Whooping cough vaccine for family/close friends

I asked my mum and sister as I will be with them both a lot in first few weeks. They r happy to get done. Bubs due in April mum is actually getting hers done today. Hubby family r happy to get theirs done. I won't be spending too much time around others for first 6 weeks and if people visit they will be asked to use hand sanitiser before holding baby. My midwife also said don't pass baby around if ur out for first 6 weeks or so to limit risk.

If family had refused then I would simply say they would have to wait before visiting til she is a bit older. Not worth the risk.

Unless you're not planning on leaving your home until your lo has had their vaxes then I don't really think it's fair to ask or expect anyone to have shots before spending time with your baby. That's not to say they should have free reign to hold your baby, I'd still keep bub close limit others from touching.

Kendall1982 wrote:
I asked my mum and sister as I will be with them both a lot in first few weeks. They r happy to get done. Bubs due in April mum is actually getting hers done today. Hubby family r happy to get theirs done. I won't be spending too much time around others for first 6 weeks and if people visit they will be asked to use hand sanitiser before holding baby. My midwife also said don't pass baby around if ur out for first 6 weeks or so to limit risk.

If family had refused then I would simply say they would have to wait before visiting til she is a bit older. Not worth the risk.

hi, i understand where you are coming from but i just wanted to mention that its also important that your baby is exposed to germs as well. thats how they build their immune system in the first place. I think its pretty well known now that kids that aren't exposed to as many germs in the early years through the antibacterial soap / cleaners, lack of outside play etc tend to get sicker and for longer then kids that are from houses that don't use those kind of products. Farm kids have been shown to be healthier then city kids too due to the exposure to germs, animals etc.

If you aren't going out much for the first 6 weeks and you have limited visitors the risks are pretty low. Even if your guests sterilise their hands before touching bubs, they will touch other things in your house as well as breath on them. in my experience they will try to kiss them too! Hand sanitizer is a marketers dream. New parents with a "vulnerable baby" who will want to feel they are doing something to protect their bubs even though there is little point or it may even make their fears come true.

I know when bubs is born you don't want any germs near them at all, but the truth is the second they are born or even as they travel down the birth canal they are colonised with bacteria. Hospitals have some of the most dangerous germs floating around but people don't think twice about having their babies there and most of the time there is no issue.

I know I am ranting....germs are a passion of mine...lol. Just saying if you don't use hand sanitizer the right way it is pointless and if you use it the right way your bubs will have a crap immune system and is likely to get sick all the time which is exactly what you want to avoid!
breastfeeding is one of the best things you can do to protect your bubs.

all the best with everything! smile
xxx

All my friends had kids before me so they were already vaccined. We did get all our immediate family members to get vaccinated which they all did

Perhaps my previous post was misunderstood. I am not opposed to germs however will be getting people to use hand sanitiser before holding the baby because that is a good way to prevent cough/cold germs when it is very young. We also live in a very remote area with very basic medical facilities with a very high rate of alcohol and drug abuse and filthy living conditions for a large proportion of the population. I always carry my own hand sanitiser in my hand bag and use this when I am out in town. We have a clean house but obviously still germs and bacteria every where and we let our dogs sleep inside so bubs will have plenty of exposure to ur everyday house hold germs.

Kendall1982 wrote:
We have a clean house but obviously still germs and bacteria every where and we let our dogs sleep inside so bubs will have plenty of exposure to ur everyday house hold germs.

I find it interesting that you'll be asking people you know to use hand sanitizer before holding bub but your happy for bub to be exposed to germs from your dogs who are outside during the day and bringing who knows what in with them when they come inside.. I'm not an animal person though so maybe I just don't get it?!! smile

To the op, personally I never thought for a second to ask my family or friends to get a vaccination before being around my baby smile

With our first baby we didn't ask anyone as my family lives in Europe so they don't visit often (plus I know they are up to date) and my hubby's family lived 400 kms away so they didn't visit often either. This time around we relocated and live 1 hours apart, so we will check with hubby's mum (she works in a school so we are pretty sure she is up to date) and dad. There have been a couple of cases of whooping cough up here in Cairns lately, so better be safe then sorry. We only asked to family members, not friends but as some close friends are teachers and others are mums with young children, I am pretty sure they are aware of risks/boosters. We will definitely watch out if someone is sick!

OC1246 wrote:
Kendall1982 wrote:
I asked my mum and sister as I will be with them both a lot in first few weeks. They r happy to get done. Bubs due in April mum is actually getting hers done today. Hubby family r happy to get theirs done. I won't be spending too much time around others for first 6 weeks and if people visit they will be asked to use hand sanitiser before holding baby. My midwife also said don't pass baby around if ur out for first 6 weeks or so to limit risk.

