x6. Expecting #7. Wannabe homesteader. , 💙💙💙💙💙💙
Parents in third world countries would give anything to be able to have the means to vaccinate and protect their children. I think that says it all.
ETA sorry for being blunt. An article just popped up saying have there have been 3 confirmed cases of the measles in my area and all I can think of is my poor baby being exposed before they can be vaccinated. So scary!
Wife. Boy mom x6. Expecting #7. Wannabe homesteader. , 💙💙💙💙💙💙
@mom2b77373. I have rarely seen a discussion about vaccinations end well on the bump or anywhere really. It’s a topic that gets very heated, even though you’re just looking for other people’s perspectives.
My advice is to speak with the practice you plan on going with for your child’s pediatrician, and do your own research. You will find a lot of offices won’t allow you to be a patient if you don’t plan on vaccinating.
@mom2b77373 of course. I know it’s nice to get info from other moms, it’s just one of those topics that typically doesn’t end well. Hopefully you can get some info though
I’m in Texas too, and also a first-time mom, and I definitely plan to vaccinate, unless she’s immunocompromosed or has some other complication that would render it medically unsafe for her. Given the benefits and lack of credible evidence otherwise, it seems to me to be the most responsible thing to do. I am wondering, though (for everyone, not directed at OP)—once the babies are here, how do you help them stay healthy until they are vaccinated? Do you just not allow people to come see baby unless they’re up to date on all their shots? How do you handle it if someone won’t get a flu shot and your baby hasn’t gotten it yet, either? I don’t want to be overprotective, but I also don’t want a sick kid. 😕
@pizzaplz we don't allow a lot of visitors when they are tiny and don't travel to see anyone until our kiddos can be vaccinated. Lots of handwashing. With other kids, H traveling, and just having stuff to do, staying at home isn't an option so I babywear when I go out. This keeps most people out of their face.
Wife. Boy mom x6. Expecting #7. Wannabe homesteader. , 💙💙💙💙💙💙
@nopegoat oooh, yeah, I didn’t even think about babywearing being a natural protectant against other people getting too close! Thanks for your input. I’m glad we’re due in July at least, so we have a little bit of time before having to face winter death flu season.
@pizzaplz I'm probably in the minority here, but I've never asked people if they got their flu shot. (Plus, the flu shot isn't available in July...) I asked immediate family to get Tdap, but I also have two other kids and locking myself up in the house and avoiding people isn't an option. Unfortunately this baby will be out and about at a young age. In my eyes, you can't avoid everything! Maybe I'm too lax on this though...my daughter ended up fine though.
Babies younger than 6 months can't get the flu shot and its unrealistic to think he/she can stay away from anyone without one all winter. But on the other side, if you breastfeed I believe some of the immunities pass to the baby.
DH is an M.D. and has seen the results of people who don't vaccinate. They're bad. We'll be vaccinating, as someone said, barring a medical indication not to (they're born immunocompromised being the big one).
I could get on a soapbox/go into more detail about this, but since you were polite, I won't. But, PLEASE, vaccinate. As @nolemomma14 said, a lot of pediatric practices will no longer accept non-vaccinators. That should be a hint.
Baby wearing while you are out is a huge help, or we leave them in their car seat with a light blanket over it. My first was born on July, so he wasn’t old enough for the flu shot during peak season. He ended up getting it and it was awful. Even with DH and I both having got the shot, he still got it.
My second was a January baby and we limited going out as much as we could, but it was difficult. Thankfully he never got sick.
Im sure my two boys will be bringing home all sorts of germs from school, but we will just keep up with hand washing, and ask those who are sick to please stay away until they’re better and the first round of vaccines.
I understand wanting to hear other people's opinions but honestly doing research should be getting information obtained from professionals who are trained in the subject. My husband and I are both in healthcare and we would never imagine not vaccinating our child. I am incredibly for vaccinations and will be vaccinating my child as soon as they are allowed. The only reason I would never vaccinate my child is if they had a legitimate medical reason to not be vaccinated.
