To vaccinate newborn or not

[confusedaboutclothes]

I know this is a very sensitive subject, but i’m asking please for FACTS only - I don’t want answers like ‘because the NHS recommends you to vaccinate your baby etc’

Id like to point out i’m not ‘anti vax’ as such, but covid really opened my eyes to researching vaccines etc i’ve done my own research on whether i should be vaccinating my newborn but it’s hard to find unbiased facts.

What I don’t like, is the pressure that is put on us to do as we’re told with our babies. I don’t like the constant reminders, the phone calls and the pressure to vaccinate - it all feels like a box ticking exercise not because the NHS are actually worried about my baby.

Please be kind, I really am confused about this and would love some different perspectives

Vaccines save lives.

it is as simple as that.

Have you looked up the infant mortality rate before and after vaccinations were introduced as part of your research?

First post nailed it.
It really is as simple as that.

There won't be a better post than this

What are you looking for? And why would you trust ransoms on here over the NHS?

My dc researches vaccines, the research costs millions and involves thousands of participants and doctors , nurses and scientists. Even the Covid vaccines were extremely well researched by experts.
Give your baby the gift of health and get your baby vaccinated

The FACTS are vaccines save lives. As PP pointed out, look at the infant mortality rates before and after modern vaccines. Why would you not want your tiny baby to have that immunity? Vaccinations are a basic part of being a decent parent, nothing to do with “pressure” ffs. Would you feel the same about the “pressure” to read to your child or brush their teeth?

I think rather than look at the reasons for having a vaccine, you should consider the reasons against. The pros far outweigh any cons. Sometimes it’s hard to see why you need to vaccinate your child when the things you’re vaccinating against seem almost extinct, but the reason for that is because of vaccines. There’s pressure to vaccinate because it’s the best thing for your child and the general population. It is ultimately your child, your choice, but it’s free, safe, and could save your child’s life - why wouldn’t you get vaccinated?

DH has a member of his family who died of measles as a 1 year old in 1948. That was only the generation above DH. If there's a vaccine that prevents similar situations recurring, I'm going to take it, because that bay's mother didn't. I wish they had chicken pox as part of the general round of vaccines, but no issues with any of the others.

It is not a box-ticking exercise. The facts are that diseases of childhood kill and can cause lifelong disabilities. Meningitis is deadly, measles can also kill your baby, just to name a few.
My question to you is why would you take that risk with your baby’s life and health when we have brilliant, lifesaving vaccines that are given to millions of children the world over and which are safe and effective? Would you risk a child with life-changing disabilities?
when you say you are doing your own research, I presume you are reading and understanding the published clinical data on these vaccines? If you read those, there should be no question in your mind.
I am biased as I have a science background but the science IS the facts

Here is a fact - just about measles:

“The increase in measles outbreaks and deaths is staggering, but unfortunately, not unexpected given the declining vaccination rates we've seen in the past few years,” said John Vertefeuille, director of CDC's Global Immunization Division.”

Measles can kill or leave a child seriously disabled.

Well really the risk is yours to take, but you're a bir of a hypocrite if you used any kind of medication during pregnant and childbirth

'My question to you is why would you take that risk with your baby’s life and health when we have brilliant, lifesaving vaccines that are given to millions of children the world over and which are safe and effective' @DGPP

Basically this.
Why on earth would you take the risk.
The vitamin K shot after birth is essential.
Measles can kill. As can meningitis.

Did you have the whooping cough jab OP?

Are you absolutely intoxicated with first world privilege?

In countries without running water, stable government or food security parents queue for days to ensure their children are vaccinated. They do it because they've seen the children crippled by polio, family members die from Meningitis, measles want of basic immunisations and would judge you for putting your child at risk through basic health illiteracy.

Vaccinate or don't, just stop looking for people to cheerlead your foolishness.

None of my three kids ever had a vaccine . Two are now adults and one is a teenager . Never had any health issues . They are able to get the vaccines as adults if they choose to do so .
It’s a personal choice and you will get strong opinions either way .
I chose not to vaccinate as my first was born in the midst of the MMR controversy- which unless you had a baby at that time - it’s hard to explain how difficult it was .

