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!

OP I think you need to gather yourself together, be strong and come clean to your midwife. They will be able to advise on whether to get the jab at this stage and where/how to do so. Being needle phobic is horrible, absolutely horrible, but you need to take the steps to get through it for this vaccination, if that's recommended by your health professionals at this stage. Really good luck.

I think maybe some people are being a little harsh on other posters who don't personally want to have vaccines. I have had mine because my midwife said I should and to be honest I don't second guess it. However, if people are comfortable with the risk and have done the research then that is their choice. While I might disagree that vaccines are dangerous and I do think they are very important and should be done, I acknowledge that others are allowed to have different opinions and it doesn't make them a bad person.

Anti Vaxxers are pure idiots. We already know fine well heard immunity is failing us due to the lack of idiots vaccinating their children. Why should children suffer due to ill informed adults spreading fear over something that’s been created to help us all. Utter insanity.

My goodness everyone I am NOT talking about the whooping cough vaccine ! I'm talking about the flu vaccine you need to read what all the way to the top of the post !! It is my body and my baby and I have spoken to many health care professionals and made my decision of that not some 'dodgy research' off the internet. Everyone can try and change my opinion all they want but I'm sticking by it weather it's 'stupid' or not. The wc vaccine has only just been offered to me because I am 16 weeks pregnant and I haven't spoke to my midwife about it which I will do at my next appointment. Thank you all for trying to tell me what is best for my baby but I'll do that myself.

If people looked into it properly they would be very shocked

Go for it. What has been the evidence base that you have considered to be “properly looking into it”. What sources have been evaluated? Or is anecdotes (Glenda Meg neighbours SIL my sister etc). What is “properly” looking into things? What IS this proper research you’ve done? Sources?

KayAr “ Everyone can try and change my opinion all they want but I'm sticking by it weather it's 'stupid' or not.”

That is the essence of stupidity.

And it’s “whether”

others are allowed to have different opinions

Evidence based Public health is not a matter of opinion. Individual and population level outcomes of public health decisions are not a matter of opinion. Many things ARE a matter of opinion. Believing in god, practising religion, choice of swear words. Numerous things. Vaccination is not and cannot be a matter of “opinion”.

@Cornyplaster actually the vaccine is for the baby, it goes through the placenta into your baby's body and when i have been told that it isn't 100% safe I'm not willing to do that especially when my doctor said that the flu vaccine barely even covers the strain of flu going around at the time !

Opinion vs Fact:

Boris Johnson is an awful prime minister (opinion)

Boris Johnson is the prime minister (fact)

See?

KayAr it is you that would take the burden of risk, not the baby.

But as an aside, I’d love to see a SINGLE prescribed drug that is “100% safe for unborn babies.”

There aren’t any. Not one. And that’s not because there are loads of dangerous drugs our there, it’s because it is impossible to do clinical trials for drugs on pregnant women. So no one can accurately tell you that anything is 100% safe.

No 'stupidity' would be me doing something just because a doctor said I need to, I have took the information they gave me and made my own decision which believe it or not I am entitled to do! I am not against all vaccines as I said at the beginning of the post I don't believe that certain vaccines are necessary such as the flu vaccine there fore I will not be getting it while pregnant with my baby, the whooping cough is something I'm speaking to my midwife about and looking at myself. So sad that people can be so nasty when others have a different opinion!

@Cornyplaster exactly which is why pregnant women are told to avoid all drugs unless absolutely necessary. So therefore I am doing the same with vaccinations and looking at what is necessary and what isn't.

You're too late to pass the benefits of the jabs on to your DD in terms of her building up immunity and antibodies but actually you should still get them for hers immunity. If you don't have them you could catch flu and bring it into the house where you can't really avoid your DD.

So if a doctor tells you to do something and you do it, that’s stupid, but you’ll listen to a midwife?

What?

@Cornyplaster no as I said I will speak to my midwife and look into it myself THEN make my decision same as I have with the flu vaccine.

@Thoughtlessinengland, it is a matter of opinion as its not mandatory. I don't understand why you are all being so rude on a forum. @KayAR is doing what she feels is the correct thing for her baby, sounds like she has done her research. I might not agree with her, but calling someone stupid because they disagree with you is not really acceptable in my opinion. Isn't the point of this site to give each other support / encouragement?

KayAR the whooping cough vaccine is offered/promoted TO pregnant women because it IS absolutely necessary because if you or the baby actually catch whooping cough, either of you could die.

And that’s why the cash strapped NHS has poured millions into this as a public health exercise. Because it IS necessary. And the decisions are based on thousands and thousands of data points, and drug trials, and has been found to be a worthwhile program.

@LH1987 thank you I haven't once forced my opinion on someone else or been nasty about it, it is so sad that people can't accept that not everyone has the same views as them. I am simply trying to do what is best for my unborn baby x

My IUGR baby contracted whooping cough while in NICU - came home during the incubation period, got sick the day before his 8 week injections. I’d had the injection and I didn’t get it and neither did his twin but for some reason he didn’t get the full immunity.

If you had the whooping cough vaccine now it wouldn’t transfer any immunity to the baby IIRC as this takes time.

I would speak to your midwife / the hospital team and tell them you haven’t had it, especially if they need NICU / SCBU time.

LH1987 what does “done her research” actually mean? Because I’m sure as shit certain it won’t have been comparing trial data, epidemiological investigations and the full research capacity of the department of health.

@Cornyplaster and I will make that decision myself, of course if I think it is absolutely necessary then I will get it to protect my baby! I don't know enough about the vaccine to just listen to what random people on this thread are telling me and agree without any questions.

@KayAr of course you know better than doctors and midwives 🙄. What are you going to do if your baby becomes dangerously ill with wc and needs treatment, are you going to leave them to suffer until you do your own research to confirm what the doctors are recommending is acceptable to you?

The flu vaccine changes yearly so your net searching could be seriously out of date your bubs your rules your funeral stay away from me and mine hun I'm immune compromised

It’s not random people on the internet though, it’s the bloody NHS telling you.