As a teacher I end up in contact with a LOT of immunocompromised people, and DH works in a restaurant - again LOTS of public contact. Both of my boys were fully vaxed, my daughter will be too. And I could soapbox the dumb-ass Autism bullshit study, and autistic - non neurotypical people in general, but I won't. In the end I would rather have a live child. The end.
We vaccinate according to the schedule. I remember being very wary of vaccinations with my first two and the research scared me a ton. When I had him it was also before they combined the vax into one shot, so there were about five different shots to get. With him, we did do half the shots every month. So first set a two, then three, etc. He was done at basically the same time with the 2, 4 and 6 months shots. Then we did everything normal from then on. Once we found out the shots were combined, we vaccinated our second on schedule and have with all of the other ones. The only vaccination I have declined for my kids is the Gardasil one. I am still not sold on that one and there is limited research. However, everything else has been done on schedule. The only issues my kids did have with shots were their Kindergarten ones. Two out of four got a pretty good rash and soreness at the injection spot. But that cleared up and they have not had issues with any subsequent vaccinations. On one of the very first pregnancy boards I was on, a mom lost her six week old to whooping cough. She was infected by a friend of one of her other children. So as a result of that, I make sure to limit contact with the baby before vaccinations and stay on schedule. I feel that the benefits of vaccinations outweigh the risks that might be out there. Plus a lot of the anti-vaccination research is to scare people. I do agree that there are people who have had children with reactions to vaccinations, but I feel that it is important that not only my kids are safe from infectious diseases, but that they do not infect others.
I’m for vaccinating my kids. Too many things can happen, and your babies are precious. I would rather take every precaution I can to prevent my babies from getting a preventable disease.
I live in Seattle where a bunch of jackasses have decided they know better than all of the medical world combined, and now we are facing a major measles outbreak. As a mother to a child not old enough for be vaccinated, I will go to blows over this topic. Bring your unvaccinated kid to my play date and see what happens. Oh man it makes me ragey.
Momma to Amelia Marie (7/14) and Austin Samuel (11/17). Adding baby (girl) #3 on 7/21
So...my dad has been an anti-vaxxer (and general conspiracy theorist) since I was a senior in high school. I'm dreading the day that I have to tell him that I plan to fully vaccinate my child, but I'm prepared. From the 13 years I've had to deal with his views, I know that the way to argue an anti-vaxxer/conspiracy theorist is NOT to present them with science and data. They will tell you that "big science" is corrupt and that people should look at "alternating points of view." The best thing to do is present them with common sense. They may say that vaccines are unnecessary for a person to build a robust immune system, but ask them, do vaccinated children go all of their life without getting any kind of illness? Would you want to see your child suffer from a disease you know you could have prevented? How would your boss feel if you said you had to take a sick day because your child had mumps, of all things? Does the fact that many schools and daycares refuse to accept unvaccinated children *really* sound like "big government influence?" Even if an unvaccinated child goes their whole life without getting a vaccine-prevented disease, kids talk, and people talk. Your child will have to hear all of his/her life from their peers or other parents how they are uncomfortable being around them because they are the only one who hasn't gotten their shots. And when you're five years old and nobody wants to sit next to you at lunch because you're "germy," yeah, it *does* matter what people think, and the chorus of reason is soon going to drown out the child's contrarian parents. Here's one way to look at it: many parents buy their children raincoats. Most days, the raincoat will sit in the closet gathering dust, but on the day that it rains, the child will need it. Will the child definitely get sick if they go outside without a raincoat? No, but wouldn't you want to prevent them getting sick if you could? Maybe the next-door neighbor boy is allergic to the materials in raincoats and needs your child to hold their coat over his head while they walk to school together so he doesn't get sick. Maybe you got spooked by the Proposition 65 tag that says "this coat can expose you to cancer-causing chemicals." (Yes, this is a thing. Any California residents or retail nerds out there? ) But if you did research on Prop 65 from a skilled professional, you would learn that Prop 65 only deals with hand-to-mouth contact, so unless they chew on the sleeve, it's safe for a child to wear. I'm waiting for the day I tell all of this to my dad and he throws up his hands and says, "Do what you want; they're your kids." But that doesn't change the fact that for a long time, I was terrified that if I had a child on the autism spectrum, my dad would use him or her as "proof" of what happens when you believe in "big science." It doesn't change the fact that my young cousin is unvaccinated because my older cousin bought into everything my dad told him. But at least this time, I will have fought back.