I think it is easy to forget just how privileged and fortunate we are to not only have access to clean water and education for our children but also to have access to vaccinations.

Not just the NHS recommends vaccinating but every single health organisation in the world. Quite simply because vaccinations saves lives.

The NHS doesn’t worry about individual people. They’re concerned about research led decisions, saving money and saving lives. The vaccination programme costs money, they would only do it if saves lives and money - the money is saved by keeping babies and children out of hospital, ICU (potentially the morgue) and preventing them from having life long medical issues.

I would start my looking at symptoms and complications from illnesses vaccination cover and the likely hood they happen. Then you can look up the side effects of the vaccines, nurse at GP practice should be able to give you the name of the brand and you can google the leaflet. Then you can compare the symptoms of the illness to the vaccines and make decision about what is right for your child.

I was listening to something on the radio about measles the other day and was amazed at how high the R number is (I think it was about 15) that with the massive rate of complications shows exactly why vaccination is so important. Not only to protect the individual but also to protect those who are unable to be vaccinated for whatever reason.

https://www.imperial.ac.uk/news/213373/vaccines-prevented-37-million-deaths-lmics/amp/

this is probably the most comprehensive study available as of 2023.

Put very very simply millions and billions of children have died from ‘basic’ diseases such as flu, TB, measles etc and that could be your child. This doesn’t need to happen.

I had measles - a new strain back in 1970s in fact one of the first people to be diagnosed with it. One day I was fine - in school the next day at deaths door literally transferred after a few days from my local hospital to one in London - I nearly died.

Likewise I read the research on HPV and then all the information and studies in the medical journal regarding the HPV vaccine - my eldest missed out due to the roll out programme and I moved heaven and earth to get it. If you have ever seen the devastation of cervical cancer on a loved one - why would you not protect your child?

I strongly suggest getting ‘off the internet’ and reading the medical journals.
Peer viewed and independent studies.

What's the research you've found which is giving you doubts? Perhaps unpicking that might help you come to a decision.

There are ZERO reasons not to have your child vaccinated. If you had really done any research you would gave decided this straight away. You need to know that the WHO, CDC, NHS, etc, are all more reputable than some weirdo on YouTube with a sideline in selling foil-lined hats.

Vaccines save children’s lives. They reduce the risk of hospitalisation and serious complications of infections. Before vaccination many children were killed or left seriously disabled by infectious disease, and this is thankfully much rarer now. You should vaccinate your child.

What are your concerns?

This website collates a lot of evidence about vaccinations.
https://vaccineknowledge.ox.ac.uk/home

This one collates evidence on vaccination side effects.
https://www.healthychildren.org/english/safety-prevention/immunizations/pages/vaccine-studies-examine-the-evidence.aspx

I don’t like the constant reminders, the phone calls and the pressure to vaccinate - it all feels like a box ticking exercise not because the NHS are actually worried about my baby.

Well it is a box ticking exercise. The more boxes they tick the more lives can be saved.

All of this!

Yes, you should. It absolutely is not a box ticking exercise - the reason the NHS is so clear about the need to vaccinate is because vaccinations prevent truly awful childhood illnesses.

In the UK we don’t see the results of polio, measles etc because they’re very rare as a result of widespread vaccination. But the consequences are awful. In Madagascar in 2019, for example, 1200 people died from measles and 64% of them were under the age of 15. Vaccination coverage for measles is poor in Madagascar because of lack of access to health resources. Even when not deadly, measles can cause meningitis, blindness and seizures. It is not a ‘harmless’ childhood illness. And it is, very sadly, on the rise again in the UK because of antivax sentiments.

Polio is another horror. I’ve travelled to countries with poor polio vaccination coverage and you see so many people suffering from extensive disabilities caused by catching the disease as a child. It can cause paralysis. It has been eradicated in Europe specifically because of the successful vaccination programme but if you don’t vaccinate your baby she could still catch it if she travels to a country where it is found, or comes into contact with someone who has been infected with it while travelling.

Vaccinations are a short term discomfort for your baby which will provide her with the incredible gift of freedom from illnesses which could cause her intense suffering or even kill her. Part of parenting is making these kinds of long term decisions for her good. You’ve benefitted from your parents making that good and loving decision for you - you now get to do the same for your daughter.