Feeling extra guilty about vaccines and embarrassed.

[SexlessBoulderBelly]

I’m having a c section on Tuesday, I’ll be 37+4, baby is coming early due to issues with my placenta and growth restrictions.

Up until I was about 30 weeks and started attending the hospital every week, at my usual midwife appointment she reminded me to book my flu and whooping cough vaccine.

I’ve got to be completely honest, I totally put them off as I suffer terrible anxiety and was frightened did have a reaction to them. I never voiced that to the midwife and just kept saying I would book it in. I had every intention to do it as I absolutely want what’s best for DD but I just thought to myself every time I thought about it “I’ll ring tomorrow“

Even now I just think it’s pointless even if I could get a appointment. I know that logically it’s not pointless but the anxiety in me is brushing it off and I’m overcome with guilt.

I’m so pro vaccine for babies too. It’s just me having the vaccine that I can’t bring myself to do

I’m entitled to the flu vaccine for my job anyway and I’ve never had the jab done.

Am I absolutely terrible? Did anyone else not have them? Obviously not having the whooping cough vaccine I’m going to be recovering from the c section for a few weeks and will try to really limit visitors until baby has her first vaccines. Will keep hand sanitizer on the side table and make sure veryone wishes theirs hands before holding her and absolutely no kissing.. which would have been a request anyway. Something about kissing newborns on the face when they don’t belong to you makes me a bit irritated. Common sense (which I’m obviously lacking by jeopardising her health selfishly!)

I don’t really know what my question is, no one can tell me if she will catch whooping cough or flu, and people with hve different opinions on me being an idiot but I suppose I just needed to offload!

I said nothing about not getting my baby vaccinated I'm talking about me while being pregnant as there is not enough research to guarantee your body won't react a certain way and harm the baby, and yes of course being immune means you've had to have it but that means it's passing over rather than you getting ill I'm hardly 'stupid' for trying to do what I think is best for my baby !

Think everyone is being a bit harsh to KayAR, at the end of the day everyone is entitled to make the choice for themselves based on the knowledge and evidence they give themselves.

I am sure she is confident enough in her research to have not made the decision lightly given the many apparent benefits of them. Everyone is allowed to make their own decisions and judging by the state of the medical industry globally I don't think we can blame someone for being cautious.

Vaccines do have many negatives and side effects for many people that is fact you are always going to take a risk either way.

What makes me most sad about able people passing up the chance of a vaccine is when they say "I'm doing what's best for me". The sad fact is whilst doing that you're unfortunately letting other people in the community down, in particular those that can't get vaccines (eg newborn babies, people with ill health). We need fit and able people to get their vaccinations to protect us all. It's known as hers immunity. For example, The people who are against vaccinating their children put all our newborn babies at risk. That's why there's been a resurgence in measles and mumps. People who don't have vaccinations, please think about t, not just for you but for all of us.

I get my flu vaccine every year. I've never had flu but I still get it. Because I work in a hospital and could come into contact with your very sick mum, dad, grandma, baby who can't have the jab and pass flu to them.

Back to the OP I don't think you can do anything now so it's not worth the worry. X

*herd immunity

For research read random googling.

Ginandtonic31 I agree we never know what is true and what is not and I think the general idea of vaccines is amazing but there are ALOT of vaccines that are not relevant and contain harmful chemicals that can cause a bad reaction which I have seen! But when I have to make the decision of taking a risk when my unborn baby is affected I'm not willing to do it which many people do not understand of course once the baby is here he will have the relevant vaccines that I agree with or maybe none it's my choice. I understand the other point about the general community and trying to prevent the recurrence of bad illnesses but I'm not willing to risk my babies health while I am carrying him. And as for 'random googling' that is not the case I have spoke to many healthcare professionals and made my decision from that.

Sorry that first tag was supposed to be for xmasribbons.

At least the majority of us our having vaccines though and getting our babies vaccinated as this will help protect all the babies that aren't vaccinated as best we can. Imagine if none of us had our vaccines - there would be a very high chance of our babies contracting something and becoming very ill! It's a good job some of us take the risk for the rest.