Both of my kids are fully vaccinated. There is no way I would risks my child’s health when certain diseases are preventable (or the severity from catching it can be severely reduced).
Unless my kids had a medical reason such as a severe allergy, compromised immune system, ect I would never not vaccinate. I strong believe the benefits outweigh any possible negative.
Thankfully, my kids have never had a reaction or a complaint after any of their shots and mine are both done with immunizations until they are much older now. Just yearly flu shots.
Please vaccinate! I'm an MD and have personally seen otherwise healthy babies and children die from pertussis and flu. The sad thing is that it's often just because they're too young to get vaccinated and so depend on herd immunity. So do people with immune disorders, cancer on chemotherapy, or any contraindication to being vaccinated. The autism link has been thoroughly debunked and the same people who say that doctors are in it for some nonexistent kick-back are usually part of the $34 billion dollar "naturopath" industry. I really like this article that covers common misconceptions among those who are anti vaccination: https://thescientificparent.org/vaccines-101-too-much-too-soon/
Vaccines make me nervous. Maybe because they give them so many at once or maybe because I have friends who don't vaccinate and feel very steongly about it. But I still vaccinate and I stick to the recommended schedule. I would just encourage you to do your research, talk to people you trust, and do what you think is best! I understand where both sides are coming from, so I guess you could say I'm a little on the fence. I do stay away from the flu shot, and I don't get vaccinated while pregnant.
I was surprised to see this topic come up but appreciate the conversation! I too vaccinate my kids... but I have a best friend with kids same age who is anti-vacc. Anyways we’ve talked about it and it’s very hard when you want your kids to grow up together and we get along so well in other areas of life but have such different views on a major major topic. I don’t wanna offend or hurt her and I realize she’s doing what she believes in her heart is best for her children... but I must do the same. It’s tough when it comes between relationships.
+1 to getting all the vaccines. I'm a high school teacher and where I am students whose vaccinations are not up to date are suspended indefinitely until they have medical documentation proving that they are in compliance and all vaccinations are up to date. With a 5 year old child already in school I feel so much safer knowing that this policy exists at every level of our school system. I also feel safer knowing once baby is here that DD's school friends who come over regularly for play dates are all fully vaccinated.
@mom2b77373 I'm with PP and all for getting all the vaccines. I will add, check with your doctor on when to get the Tdap. My doctor recommended my husband and I get it sometime after 24 weeks i believe. She also suggested having anyone else who will spend time around the infant to get it, so we are asking any family who will be coming and visiting to get the Tdap.
It’s been said but we definitely vaccinate. The big pharma complaint? Does that mean you’d reject meds if your kid got sick? Of course not. It shouldn’t matter here to prevent. The autism link... has been disproven and the doctor barred from medical practice. But people cling to it.
I babywear and don’t let strangers try and talk to the baby. I do now ask for TDAP from those who will take care of baby at a super young age (like my mom or dad). I felt weird at first but it actually wasn’t a big deal when I asked.
I don’t do this to be all....whatever. But I’ve lost a child and lived through that. And there’s just a lot not worth the risk... if it had been preventable? I don’t know how I could have survived that.
Another for all the vaccines. I get wanting to research but it could honestly lead to fear that has no truth to it. A lot of the anti vaccine sites are from every day moms who blog about it and it’s bullshit and shouldn’t be allowed.
+1 for vaccines. I’m a STM and my first child is current. We did delay some of his at the advise/blessing of our pediatrician because he seemed to be sensitive to them and ran high fever. But by his two year appointment he was all caught up. My husband’s sibling doesn’t vaccinate and it makes things difficult.
Also, my other bmb talks about this all the time and it’s never controversial because everyone in the group vaccinates. We talk about circumcision as well and it’s not controversial. Some people do, some people don’t, everyone has their reasons 🤷🏼♀️
Can I just say this has restored my faith in humanity a little bit. I’m so sick of reading comments sections on articles about vaccination that are full of misinformation being spread around by the anti-vaxx campaign. So seeing that everyone here is first and foremost super respectful and second actually taken the time to educate themselves and make informed choices for their kids is soooooo refreshing!
