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No one should enter a NICU without being vaccinated. I don’t know if your baby will spend time there but that’s just something that drives me crazy. But yes, please be adamant about this. No vaccines? No visiting.
Would you require family members to receive the flu vaccine before meeting your premature baby?
I know you can’t force anyone to get vaccinated, but if you had a premature baby would you allow unvaccinated family members to meet them as a newborn? I’m feeling very conflicted about this. My parents and grandparents refuse to get the flu vaccine but our paediatrician told us that everyone in the family should get the flu vaccine because of our baby being born premature. Myself, my husband and our other children are scheduled to get the vaccine but would you allow other family members who are unvaccinated against the flu to meet a newborn premature baby? If you wouldn’t, would you after a certain age? I feel bad telling them no but at the same time I want to protect her as much as I can from getting sick.
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You're not forcing anyone to get a vaccine to be around your baby, so don't let anyone think of it that way. It's not a matter of life and death for them to be around your child, so it's a totally and completely autonomous decision on their part whether or not they want to do it.I had friends who didn't even know if they'd be around my youngest who got vaccinated for both the flu and Tdap just in case...some of them didn't even end up meeting him until he was 4-5 months, but they all did it gladly. I don't see what the big push back is with people getting all offended that they need to take precautions to keep a newborn safe and healtht. To me that's common sense. Lol.
I have a preemie and I myself don’t even have the flu vaccine. I asked that people who were going to spend a lot of time with him update their dtap (people in our house, not extended family) but the flu vaccine has been so ineffective that it didn’t really matter. Protecting him is more on me, not others. I keep Clorox wipes in the diaper bag and sanitize carts when we’re shopping, wash my hands frequently (so does everyone else in the house) and if someone wants to hold him, they need to use hand sanitizer and not touch his face or hands. I’ve missed out on some family events this winter because I haven’t wanted to take him to group settings during peak flu and rsv season.Also, we had the flu in our house in September, before the flu vaccine was even available here. I was terrified because I got it too and we had just left the nicu. We all practiced hand hygiene and everyone had their own bottle of Clorox wipes to clean everything they touched. I breastfed baby frequently so he would get my antibodies. He didn’t get sick. At 4 1/2 months old *knock on wood* he’s not been sick at all yet. I have school age children and make them wash as soon as they get home.
🌹
Also, the nicu didn’t require anyone but children under 13 to be vaccinated, just good hand hygiene, it it was good enough for them, it was good enough for me.
I wouldn't force anyone to do anything. But if they don't have the flu shot, they don't get to visit my baby. Their choice. 🤷And my baby wasn't premature and I still did this. As a parent, you have a responsibility to do what you believe is best for your child and not let things slide at your child's risk because you don't want to hurt someone else's delicate feelings. You do you, mama! ❤️
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