If family had refused then I would simply say they would have to wait before visiting til she is a bit older. Not worth the risk. hi, i understand where you are coming from but i just wanted to mention that its also important that your baby is exposed to germs as well. thats how they build their immune system in the first place. I think its pretty well known now that kids that aren't exposed to as many germs in the early years through the antibacterial soap / cleaners, lack of outside play etc tend to get sicker and for longer then kids that are from houses that don't use those kind of products. Farm kids have been shown to be healthier then city kids too due to the exposure to germs, animals etc.

If you aren't going out much for the first 6 weeks and you have limited visitors the risks are pretty low. Even if your guests sterilise their hands before touching bubs, they will touch other things in your house as well as breath on them. in my experience they will try to kiss them too! Hand sanitizer is a marketers dream. New parents with a "vulnerable baby" who will want to feel they are doing something to protect their bubs even though there is little point or it may even make their fears come true.

I know when bubs is born you don't want any germs near them at all, but the truth is the second they are born or even as they travel down the birth canal they are colonised with bacteria. Hospitals have some of the most dangerous germs floating around but people don't think twice about having their babies there and most of the time there is no issue.

I know I am ranting....germs are a passion of mine...lol. Just saying if you don't use hand sanitizer the right way it is pointless and if you use it the right way your bubs will have a crap immune system and is likely to get sick all the time which is exactly what you want to avoid!
breastfeeding is one of the best things you can do to protect your bubs.

all the best with everything! smile
xxx

+1 OC

People also don't realize that washing your hands with soap and water is just as effective as hand sanitizer. The mechanical action of washing your hands removes almost all of the germs on your hands and it's therefore not necessary to use alcohol gels for day to day activities (although it is handy to have in the nappy bag when going out to places where there may not be soap). Certainly be careful about passing bub around in the first couple of months but also don't be too helicopter that you're baby doesn't get the chance to develop an immune system

I was concerned about Whooping Cough as well. DF and I had our Tdap vaccines prior to conception. At DD's 6wk vaccinations, a nurse recommended to us that DD's grandparents get vaccinated as well. I mentioned it in passing through an email to my mum (which is less awkward) and she took it upon herself to get vaccinated at her next doctor appt. I asked DF to do the same with his parents, but it never happened (I'm sure it will before our next bub). I would never tell people that they could not see DD because they are not vaccinated or flat out tell people to get vaccinated though. However, I see nothing wrong with just supplying them with information and giving them the option. I have told people to stay away and come over when they are all better if they have been sick though! If people haven't got enough common sense to stay away from my baby when they are sick then I am fine with telling them!

Anyway, if you are really concerned and would like people vaccinated, I would just bring up the topic of Whooping Cough and vaccinations around these people. Let them know how it can be fatal and cause brain damage to babies. Mention when you and your partner got vaccinated and that the vaccine is combined with tetanus these days so anyone updating their tetanus can also be protected from Whooping Cough. I would personally start off the convo off by saying "I am soo paranoid about Whooping Cough - I was talking to (or reading an article) about it and...". I'd basically supply the information and leave it up to them. I don't think a lot of people (especially the older generations) know a lot about it so a conversation could be a good starting point.

I understand where you are coming from - Whooping Cough are 'germs' you do not want your baby to get! Good luck! smile

I really don't think the OP is concerned about regular old germs. She's worried about Whooping Cough and just limiting the risks of her newborn's exposure to potentially fatal diseases early on. I don't see her as paranoid at all. Just a protective mother. I felt the same in my DD's first few months. Heck, I still do.

I asked my parents to be vaccinated, and they happily went ahead. I didn't take my 4th baby ANYWHERE until she had had her 1st vaccination, and then very limited places until she was 3 months old.
And then, after all that, my eldest daughter got whooping cough (she was vaccinated, but was 10 and apparently, the vaccines were off by then!!!) and had it for 4 weeks before I got suspicious and got her tested. She had it so mildly that I just didn't realise, only that her cough following a cold went on a little too long.
Anyway, fortunately baby did not get it (don't know how, she was only 10 weeks old) but it was sooo stressful.

This is so important! I worked in a children's hospital before my baby was born, and I knew of babies who died in PICU from whooping cough, and babies who had to fight for their lives on heart-lung bypass machines while they recovered from whooping cough. My family members volunteered to get booster shots before my baby was born. Babies have very immature immune systems, and while it is important that they be exposed to germs to build those immune systems, they still need to be protected when they're very young to prevent serious illness. I'm not saying to put baby in a bubble, but common sense goes a long way. From what I understand, their immune systems start amping up around the time that they start putting things in their mouths (thus exposing them to a lot more germs), which is why it's so important to err on the side of caution when they are newborns in regards to germs. Babies are going to get sick at some point, but the younger they are, the more at risk they are from a simple illness becoming more serious because their immune systems simply can't cope yet.