Somehow I find this unnecessary and insulting

[sammyjayneex]

So my baby is 4 weeks old and I've had an appointment booked (without me even agreeing) for my baby to have the BCG vaccine. Before leaving the hospital I was told that my baby would be offered it because he's mixed race. I left the hospital thinking I'm not injecting my baby with chemicals on the basis he's 'mixed race'
I find it unnecessary and insulting. So a baby who lives on the same street as me won't be offered it because that child is White but mine will because he's mixed race. I find it insulting and won't be attending the appointment they booked for him without my consent. Any one else think it's unnecessary to offer it to babies based on skin colour?

Op, I totally get why you would take offence at that, but I think in this case it's a bit misplaced. Be angry at the midwife for not knowing or explaining why it's offered, but for goodness sakes take the vaccine. Even if you don't see those relatives now, you might in future and your child will certainly not thank you if she gets TB. I'd get my son vaccinated if I could - one of my relatives was a TB carrier for years and could have accidentally infected loads of people. We're all white.

My sons is mixed race and has had the BCG - it never even crossed my mind to consider it racist.

My ex comes from the Middle East and while there are no plans as of yet to take him on a visit (that's a whole other story) if he does ever go the vaccines already done.

I understand why you were confused OP, and the midwife didn't explain things to you very well. My (mixed) DD was offered it and I refused, because like you say, I felt she was at no bigger risk of being exposed to TB than the white child living across the road. And, additionally, I didn't want her perfect newborn skin oozing pus and going scabby and being scarred. That's precious I know, and if I genuinely felt she needed the vaccine I suppose I would have sucked it up, but I didn't.

Incidentally, DC2 was never offered it. We were living further away from London by then.

Jaysus.

It sounds to me that the midwife dealt with the issue very badly, and offended you in the process.

DD is white, and she had the jab at two days old as DH is from another country where TB rates are high. We don't often go there, or have visitors, but the vaccine is quite low risk so we saw it as a good thing to have done.

The logic behind offering it to your child but not other children is sound, but woefully explained. It is not about skin colour, but the possibility of increased exposure to TB.

I do feel quite strongly that this should be explained to women whilst they are pregnant. There was no mention of it to me until DD was two days old and they turned up with the needle and vaccine. There wasn't really the time to think about, research and understand it, and given that some (many?) women are exhausted and emotional just after having a baby, it is possibly not the best time to spring this on them!

Perhaps in the maternity records, on one of the "tick box" lists in preparing for the birth and developing the birth plan, this could be included?

I agree the midwife should have explained this to you better. But really, get your baby the vaccine.

I live in London and both my white babies have been given the BCG. In fact there was a shortage for a time and I actually took my baby and queued for 2.5 hours at the BCG drop in clinic along with dozens of other mums to make sure she got it!

Am surprised that people would not vaccinate due to not wanting their baby's arm to have a bit of puss/a scar.

Jinkx And, additionally, I didn't want her perfect newborn skin oozing pus and going scabby and being scarred.

Admittedly only anecdotally, but scarring seems to be worse for those having the jab in their teen years.

Lucky you. We had to pay to get the bcg privately for DS1 due to a shortage in our area and looks like we'll have to do the same for ds2 as there's still a backlog.

Some diseases progress differently in people of different ethnic backgrounds. So it maybe that skin colour is exactly the reason, rather than likelihood of exposure.

I believe tb is one of those infections that has a significantly different progression in Eurasian and African ethnicities. Not sure of the specifics but it's possible that a child of African descent may be in much more danger of complications from a tb infection.

Not sure about the nhs, but ethnically tailored medicine is very common in the US.

My grandmother and uncle died of Tb. My father was diagnosed a few years later. Fortunately effective treatment was then available. My sister and I had BCG as babies.
My son was not offered it as a baby, but was offered it in error at the age of 12. His father's place of birth is Hong Kong. Public health assumed he was Chinese. When we went for the appointment they realised he was not really eligible, but agreed to give it anyway. With our family history, I was delighted.

Am surprised that people would not vaccinate due to not wanting their baby's arm to have a bit of puss/a scar.

If you read my post again you'll see that wasn't the reason I refused the vaccination.

I'm white British as are my kids but because we visited China frequently ( my parents lived there) we were offered it.

I must admit that when I kicked up a fuss to get my second child vaccinated, I felt guilty about taking an NHS jab off someone who may have been more at risk than mine but seeing that people are refusing them having been offered, I'm feeling much less guilty about it.

OP, take a step back. You are being offered a vaccine for your son which could save his life...countless parents would love that opportunity.

Have you asked your GP/health visitor/midwife why your child needs the vaccine? Surely that's the first place to start if you're unsure of why they have been offered it.

The midwife should have explained the reasons for your child being offered the vaccine better, the way she explained it certainly sounds tactless.

But TB's a nasty disease and I can't see any real downside to having your child vaccinated against it, just in case he does come into contact with it.

I don't think you can call discrimination when you're actually being offered something over and above what a baby with two white British parents would be offered.

If you don't want her to have it, then fine, cancel the appointment. But don't waste NHS resources by not turning up, thinking you're making some kind of point - they're not going to make the connection and all you'll have done is deprived someone else's high-risk baby from using that appointment to get their vaccine, and nobody fucking wins.

You're lucky to be offered this vaccination. You are being offered it, not forced to have it. Look up on a private clinic how much a baby with two white parents need to pay to get it. It kind of appears professionally offended to me, sorry.

Thanks for everyone's input. I respect everyone's posts. Maybe I took it strongly because of the way she said it. She should have explained proper. I've decided to do some more research into it and decide. I wouldn't just not turn up, I would ring an cancel and explain my reasons at least, I wouldn't just leave it like that but Maybe they shouldn't make appointments for the parents, they should let the parents comes to them once they've made a decision and saves on resources that way

Why would I have 'proper battles' to fight with a mixed race child? Care to elaborate ?

Any common sense would tell you that the reason your posting this is for the reason you seem to think you don't understand. Lol

Quencher

I do know it's due to racism what I meant was to hear someone actually say it made me annoyed That my child has to go through these things due to skin colour and possibly have life made harder for him because of it.

Op, I understand where your coming from. She should have told you about the prevalence in certain areas and also why. This goes on a lot in sexual health clinics too. I sort understand where they are coming from even though they are using skin colour and place of origin to base their judgement.

Actually, I have never thought about it before and now while writing this and starting to question my strain of thought. I still think she is right to offer it.

Why would I have 'proper battles' to fight with a mixed race child? Care to elaborate ?

I read this recently. It really made me think about my responsibilities towards non-White (primarily black) people. I will be talking to my white children about this stuff precisely because although I don't want you/your child to fight any battles at all, I know you/your child will have to do so.

The best thing I can do to help create a world where those battles aren't necessary is to make sure that me and my children stand with you and your children while you fight the battles.

To the white parents of my black sons friends

Just to help anyone pregnant reading this, the information on the tb vaccine is there. It's in the screening booklet given out during pregnancy (or it was in mine last year)