@KayAR please look up 'light for Riley' it is an awareness page by people who lost their 1 month old baby to whooping cough.

Your babies best chance at avoiding whooping cough is for you to get the vaccine. You should also be asking those who will have close contact with your newborn to consider getting a whooping cough vaccine.

Of course you have the right to make an informed decision about what goes in to yours and your babies body however please do your research, whooping cough can quickly turn deadly for newborns and young babies.

I got my whooping cough vaccine a little late (32 weeks) as I had also been putting it off. My midwife informed me that cases are on the rise due to people not getting vaccines :(

I know it's hard but you need to get this done. Get a friend or relative to phone your gp and book your appointment for you, then all you have to do is keep it rather than arrange it.

I'm going to speak to my midwife about the whooping cough as I don't know enough about it to not have it , it's the flu vaccine I don't like while pregnant of course if I think that it is the right decision for the health of my baby then I will get it. But I can't apologise for having my own opinion which I have thought about for a very very long time and it's not just a decision I woke up one day and decided.

I never got offered a whooping cough vaccine but when I was heavily pregnant last winter I decided against the flu vaccine as it only protects you again a couple strains of flu virus so you can still get flu if you're exposed to a different strain making it somewhat pointless in my opinion. Also, being pregnant and working in the NHs I was kept away from patients at all times and put on admin duties so it wasnt too difficult to avoid people who were ill. As long as you take appropriate steps to avoid getting ill (handwashing regularly etc) I wouldnt worry at all. Best of luck with the birth!

Thebumblebee that point about the flu vaccine is very true and one of the main reasons I don't want it, and thank you !!

Having the whooping cough vaccine wasn’t an option when I was pregnant but my daughter got whooping cough at 2 mths of age. I wouldn’t wish it on anyone she had 3 respiratory arrest.

Pixxie7 poor thing that sounds awful !

I am very much against certain vaccines and I have never had any sort of flu or chickenpox ect even after working in a nursery for 2 year

Which nursery is this? @KayAR
Need to avoid it like the plague

what you do is up to you. However to expose your child to the very real risk of whooping cough, in the face of a perceived risk of a vaccine taken by you, is madness.

And if you think no one gets whooping cough these days, you’re mistaken. I and one of my children had it earlier this year, fully confirmed cases, blood tests done, the lot. We were both VERY ill. I collapsed a couple of times, I’d wake up unable to breath and couldn’t sleep lying down for months. My son, a big strapping teen, coughed so hard that he blew blood vessels in his eyes and had constant nosebleeds. I was urine-incontinent.

We are both better now. Interestingly I had to argue with my GP for us to be properly tested. He said that he was seeing literally loads of patients coming back with the same persistent severe cough and he was getting sick of getting them all confirmed because he knew it was whooping cough anyway.

I have no doubt whatsoever that what we had, would kill a child, let alone a new baby.

So sad that Mumsnet is such a judgemental place for people voicing there own opinions especially when it comes to what I think is best for my baby! Was no one ever taught if you having nothing nice to say then don't say it at all!

Was that aimed at me?

@Cornyplaster if you read what I said it was that I am not getting the flu vaccination but I am going to talk to my midwife about the whooping cough vaccine as I am only 16 weeks so it has only just become an option and I don't know enough about it. Of course what information I get will decide what I do for my baby !

@Cornyplaster it was aimed at the thread as a whole for the people that had nothing nice to say

I read exactly what you said.

I am happy to hear you and your family are well now it sounds terrible

There’s nothing nice to say about whooping cough, other than there’s an effective preventative measure.

What sort of nice things do you mean? I’m confused!

I'm talking about people calling me 'stupid' for my decisions ect, people have different opinions and I've said the whooping cough isn't something I know enough about to not get the vaccine which is why I am speaking to my midwife about it ! I specifically said I do not want the FLU vaccine as it is pointless in my opinion