@mrscammack, right? A very a very respectful conversation here. I’m so proud of this group. We are such a good BMB! I agree with the others who talk about herd immunity. And that people in poorer countries would kill to be able to offer these life-saving vaccines to their children. It is absolute privilege to be able to even consider not vaccinating. You are then relying on other people to keep your child safe, how lucky that you can even consider that because the risk is currently low. Unfortunately, as we are seeing this year, measles is on the rise because of the lack of vaccinations. And these are deadly diseases. They’ve just been out of our minds for so long, I know no one in this group is likely to have seen anyone suffer with these diseases, because they’ve been nearly radicate in the first world for decades. Thanks to compulsory vaccines. Those with weaker immune systems rely on that herd immunity to keep them safe. And your baby is going to rely on that herd immunity to keep them safe until they can get it. I just discovered today that CO has the lowest rate of Kindergarteners who are vaccinated in any state in the US, and I’m so disappointed.
@NicholeL16 same here. My sil does not (or didn't) vaccinate and she's having twins in July as well. Her son just started public school after being home schooled and I'm not even sure if she decided to get him vaccinated. Which also makes me wonder what the policies are in the school district.
Another question, since we will both have little ones around the same time, how should we deal with family time with then since we are vaccinating?
+1 for vaccinating here. I believe in the science and as a healthy family I also believe it's our duty to build herd immunity to protect the people in our community that can't be vaccinated for health reasons. Most doctor's offices, daycares, and schools require children to be vaccinated and I'm very grateful for this.
Similar to a pp, I have a child in kindergarten this year and I do feel better knowing that all his school friends who come over are vaccinated and that the new baby won't be at risk.
Re: Vaccination
H got pertussis before our 1st was born. It was so scary watching him cough and gag. He was an adult!!!!!! Two of my boys were hospitalized for a week while I was pregnant with #4. They had RSV and pneumonia. Honestly I'm still traumatized from seeing my babies laying in that hospital, retracting, and unable to breath completely on their own. I couldn't imagine how bad it could have been if they had contracted pertussis instead. Nope. Not worth it.
I also have friends that have kids, and have had family that are immunocompromised and I feel like we have a duty to them to provide that herd immunity.
I'm not against a delayed schedule but you should really talk to your doctor about the pros and cons of that.
, 💙💙💙💙💙💙
ETA sorry for being blunt. An article just popped up saying have there have been 3 confirmed cases of the measles in my area and all I can think of is my poor baby being exposed before they can be vaccinated. So scary!
, 💙💙💙💙💙💙
My advice is to speak with the practice you plan on going with for your child’s pediatrician, and do your own research. You will find a lot of offices won’t allow you to be a patient if you don’t plan on vaccinating.
I am wondering, though (for everyone, not directed at OP)—once the babies are here, how do you help them stay healthy until they are vaccinated? Do you just not allow people to come see baby unless they’re up to date on all their shots? How do you handle it if someone won’t get a flu shot and your baby hasn’t gotten it yet, either? I don’t want to be overprotective, but I also don’t want a sick kid. 😕
, 💙💙💙💙💙💙
Babies younger than 6 months can't get the flu shot and its unrealistic to think he/she can stay away from anyone without one all winter. But on the other side, if you breastfeed I believe some of the immunities pass to the baby.
I could get on a soapbox/go into more detail about this, but since you were polite, I won't. But, PLEASE, vaccinate. As @nolemomma14 said, a lot of pediatric practices will no longer accept non-vaccinators. That should be a hint.
My second was a January baby and we limited going out as much as we could, but it was difficult. Thankfully he never got sick.
Im sure my two boys will be bringing home all sorts of germs from school, but we will just keep up with hand washing, and ask those who are sick to please stay away until they’re better and the first round of vaccines.
