Two week old risk of catching Australian flu in public?

[Maybebaby2]

This may sounds silly but my mum has put it in my head that I should not take my 2 week old out in public because of the risk of catching Australian flu.

It's my older DS birthday tomorrow and we had planned to go out for a meal to celebrate. My mum said we should not take baby with us and that she should mind baby for us while we go without her. DS wants them (both his nan and baby sister) to come too and I'm not sure it's necessary to keep baby away from the restaurant at all?

What are your opinions on this do I need to worry about taking her out in public this young. Some online info suggests to wait till she is 4-6 weeks old but this seems unfeasible?

I didn’t worry about this sort of thing for my first, but with my second (prem), I did avoid taking her in enclosed spaces for quite a while. Are you breastfeeding and did you have the flu vaccine? If so I think she might have your immunity. Not sure though.

Yeah I'm breastfeeding and I had the flu vaccine. I hadn't considered that she might have immunity through me. Baby was two weeks early so not prem but I wonder if that couple of weeks affects her immunity?

I wish there was some definitive advice out there but I can't find anything, maybe I should ring midwife or health visitor for advice?

Total overreaction. Your DD might just as easily come into contact with chicken pox, D&V, whooping cough, wayward buses...

As a PP said, if you're breastfeeding, as an added bonus, she's well-protected.

I work in a hospital. We have at least one confirmed flu case on one of the wards. One of my colleagues is bringing her 3 week old prem baby in next week for a visit. As we won't be inviting the infected patient anywhere near the baby, and we've all had our jabs, no one is concerned.

In the general public, infected strangers would not get close enough to your baby to transmit the virus, unless you allow passers by to sneeze into the pram. If you know anyone who is infected, you keep them away. Easy.

X-post - you are breastfeeding, therefore she's covered by your vaccine. 38 weeks is also considered full term, so shouldn't affect her immunity.

Not that it matters much but the immunity from the flu vaccine passed from the mother is through the placenta drink pregnancy, not via breastfeeding. However, the primary aim of the flu vaccine in pregnancy is to protect the pregnant woman, who is at serious risk of complications from flu. This is unlike the whooping cough booster where the primary aim is to pass immunity through the placenta to protect the baby.

I probably would judge depending on the restaurant layout, the transport you will need and the personality of your mother. If you can book a table in a quiet spacious alcove or corner, and aren't using public transport to get there, then I would think it a risk worth taking. However, if your mother is of a personality type that she wouldn't let this go, and would spoil everyone's enjoyment of the meal by insisting on how you are right and she is wrong, you need to decide on how best to handle it. Either an opportunity to set down firm boundaries (easier said than done with newborn exhaustion) or think about getting food ordered in and hosting the meal at home to include granny and the baby, if your elder son would not be too disappointed with a change of plan.

Not directly relevant but I am horrified at the thought of the person mentioned above bringing a three week old premature baby for a visit to an infectious disease hospital ward, with flu and presumably potentially lots of other contagious disease potential there. It seems utterly reckless to me. I would not take that in the reassuring spirit that is intended!

If you do want to protect your baby from flu, the best thing you can do is get all member of the close household vaccinated if they are eligible (older siblings, grandparents, any babysitters or caregivers, and you and the baby's father). And the usual super strict rules around hand washing, sterilising and scrubbing any dummies or bottles or sucky toys.

Oops, just realised the date in this post is long past!