July 4th
They may say that vaccines are unnecessary for a person to build a robust immune system, but ask them, do vaccinated children go all of their life without getting any kind of illness? Would you want to see your child suffer from a disease you know you could have prevented? How would your boss feel if you said you had to take a sick day because your child had mumps, of all things? Does the fact that many schools and daycares refuse to accept unvaccinated children *really* sound like "big government influence?" Even if an unvaccinated child goes their whole life without getting a vaccine-prevented disease, kids talk, and people talk. Your child will have to hear all of his/her life from their peers or other parents how they are uncomfortable being around them because they are the only one who hasn't gotten their shots. And when you're five years old and nobody wants to sit next to you at lunch because you're "germy," yeah, it *does* matter what people think, and the chorus of reason is soon going to drown out the child's contrarian parents.
Here's one way to look at it: many parents buy their children raincoats. Most days, the raincoat will sit in the closet gathering dust, but on the day that it rains, the child will need it. Will the child definitely get sick if they go outside without a raincoat? No, but wouldn't you want to prevent them getting sick if you could? Maybe the next-door neighbor boy is allergic to the materials in raincoats and needs your child to hold their coat over his head while they walk to school together so he doesn't get sick. Maybe you got spooked by the Proposition 65 tag that says "this coat can expose you to cancer-causing chemicals." (Yes, this is a thing. Any California residents or retail nerds out there? ) But if you did research on Prop 65 from a skilled professional, you would learn that Prop 65 only deals with hand-to-mouth contact, so unless they chew on the sleeve, it's safe for a child to wear.
I'm waiting for the day I tell all of this to my dad and he throws up his hands and says, "Do what you want; they're your kids." But that doesn't change the fact that for a long time, I was terrified that if I had a child on the autism spectrum, my dad would use him or her as "proof" of what happens when you believe in "big science." It doesn't change the fact that my young cousin is unvaccinated because my older cousin bought into everything my dad told him. But at least this time, I will have fought back.
Unless my kids had a medical reason such as a severe allergy, compromised immune system, ect I would never not vaccinate. I strong believe the benefits outweigh any possible negative.
Thankfully, my kids have never had a reaction or a complaint after any of their shots and mine are both done with immunizations until they are much older now. Just yearly flu shots.
I saw this topic pop up on the BMBs page and came running over to see the drama unfold.
I'm so disappointed lol. Anyone want to volunteer to be the token anti-vaxxer so that my Tuesday can be more entertaining?
Anywho, cheers to science and common sense!
*Formerly LuND*
Me: 35 | DH: 37
TTC: 7/2016
Low AMH, mild MFI
BFP 7/29/17
EDD: 4/5/18
DS born 4/4/18
BFP #2 7/2/19
EDD 3/13/20
I babywear and don’t let strangers try and talk to the baby. I do now ask for TDAP from those who will take care of baby at a super young age (like my mom or dad). I felt weird at first but it actually wasn’t a big deal when I asked.
I don’t do this to be all....whatever. But I’ve lost a child and lived through that. And there’s just a lot not worth the risk... if it had been preventable? I don’t know how I could have survived that.
, 💙💙💙💙💙💙
caught up. My husband’s sibling doesn’t vaccinate and it makes things difficult.
do, some people don’t, everyone has their reasons 🤷🏼♀️
DD is current with every vaccine. DS will be too!
I agree with the others who talk about herd immunity. And that people in poorer countries would kill to be able to offer these life-saving vaccines to their children. It is absolute privilege to be able to even consider not vaccinating. You are then relying on other people to keep your child safe, how lucky that you can even consider that because the risk is currently low. Unfortunately, as we are seeing this year, measles is on the rise because of the lack of vaccinations. And these are deadly diseases. They’ve just been out of our minds for so long, I know no one in this group is likely to have seen anyone suffer with these diseases, because they’ve been nearly radicate in the first world for decades. Thanks to compulsory vaccines.
Those with weaker immune systems rely on that herd immunity to keep them safe. And your baby is going to rely on that herd immunity to keep them safe until they can get it.
I just discovered today that CO has the lowest rate of Kindergarteners who are vaccinated in any state in the US, and I’m so disappointed.
Another question, since we will both have little ones around the same time, how should we deal with family time with then since we are vaccinating?